V.P. MARKETING/CUSTOMER RELATIONS..........TRISH BIRO trish@rpmmag.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR..............................................TOBY BROOKS toby.brooks@rpmmag.com EVENT MEDIA..........................................events@rpmmag.com EVENT SUBSCRIPTIONS COORDINATOR.....SHERRIE WEBER sherrie@rpmmag.com SPECIAL PROJECTS DIRECTOR...........................TOBY BROOKS toby.brooks@rpmmag.com Photographic Contributions: TONY WEBER, TIM LEWIS, MARK goDragRacing.org, TARA BOWKER, GEORGE PICH, TOBY BROOKS, MATT WOODS, TABITHA SIZEMORE, MATT TROMBLEY, LOUIS FRONKIER, WILL McDOUGLE, BART CEPEK, BENOIT PIGEON, KAYLA WOOD, and PATRICK “RED” WILLIAMS. Editorial Contributions: TIM LEWIS, CHUCK SCOTT, MARK goDragRacing.org, TOBY BROOKS, TABITHA SIZEMORE, JAMES WILLIAMS, TIM BIRO, STAN SMITH, JT, RYK LEE WADDELL, GEORGE PICH, JAY MISENER. Technical Writing Contribution: CHUCK SCOTT, SHANE TECKLENBURG, TOBY BROOKS, and TIM BIRO.
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MEET THE RPM TEAM
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF.........................................................CHRIS BIRO editor@rpmmag.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@rpmmag.com To subscribe to RPM go to www.rpmmag.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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RPM Magazine has been a world leader in motorsports publishing for 20 years and has support locations in Ontario, Canada, Alabama, Texas, and Virginia, along with contributing writers and photojournalists worldwide. If you have a story that may fit within the focus and scope of RPM Magazine’s coverage, please email our Editor In Chief at editor@ rpmmag.com. Submission of an article does not guarantee that it will be published. Revolution Publishing & Media Inc. (RPM) / RPM Magazine IS NOT responsible for errors or omissions in ANY advertisement or article. Advertisements may be rearranged or altered at the sole discretion of RPM to allow the ad to fit in the space purchased by the advertiser. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REFUSE ANY ADVERTISING WHICH WE CONSIDER TO CONTAIN MISLEADING, OFFENSIVE OR FALSE INFORMATION. REPRODUCTION OF ANY INFORMATION HEREIN IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT.
Publication Return/Address Change Information USA RPM MAGAZINE (USPS Periodical #023474) is published monthly 12 times per year by USA Publisher’s Agent, 10387 Main Street, Suite 300, Fairfax, VA 22030.
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EDITOR’S RANT
by
Chris Biro
For a good time...
COME JOIN THE PARTY! From Tom Bailey:
F
irst off, I can’t thank RPM enough for the opportunity to work with them on this issue of the magazine and all the people and cars that were able to attend Tom Bailey’s Woodward Pre-Party/RPM Magazine Takeover this year! With every year, the event has grown in chute cars, non-chute cars, spectators, and support and this year we raised over $25,000 for the Epilepsy Foundation of Michigan! I just can’t help but sit back and say wow! I actually ran into Brian Hansen the weekend after the Pre-Party, and for those that do not know, Brian is the one who started the original 10-Wide Racing/RPM Magazine Gus’s Drive-in event that ran for a few years in Wisconsin. This was the inspiration behind the creation of my Pre-Party event. It was a gathering once a year for some of the fastest street-driven cars in the country—most of which had chutes on the back. It was such a cool experience to hang out with the guys at an event that was set up for street cars with serious horsepower. On that note, we had over 100 cars with chutes in attendance for this year’s Pre-Party and 60 cars without. Both groups included some of the baddest cars to ever roam the streets of North America! As we look towards next year’s event, I would love feedback on how to make this event the go-to event for everyone. You can contact me at tom@ bailey-racing.com
From the Editor:
Well, the RPM MAG 20th Anniversary Bash is in the books and we couldn’t have had a better time, not to mention amazing weather for four days straight! Celebrating Friday with Tom Bailey and his Woodward Pre-Party group of cars along with RPM and ALL OUT: Live cars, and the amazing readers and fans that came to the Pre-Party was mind-blowing! Tom started by organizing a test-n-tune
session on Thursday at Lapeer that ended with a drive back to Pontiac, Michigan for morning setup at the M1 Concourse facility, the new venue for the Pre-Party. The Friday event was crazy from to start to finish and it only left us wanting more when the party wrapped up shortly after sundown. The amount and quality of cars was outstanding. Hearing such positive comments of the RPM readers who stopped by the trailer (some who have been following RPM for 20 years) along with new readers who discovered RPM at the Pre-Party was empowering. A huge thanks also goes out to Tom and his group of volunteers and congratulations for a job well done! We had Saturday to regroup and then moved on to Lapeer International Dragway for Sunday to celebrate with Brian and Robin Bossone and their ALL OUT: Live program and fans, along with Ian Hill Racing Productions’ Limited 28 class cars that Brian merged with his program, and what a blast it was! Tom Bailey and a number of the Pre-Party cars also showed up to Saturday’s festivities and join in on the racing. I was unsure of what to expect as this was my first ALL OUT: Live experience, but I have to say that I have a whole new understanding and appreciation of what ALL OUT: Live brings to drag racing and fans. I was honored to be able to join the tower staff for mic duty and hope that letting my energy for horsepower out of its cage wasn’t too much for them! It was a late night—or should I say early morning as the Sunday gig didn’t finish until 3 am Monday— but the entire team stayed the course and we can’t wait to see the show! Thanks goes out to Lapeer International Dragway Owner Bill Jennings, Matt, Ryan and the entire staff for the amazing job they are doing to rebuild the exiting facility into a world-class drag race venue. To all of the car owners, drivers, and fans that came out to both venues, we humbly thank you all for your support of RPM...now let’s launch hard into the next 20 years!
COMING NEXT MONTH:
Third Time Around............................................................... Exclusive coverage of Smackdown3 with Ian Hill Racing Productions!
4
THIS AND MORE IN THE NEXT RPM! october 2019 | RPM Magazine
ADVERTISER INDEX A&A Manufacturing.............. 58 ACC Performance................. 110 Accufab Inc............................ 66 Aeromotive........................... 10 AFCO..................................... 50 AFR: Air Flow Research.......... 19 Alan Johnson Performance (AJPE)................................. 11 Alston Race Cars.................... 18 ATI Performance Products..... 45 Auburn Gear........................ 108 Aurora Bearing...................... 84 Autoglym.............................. 49 AVAK/Ridgegate Tools........... 48 Baer Brakes......................10, 97 Be Cool.................................. 92 BES Racing Engines............... 16 Bill Mitchell Products.......22, 81 Blower Shop............................ 5 Borla................................... 107 C&C MotorSports..................... 8 Calvert Racing Suspensions... 98 Canton Racing Products........ 27 CFE Racing Products.............. 33 Chassis Engineering.........22, 78 CN Blocks.............................. 60 CNC Motorsports................... 40 Coan Engineering.................. 79 Competition Products........... 36 Crane Cams........................... 93 Crower.................................. 34 CVR Products........................... 9 DART..................................... 28 Design Engineering..........26, 99 Diamond Pistons................... 86 Drive Train Specialists (DTS)... 13 DRIVEN Racing Oil................. 47 Dynocologists........................ 39 Dynomite Dynamometer...... 20 Dynotech Engineering............. 8 Edelbrock............................ 100 Energy Suspension...........16, 44 Erson Cams............................ 32 FUELAB................................. 24 Granatelli Motorsports.......... 21 GRP Connecting Rods............ 30 Harland Sharp....................... 25 Harwood............................. 109 HoleShot Wheels................... 32 Holley.................................2, 87 Howard’s Cams.................... 103 Hughes Performance............... 7 Ian Hill Racing....................... 83 Induction Solutions............... 77 Indy Cylinder Head................ 94 Innovate Motorsports.......... 105 JE Pistons.......................88, 101 Jesel...................................... 14 JW Perform. Transmissions.... 85 Kinsler Fuel Injection............. 13 LenTech Automatics.............. 90 Lokar Perf. Products............ 112 MagnaFuel............................ 17
Magnuson Superchargers...... 31 MAHLE Clevite Inc................. 62 Manton Pushrods.................. 83 Meziere Precision Mfg........... 39 Mickey Thompson Tires......7, 28 MS3-Pro EFI/DIY Auto Tune... 35 MSD Ignition......................... 61 Neal Chance Converters....29, 63 NGK Spark Plugs.................... 81 Nitrous Pro Flow.................... 97 Nitrous Supply.................14, 38 Parts Pro Perf Centers.......... 116 PBM Products........................ 12 Percy’s................................... 84 Performance Engineering..... 51 Performance Improvements.. 65 Perf. Plus Connection.....58, 102 Philadelphia Racing Products (PRP).............................52, 86 Powermaster Performance.... 33 Precision Turbo...................... 53 ProCharger............................ 37 Proform Parts.................61, 104 Pro Systems Carburetors.23,101 PTC........................................ 52 Quick Fuel Technology........... 25 Quik-Latch Products.............. 78 Race Part Solutions..........12, 31 Racecraft............................... 64 Racepak................................ 43 Racequip............................. 111 RAM Clutches........................ 42 Renegade Racing Fuels......... 89 Ross Racing Pistons............5, 30 RPM Magazine Subscribe!.114 Scorpion Racing Products...... 17 Shafiroff Racing Engines..35, 76 Steve Morris Racing Engines. 51 Strange Engineering............. 82 Summit Racing Equip...113, 115 TCI Automotive...................... 95 Ti64....................................... 67 Tom’s Upholstery................... 41 Trick Flow.............................. 15 Tuned By Shane T.................. 67 VP Racing Fuels..............46, 106 World Products................20, 41
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october2019
Be sure to check out our Performance Directory on page 68!
Often Imitated, Never Duplicated—For 20 STRAIGHT YEARS RPM Magazine has been the ORIGINAL Voice Of Wild Street Machines and Extreme Drag Cars 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!
SO Much Horsepower Packed Into One Place... That Place IS RPM Magazine!
THE HAPPENINGS
Pre-Party in the USA................................... 54
Ken Cox photo
Ken Cox photo
Tom Bailey’s Third Annual Woodward Pre-Party, RPM Takeover & Birthday Bash, and ALL-OUT: Live invade M1 Concourse and Lapeer International Dragway
THE
RIDES
Revenge of the Fifth..................................40 This 2010 Camaro shows off a dark side…up to a mile at a time
The Fourth Child....................................................... 8 This pro street 1969 Mustang is a fast member of the Hobkirk Family
Worth the Wait.................................................82 This wicked throwback nostalgia super stock Dart might have taken almost 40 years to finish, but the results speak for themselves
Candy Brandy Whine......................................24 RPM
We aren’t sure what’s better: the hue or the horsepower of Craig Groebner’s killer ProCharged ’71 Nova
EXCLUSIVE
Trick Your Truck: Treat your curb rash............................ 112 Our Fuel Offroad wheels get some much-needed attention as we continue our Droolie makeover
Stock(ish) Deception............................... 98 A 1968 Camaro that is best described as a wolf in sheep’s clothing
READ COMPLETE ISSUES OF RPM MAG ONLINE AT WWW.RPMMAG.COM 6
october 2019 | RPM Magazine
STANDING ON THE GAS SINCE 1963.
Mickey Thompson was unstoppable. He was the first American to 400+MPH at Bonneville & the manager of Lions Drag Strip. At heart, Mickey was a drag racer, now his DNA lives on in the innovative winning products we build today for drag racers like you. UNCOMPROMISED CONSTRUCTION / UNDISPUTED PERFORMANCE.
www.rpmmag.com | october 2019
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october 2019 | RPM Magazine
story by
James Williams
I
sn’t it funny how the loose coins of memory from our youth sometimes wedge deep in the seat cushions of our memory banks and never seem to fully work their way out? For many of us, those memories provide pleasant reflection for years gone by. For others like Fort Wayne, Indiana’s Michael Hobkirk, they provide goals. “I saw an article in a prominent car magazine in the ’80s about a 1969 Mustang called “The Lawman” that had been blown and customized, and I
photos by
Matt Trombley knew that was my dream car,” he recalled. However, it would be another 20 years before that dream could start to turn to reality. “I always loved cars,” Hobkirk said. “I started working at Pepsi Cola in 1984 as a fleet mechanic, but I also fixed cars on the side at home to support my family,” he added. However, in 1998, the side hustle started moving up priority list, and by 2000 he opened Hobkirk’s Auto Repair full time. Steady growth and hard work were paying off. “My youngest daughter
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www.rpmmag.com | october 2019
9
THE FOURTH CHILD
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october 2019 | RPM Magazine
PRO-STREET PREREQS Everyone knows that a throwback pro streeter needs a huge Roots blower poking through the hood and a narrowed rearend out back. Hobkirk’s ride has all that and more. The blow big block Ford can crank out 900 ponies and the 33x22.5 Hoosiers on double beadlocked Billet Specialties hoops provide plenty of bite... and killer good looks. was getting ready to graduate high school in 2006, so my wife and I decided that it was finally time to start on my car,” he said. A thorough eBay search had resulted in the discovery of a suitable build candidate in Jackson, Tennessee. Hobkirk placed a bid but the auction actually ended during the commencement exercises. “I came home from the ceremony to discover that I had won the auction,” he said. Two
days later and $9989 later, an open trailer strapped with a stock and lightly rusted 1969 Mustang pulled into the driveway ready for its transformation. First up, Hobkirk replaced the antiquated suspension, starting with a Heidt’s Mustang II front setup with QA1 coil overs, manual rack and pinion, and tubular control arms. Wilwood disc brakes reside behind a pair of polished 15x4 Street Lite wheels with Nexen tires.
Out back, neighbor and friend Mick Bodigon handled a mild steel backhalf with custom tubs, a 12-point cage, and custom frame connectors to add rigidity and make room for the huge rear rollers Michael had been dreaming of for more than 20 years. A narrowed and braced Ford 9-inch rear was equipped with Strange 35-spline axles, a Strange third member, and 4.11 Strange gears before being hung on
www.rpmmag.com | october 2019
11
THE FOURTH CHILD BOXED AND BACKHALFED The Mustang’s chassis has been treated to a Heidt’s clip up front and a Mick Bodigon backhalf with 4-link out back.
a custom 4-link with adjustable QA1 coilovers. Wilwood binders have been installed on all four corners, and polished 15x15 Billet Specialties with Cox Locks double beadlocks roll on Quick Time Pro tires. While the pony was starting to look like that longstored vision of the Lawman floating around in Hobkirk’s gray matter, it still needed that big, blown pow-
12
erplant. For that, he started with a 460 Ford big block and stroked it to a roomier 505 ci. An Eagle 4.15-stroke crank was partnered with 6.7-inch Eagle I-beam rods and 10:1 compression Diamond pistons. An Erson cam and lifters control the valvetrain, and a pair of free-flowing Kaase P-51 aluminum heads were torqued in place with ARP studs.
october 2019 | RPM Magazine
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www.rpmmag.com | october 2019
13
THE FOURTH CHILD
The classic pro street induction system consists of a Blue Thunder blower intake with a BDS 8/71 Roots-style supercharger that pushes 15 pounds of boost. A pair of Holley 1050 Dominator carbs have been crowned with a chromed BDS
blower scoop, and a Holley inline billet pump keeps the race fuel flowing. Other features under the hood include a number of parts and pieces to boost performance and add style. A pair of chromed fabricated valve covers and modified
THE
Canton oil pan keep all the vital fluids sealed inside, while a CSR billet electric water pump keeps the big Ford cool and a belt-driven Moroso external oil pump keeps the internals lubricated. Ignition is managed by a Unilite distributor and an
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14
october 2019 | RPM Magazine
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www.rpmmag.com | october 2019
15
THE FOURTH CHILD
MICHAEL HOBKIRK’S PRO STREET 1969 FORD MUSTANG Chassis Type & Mods: Mick Bodigon backhalf with full cage, custom 36-inch tubs, and custom frame connectors. Suspension & Brakes: FRONT: Heidt’s Mustang II suspension with QA adjustable shocks, tubular control arms, and manual rack and pinion. Wilwood disc brakes.Hurst line lock. REAR: Custom 4-link with QA1 coil overs. Wilwood disc brakes. Body & Paint: All steel body with custom Glasstek hood. 4-inch stretched rear quarter openings. Billet grille. Blue Magneto PPG basecoat/clearcoat paint by Nathan Bowers/Bowers Paint Studio, Decatur, Indiana. Engine: Ford big block stroked to 505 ci. Eagle 4.15 stroke crank with Eagle I-beam 6.7-inch rods and custom 10:1 compression Diamond pistons. Erson cam and lifters. Kaase P51 cylinder heads with pushrod guides and ARP studs. Pete Jackson gear drive. Induction & Fuel Delivery: Blue Thunder blower intake. Twin Holley 1050 Dominator carbs with chromed BDS blower scoop. Holley billet inline dual pump. Power Adder: BDS 8-71 supercharger. Blower spun to deliver 15 pounds of boost. Electronics & Ignition: Unilite distributor with MSD 7AL-2 Plus ignition control box. MSD plug wires and shift light. Powermaster 140-amp alternator. Painless wiring harness. Exhaust: Hooker Super Comp 2-inch headers with 3 ½-inch collectors, Flowmaster mufflers, and 3 ½-inch exhaust. Transmission & Driveline: Ford C6 transmission with manual reverse valve body and ATI 5,000 rpm stall converter. Turbo Cheetah shifter with CO2 air shift controlled by MSD rpm-activated switch. Strange chromoly driveshaft. Differential: Narrowed and braced 9-inch Ford housing, Strange 35-spline axles, Strange third member, and Strange 4.11 gears. Tires & Wheels: FRONT: 15x4-inch Billet Speicalties Street Lite wheels with Nexen tires. REAR: 15x15-inch Billet Specialties Street Lite wheels Cox Locks dual beadlocks and 33x22.5-15 Hoosier Quick Time Pro tires. Performance: 9.0@155 mph. Special Thanks: Mick Bodigon (fabrication), Rod Crist (tear down & reassembly, polishing), John Ammer (wiring & fabrication), Fred Royer (welding), Matt McBride (transmission), Bone Everett (machine work), Nathan Bowers (paint), Recon Plating, Panacea Powder Coating. “I also want to say that my wife has been standing by me and supporting me 100% while I work long hours to achieve my dream car. She has been as excited as me in getting the car to where it is.”
MSD 7AL-2 Plus box, and exhaust is routed through 2-inch primary Hooker Super Comp headers with 3 ½-inch collectors, Flowmaster mufflers, and 3 ½-inch exhaust that dumps just ahead of the rear tires. Backing the 900-horse mill is a fortified Ford C6 transmission with a reverse manual shift valve body
The
and an ATI 5,000 rpm- stall converter. A Turbo Cheetah shifter with a CO2 air shift is controlled by an MSD rpm-activated switch. Paint and body was up next, and Hobkirk opted to retain as much factory steel as possible. That required replacing the factory taillight panel, floor pans, cowl, and rocker
boxes along with a custom Glasstek hood. The factory rear quarters were modified with a 4-inch stretch to the opening and a billet grille was added, rounding out the mods before Nathan Bowers of Bowers Paint Studio laid down a miles-deep PPG basecoat/ clearcoat Blue Magneto paint. Finally, the Mustang was
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october 2019 | RPM Magazine
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BLOWN & BLUE The 505 big block Ford features Diamond pistons and Eagle crank and rods. Seeing your reflection in that big Dominator scoop is a cool added feature while cruising.
www.rpmmag.com | october 2019
17
COMFY CRUISER The plush vinyl-wrapped dual buckets make for fun driving, while the Bodigon cage and G-Force harnesses ensure safety.
treated to a custom interior, starting with a pair of plush black vinyl buckets equipped with G-Force harnesses. The factory dash was plugged full of AutoMeter instruments behind a Grant polished aluminum wheel. The custom
18
cage was painted gloss black to blend in along with the black factory-style door panels and cut pile carpet. The end result was exactly what Michael had been dreaming of: a wild pro street machine that had legit performance to
october 2019 | RPM Magazine
THE FOURTH CHILD
www.rpmmag.com | october 2019
19
match. The car has made a best pass of 9.00 @ 155 and there are plans afoot to dip solidly into the 8s following a re-stripping of the blower and a new nitrous kit.
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october 2019 | RPM Magazine
Hobkirk insists he has absolutely no regrets. “Building this car was the second best decision of my life right behind marrying my wife,� he said.
CLEAN AND TIDY Build quality and attention to detail on the Mustang are superb. The car drew a crowd all day at the Woodward Pre-Party.
THE FOURTH CHILD
www.rpmmag.com | october 2019
21
THE FOURTH CHILD
STREET OR STRIP Although it looks the part, this is no show-only pony. Hobkirk flogs it regularly at the track and can throw down a 9-second pass with ease.
“I still operate my auto repair shop with my wife supporting me and my Mustang—the fourth child, according to my three kids,” he added with a laugh.
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www.rpmmag.com | october 2019
23
C
hances are, if you’re reading RPM, you’re a car guy or gal. And while we most assuredly all share that in common, what actually started that passion was most likely unique. For
24
Craig Groebner, it was simple: proximity. “My dad was a car salesman, and it stoked the fire when I was a kid,” Groebner said. “When they had a Vette come in or any other cool car, he would always drive it home
october 2019 | RPM Magazine
and take us for a spin. A few friends had fast cars growing up, too, so I guess I got the itch,” he added. Little did he know that that “itch” would eventually lead to a no-holds-barred Power Adder Pro Street class
story by
Toby Brooks
photos by
Matt Trombley
www.rpmmag.com | october 2019
25
CANDY BRANDY...
SIGHTS & SOUNDS The candy paint with black trim and anodized billet wheels are undoubtedly sinister-looking, but the real terror doesn’t set in until Groebner fires up the ProCharged 540 ci Steve Morris powerplant and you hear that distinctive whistle & exhaust note.
street/strip monster that has averaged mid sevens and can cruise down Woodward Ave. just as easily as it can blast down the track. “I got the car from my friend Dean Hewitt about five years ago for $5000,” Groebner said. It was ragged around the edges, but came
equipped with a nitroused 468 big block and an 8.50 mild steel cage. “I put the 496 from my jet boat in it with some nitrous and took it racing,” Groebner said. After blowing it up a few times, he decided to step up the program and traded the aforementioned
jet boat to Tom Bailey for his first Drag Week motor—a 540 ci Steve Morris-built ProCharged bullet—and had friend Chad Hoffmen of Innovative Metalworks update the chassis. Hoffmen modified the cage up to 7.50 standards and fabbed up an all new back-
THE HEAT & SOUND
AUTHORITY
PROTECTIVE LINE SLEEVE
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any vehicle. This protection is a relatively inexpensive preventive measure compared to the parts and labor costs of replacement. It can be as simple as covering the hose or line with products specifically designed to protect them from the heat and other damage.
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Protecting a vehicle’s electrical wiring, coolant hoses and other lines is vital to the overall performance and operation of
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october 2019 | RPM Magazine
With so many different components doing different things, how do I know which sleeve to use?
DEI offers over a dozen affordable and highly effective cable, hose and line protection solutions. From insulating to reflecting damaging heat, there are several effective options that feature
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flexibility, different temperature ratings and are light weight. Protection for spark plug wires to prevent burning and cracking Installation is easy with What kind of DEI products sleeving that simply wraps around wiring, would you recommend? secures with hook and loop closure or Choose from the popular selling DEI Heat slides over. Sheath™, the highly abrasion-resistant EXO™ How do they work? Series Sleeve with its stainless-steel outer Utilizing different types of braided glass covering, the new Vapor Block™ fuel line and basalt base material, the various styles sleeve or the extremely light-weight, racing of DEI sleeves/shrouds protect components application, Ultra 47™ Sheath. such as wiring, cables, hoses, fuel/oil/brake/ DEI has the correct wire, cable, hose and transmission lines-even speedometer cables. line solution to protect you from potential They work by reflecting heat away or insuunder-hood, heat-related problems later, lating from heat, in turn, protecting critical when you least expect them. components from thermal damage. Depending on your needs, some sleeves can protect up to 1800°F direct heat and 2500°F radiant. These coverings also protect from cold, moisture, oil, dirt, road and track grime.
www.rpmmag.com | october 2019
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REDEFINING PERFORMANCE
SHP LS NEXT PRO • Superior strength 220 BHN Cast Iron • Full skirt design for use with OE type oil pans and windage trays • Standard LS 9.240” deck height • Bore sizes from 4.000” up to 4.185” • Factory oil filter provision • Priority main oiling • 4-bolt Steel main caps with upgraded ARP main studs • 6-bolts per cylinder capability • 8 counterweight machining
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october 2019 | RPM Magazine
STRIP
...WHINE
STREET/STRIP/ SHOW Groebner and his Nova never sit still for long. Whether cruising, racing, or just looking good standing still, the Nova is always ready.
half. A fabricated 9-inch rear was installed with a Strange case, 3.90 gears, and 40-spline axles was put together and suspended from a custom 4-link with Santhuff shocks. Up front, a Smith Racecraft setup with another pair of Santhuffs was installed by Racecraft, Inc. Wilwood discs were installed on all four corners before a set of black anodized and machined Weld Racing
wheels were bolted up. 17x3.5s with M&H Racemaster tires roll up front, while double beadlocked 15x15 rears are shod with Quick Time Pros. The completed chassis was powder coated by Damin Haslip before the car was sent to Steve Carson in Ulm, Minnesota for a full repaint. The body is all steel with the exception of ’glass bumpers, hood, and trunk. The factory
quarters were stretched 4 inches to make room for the big buns, but otherwise the classic GM steel was left undisturbed. The monochrome Candy Brandy Wine three-stage paint is accented by the sinister black wheels, trim, and tinted windows. With the car looking the part of a high-end show build, it was time to rework the function to match the form. The car
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CANDY BRANDY...
DOIN’ WORK The mile-deep candy paint and billet components say show car, but Groebner runs the Nova hard. Here he services the Chevy between rounds.
was taken to Racecraft, Inc. in Madison Lake, Minnesota who rewired it, updated the cooling system, and reworked the intercooler piping. “We took it to Drag Week the first time and ran pretty well, but it didn’t cool very well. We bought a weed sprayer and ran a hose out front to spray water on the radiator, which cooled it down
50 degrees on the road,” he said. Obviously that wasn’t a viable long-term solution, so the decision was made to run dual radiators and to upgrade the engine for even better performance. The Steve Morris 540 has been equipped with a Callies Magnum crank, Oliver rods, and custom Diamond pistons. A roller cam with A GLOBALLY TRUSTED NAME IN
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october 2019 | RPM Magazine
CRAIG GROEBNER’S 1971 CHEVY NOVA Chassis Type & Mods: Full 7.50-cert cage by Innovative Metalworks ckhalfed rear with stock front clip. 10-point mild steel cage. Suspension & Brakes: FRONT: Smith Racecraft front suspension rebuild by Racecraft, Inc. Santuff shocks. Wilwood disc brakes. REAR: Custom 4-link with Santhuff coil overs. Wilwood disc brakes. Body & Paint: All steel body except bumpers, hood, and trunk. Body and paint by Steve Carson in Ulm, Minnesota. Candy brandy wine three-stage paint. Engine: Steve Morris 540 Dart with Callies Magnum crank, Oliver rods, and Diamond pistons. Brodix Headhunter aluminum cylinder heads with Crower shaft rockers. Induction & Fuel Delivery: Water-to-air intercooler. SME billet intake and valve covers. Atomizer 235 injectors. Holley VR2 fuel pump. Power Adder: F3 ProCharger on custom SME belt drive. Exhaust: Custom fabricated headers with Spintech oval exhaust. Electronics & Ignition: Holley Dominator EFI. IQ3 digital dash. Transmission & Driveline: Rossler 210 pro mod transmission with Pro Torque converter. Gear Vendors overdrive. Precision Performance Products shifter. Differential: Fab 9 with Strange case, 3.90 gears, and 40-spline axles. Tires & Wheels: FRONT: 17x3.5-inch Weld Racing wheels with M&H Racemaster tires. REAR: Double beadlocked 15x15-inch Weld Racing wheels on 33x22.5-15 Hoosier Quick Time Pro tires. Performance: 4.71@161 mph. Features
TSV Technology
Rick Kowalczykowski photos
We started from a clean sheet to create the most efficient, most advanced supercharger ever created for GM LS engines. Our revolutionary new intercooler design delivers more power than the competition run-after-run, regardless of how hot it is outside. With factory-like drivability, a bypass valve for enhanced fuel economy, and OEM-level fit and finish that looks great under the hood, Magnuson's Heartbeat is true horsepower without compromise.
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...WHINE
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october 2019 | RPM Magazine
POWERFUL PEDIGREE The ProCharger-blown Steve Morris 540 mill under the hood once lived in the Drag Week winner piloted by Tom Bailey. Adorned with an SME billet intake, valve covers, and reverse blower drive, it looks as incredible as it performs.
Crower lifters was selected, and a pair of Brodix Headhunter aluminum heads with Crower shaft rockers were massaged for maximum airflow. Up top, a gorgeous SME billet intake and matching valve covers were installed, with an octet of Atomizer 235 injectors being fed by a Holley
VR2 electric pump. A ProCharger F3 blower was hung from a custom SME reverse belt drive to push oodles of oxygen down the hungry bullet’s throat after it is routed through a trunk-mounted water-to-air intercooler. A Holley Dominator EFI controller manages
www.rpmmag.com | october 2019
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october 2019 | RPM Magazine
CANDY BRANDY...
the fuel and ignition systems. A pair of custom headers and oval exhaust make for manageable interstate driving while maximizing ground clearance. Behind the potent
SME engine, a stout Rossler 210 Pro Mod automatic transmission and Pro Torque converter have been entrusted to send the power back. A Gear Vendors overdrive was also added to
enhance the interstate drives during touring style event competition. Inside, the Nova is black on black, with a pair of vinyl-wrapped buckets mounted within the
www.rpmmag.com | october 2019
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...WHINE
confines of the clean cage. Factory door panels, headliner, and carpet lend a classic musclecar feel, while the quick-release wheel, Precision Products shifter, and analog gauges leave no doubt that the Chevy means business. Likewise, a Stroud window net and harnesses inside and single chute outside ensure safety while adding style. The car has now finished two Drag Week competitions, placing third
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october 2019 | RPM Magazine
COOL COCKPIT The induction tubing running through the cockpit routes the pressurized charge from the ProCharger back to a water-to-air intercooler then back into the intake. The clean cage wraps a nicely appointed black inerior.
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www.rpmmag.com | october 2019
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Nitrous Power Buy Factory Direct! Nitrous Supply, the company headed by Mike Thermos (founder of NOS) is a primary resource of components used by many popular brands. The company now offers compete nitrous oxide kits for racing and street applications.
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ight R e h T t arts a Who P t h g i R Get The m The Experts ! t o Price Fr trous Oxide Bes ow Ni n K 38 october 2019 | RPM Magazine
Jets
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Everything you need to build a new system, or refurbish an existing NOS, N/X, Zex, Edelbrock or other nitrous kit is available from Nitrous Supply. This includes lines, fittings, distribution blocks, jets, solenoids and other parts that will enable you to increase power.
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RPM FEATURE CAR
both times. Groebner acknowledges that at 3,700 pounds, “she’s a little fatty,” but it’s about more than just top end speed. “I had the car built so that I had something to take to the track, but most of all to drive on the street, do some burnouts, and just have some fun.” And while he says he has other cars that are “somewhat fast,” the Nova is in a class of its own. “Not really anything like this,” he said. As for “having fun,” that consists of competing in driveand-drag events, participating in shows like Bailey’s Pre-Party/ RPM Takeover, cruising, and doing burnouts. “I’ve even roasted the tires at 70 miles an hour on the interstate while towing a trailer,” he said with a laugh.
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www.rpmmag.com | october 2019
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october 2019 | RPM Magazine
story by photos by
T
he Sith: the dark arts-wielding, red light saber-swinging, dark side of the force-having villains of the Star Wars saga. Sith
operate alone and seek out one thing and one thing alone: total domination. So yeah—it’s a bit of a reach, but Sith rhymes with fifth. And one look at his
Toby Brooks Matt Trombley
sinister murdered-out 2010 fifth-gen Camaro is proof positive that owner Clark Rosenstengel has a 200+ mph dark side and isn’t afraid to wield other-worldly power.
www.rpmmag.com | october 2019
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REVENGE OF THE FIFTH
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october 2019 | RPM Magazine
It wasn’t always such a monster, but its backstory of tragedy and loss help you understand how it became so wicked. An engine fire had left it totaled on a Copart lot in 2014 when Rosenstengel took on the task of shaping it into a gifted assassin. “I salvaged what I could and sold off whatever I wasn’t going to need—which was most of it,” he said. The plan was to build a car that was capable on the street and at quarter-mile, half-mile, and full mile race distances. The bare shell was sent to Scotty Kasabuke of Chubby Kid Street Cars where a 25.3 cage was installed in the cabin to work with the factory frame. “I told him I wanted to keep the A/C, which he wasn’t
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www.rpmmag.com | october 2019
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NOT-SO SUBTLE CLUES Whether it is the dual chutes out back, the custom Trackspec hood vents and sleek COPO hood, bullhorn exhaust, or the Billet Specialties wheels, the clues are there: you don’t want to tangle with this bad boy.
happy about, but he did it and made it work,” Rosenstengel said. On the surface, A/C in an all-out drag car might seem odd. However, Rosenstengel had plans to compete in Drag Week 2016, and the 1,000+ mile haul would be much more comfortable with some luxury options left in place. “What people get a kick out of is that I built the car myself in my
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pole barn. I own a body shop for my everyday job but I do regular insurance work not custom or high horsepower builds. I hope that other people will look at the car and see ideas to use to be able to race more kinds of events and open up possibilities that they never thought about before,” he added. Suspension consists of Strange struts with an MPR manual rack and pinion up front
october 2019 | RPM Magazine
REVENGE OF THE FIFTH
www.rpmmag.com | october 2019
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REVENGE OF THE FIFTH
with COPO factory suspension pieces on Menscer Motorsports coils and double-adjustable shocks out back. All factory mounting points have been retained, as have the factory wheel tubs. Rolling stock for the Camaro consists of Win Lite wheels with Mickey Thompson tires. 15x3.5s roll on Sportsman tires fore while double beadlocked 15x12s spin on 275/50-15
FULLY EQUIPPED The Camaro sports a full COPO rear suspension with Menscer Motorsports coilovers on the beefy 9-inch rearend. An aluminum fuel cell, lightweight battery, and telltale blue bottle leave little room for your suitcase.
ET Street radials in back. Factory discs provide plenty of stopping power and are assisted by dual chutes out back. The previously-scorched doghouse was carefully repaired by Rosenstengel in his body shop, and now the mile-deep villainous Vader Black hue covers the factory sheetmetal. The lone variant from GM parts is a VFN fiberglass COPO hood
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october 2019 | RPM Magazine
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刀椀瘀攀琀 ⬀ 刀椀瘀攀琀 一甀琀 ⬀ 刀椀瘀攀琀 匀琀甀搀
REVENGE OF THE FIFTH
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
CLOSE CALL A failed splitter led to near catastrophe during a run in 2016. Thankfully, the car survived without serious incident.
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 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
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
刀一䐀ⴀ
刀嘀䐀ⴀ
48
圀圀圀⸀刀䤀䐀䜀䔀䜀䄀吀䔀吀伀伀䰀匀⸀䌀伀䴀
刀䤀䐀䜀䔀䜀䄀吀䔀 吀伀伀䰀匀 ☀ 吀䔀䌀䠀
october 2019 | RPM Magazine
with Trackspec hood vents. The front air dam is necessary for stability and replaced another piece that once proved to be a perilous addition. “We started with the mile event in 2016, and I was trying out a front splitter. The car didn’t like it. I ran 209 mph and the front part got sucked under the car,” he said. The
only thing that kept the piece from going all of the way under the car was the bullhorns. Rosenstengel ratchet strapped it back up and went back out. “In the process of running the 220 mph, I blew the right front tire but the car stayed straight. My wife couldn’t believe it when I came back to the pits and I was laughing
about it. She asked why was I laughing and I told her it was because I can fix it—it’s only body damage,” Rosenstengel said. “Now I attached a front air dam and side skirts to help keep the airflow going over the car and not under it,” he added. Power for the versatile multi-distance rocket
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REVENGE OF THE FIFTH currently consists of a Steve Morris Engines (SME) 427ci mill built around a Dart LSNext block. Rotating parts include a Scat billet crank with Carrillo billet rods and Diamond pistons. A custom-ground SME roller cam works in concert with Crower lifters and trend pushrods, and the heavily massaged Mast 305 heads have been equipped with Jesel roller rockers. Induction consists of a pair of 83mm Bullseye NLX turbos that blow through a custom intercooler and incorporate Turbosmart wastegates. The cool side pushes into a 102mm Nick Williams DBW throttle body and a Holley high-rise intake with 220 Holley injectors. A versatile
50
Holley Dominator ECU manages fuel and spark. “This is my fourth engine with Steve and I stay with his shop because he builds quality engines and he stands behind them. When there is a failure, he is just as disappointed as I am. It also helps that he is 30 minutes from my house,” Rosenstengel said. “Recently I destroyed this engine while testing, so this winter I will be putting one of Steve’s new SMX engines into the car. We feel that we have reached the Despite the 7.75-second perforplateau for the LS mance the Camaro is currently platform capable of, Rosenstengel aland ready has plans to replace this need to LS engine with a new 4,500+ hp make the SMX unit from Steve Morris. change
TWIN TURBO TERROR
october 2019 | RPM Magazine
CLARK ROSENSTENGEL’S 2010 CHEVY CAMARO Chassis Type & Mods: Stock frame, all steel, full weight. 25.3 cert cage by Scotty Kasabuke of Chubby Kid Street Cars. Suspension & Brakes: FRONT: Strange struts with MPR manual rack and pinion. REAR: COPO suspension with Menscer Motorsports coil springs and double-adjustable shocks. Body & Paint: All steel body with VFN COPO fiberglass hood and Trackspec hood vents. Painted by owner at Clark’s Body Shop, Fremont, Michigan. Engine: Steve Morris 427ci LSNext block by Dart. Scat billet crank, Carrillo billet rods, and Diamond pistons. SME roller cam with Crower lifters and Trend pushrods. Mast 305 heads with SME modifications. Jesel rockers. Induction & Fuel Delivery: Holley high-rise intake with 102mm Nick Williams drive-by-wire throttle body. Holley 220 injectors. Power Adders Twin Bullseye 83mm NLX turbos with Turbosmart wastegates. Custom air-to-air intercooler. Electronics & Ignition: Holley Dominator ECU and boost controller. Transmission & Driveline: Rossler 210 pro mod transmission with brake and dump valves and Neal Chance bolt-together converter. Gear Vendors overdrive. Precision Performance Products air shifter. Differential: Strange Ultra case bolt-through center section with 9 ½-inch ring gear and 40-spline gun-drilled axles. 3.50 gears with spool (drag) or 3.00 gear (half-mile). Tires & Wheels: (Vary by event) FRONT: 15x3.5-inch Billet Specialties Win Lite wheels with Mickey Thompson Sportsman front tires. REAR: Double beadlocked 15x12-inch Billet Specialties Win Lite wheels on 275/50-15 Mickey Thompson ET Street tires. Performance: 7.75@180 mph (quarter-mile), 205.89 mph (half-mile) and 232.56 (mile).
Matt Trombley photos
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REVENGE OF THE FIFTH to continue to go faster and increase the usability of the car both on the track and on the street,” he added. Backing the 2,500+ horsepower engine is a Rossler 210 pro mod transmission with a Neal Chance 3,500 rpm bolt-together stall converter. A Gear Vendors overdrive is helpful not just on the interstate but also for timed mile competition. “Gary Johnson from Gear Vendors uses us to punish their product and test new designs. At any one time, I have two or three units in the trailer that we use for research and development,” Rosenstengel said. Inside, there’s still seating for two around the exquisitely constructed cage. Twin black cloth-wrapped Cobra Motorsports seats and Simpson harnesses are squeezed in among the factory console and door panels. A Precision Products shifter is mounted beside the Dominator touchscreen, and a Monster tach has been mounted on the A-pillar. Performance is as varied as it is impressive: 7.75@180 mph in the quarter, 205.89 mph in the half, and 232.56 mph in the mile are current bests with plans for more in all three. Rosenstengel is thankful to many who have helped, but none more than wife Amy. “I have always loved cars and got lucky enough to find a
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RACE READY The Camaro’s interior is a superb mix of factory fresh
woman who loves them and high-tech/high performance...with seating for two. as much as I do,” he said. And while Rosenstengel has run the event since 2006, he and Amy have participated together since 2016, winning their class that first year. It isn’t all about winning, though. They’ve done multiple quarter-mile, half-mile, and timed mile events and participated in the Roadkill Nights event this year, too. “This year my wife and I decided to put less pressure on ourselves and just go out and have a great time. We had forgotten why we do this sport,” he said. “This year has been a great reminder that the reason we love racing is because we have such a huge racing family that will do anything for us. We have met so many awesome people doing this sport, it is truly unique. Many people have helped us along the way and I try to help others whenever I can. Sometimes that even means giving pieces of my car to other racers so that they can continue to race when I am done for the event,” he concluded. But competition, be warned: with Steve Morris currently cooking up a 4,500+ horsepower monster in his shop destined for the Camaro, it’s only a matter of time before this wicked fifthgen warrior resumes its place at the top!
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RPM EXCLUSIVES
R E E P A L : 1 Y A D
T
he weather: perfect. The venue: sensational. And the party: tremendous. In a word—well, frankly friends, one word is woefully inadequate. So I’ll do my best to describe Tom Bailey’s Third Annual Woodward Pre-Party, RPM Takeover and Birthday Bash, and ALLOUT Live with considerably more than that in the next few pages.
DAY 1: LEAVIN’ ON A JET PLANE
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I packed up and grabbed my 5 AM flight on Thursday, August 8 headed for Detroit. Prior to this year’s show, I honestly didn’t know much about the Woodward Dream Cruise, Woodward Avenue, or any of the history surrounding the area and the event. As any good journalist would do, I turned on my Google machine during my layover in Dallas and did some digging for backstory. And MAN, is it cool. Michigan highway M-1, commonly known as Woodward Avenue, is located north of Detroit and connects the city with nearby Pontiac Michigan. Streets in the area were platted in 1805 and Woodward holds the distinction of being the first mile of paved road in the country. It makes sense: near the epicenter of the automobile and the heart of motor city, a smooth stretch of concrete would make for good cruising. And it did. But even more importantly to readers of RPM, it was once an area of hotly contested street races—one or two horsepower at a time. Originally “paved” with logs, the roadway was upgraded to much smoother wooden planks in 1848, facilitating racing between young horse-drawn carriage pilots who rode hard from tavern to tavern down the street as onlookers cheered and placed bets. That heritage lived on as Detroit grew and the Motor City’s love affair with the automobile deepened. By the late 1950s, that same stretch of road had become a magnet for street racers, hot rodders, and cruisers. With wide lanes, a protective safety median, and a sparse business presence along some stretches, it made for a logical choice for street racing and the drive-in restaurants dotting its course made it a natural spot for cruising, too. It was as American of a slice of Americana
DAY 2: M1 CONCOURSE
october 2019 | RPM Magazine
-Matt Trombley photo -Toby Brooks photo
-Toby Brooks photo
OFF AND RUNNING
Thursday consisted of travelling to Lapeer International Raceway where early arrivals did a little test-n-tune. A brief shower made for a more humid than usual afternoon, but with the exception of 10 minutes of rain on day one, the weather for the whole weekend could not have been more perfect. -Toby Brooks photos
HEATING UP
Friday, the fun moved about 45 minutes closer to Woodward Ave. where M1 Concourse played host to the Pre-Party and RPM Magazine 20th Birthday Bash. The crowd steadily grew all day long and the magnitude, variety, and overall quality of the rides on site was impressive. Dyno competitors squared off all day and the crowdfavorite burnout contest capped off a great day two.
-Matt Trombley photo
-M
-Charles Ruggles photo
Tom Bailey lined up next to the legend Joe Barry for a little street legal racing.
att
Tro m
ble
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ho
to
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PICTURE PERFECT
With the event hosted at the gorgeous M1 Concourse, an impressive food and family area, and acres upon acres of killer rides, day two of our visit at the Pre-Party was fantastic. There were over 100 parachute-equipped cars on hand! -Ken Cox photos
as you could order up—and have delivered on a tray to your door by a friendly carhop on skates. Fast forward to 1995, when some enterprising locals led by Nelson House and a group of volunteers wanted to relive those glory days and help the community in the process: they were hoping to attract a small crowd with a car cruise
to raise money to build a soccer field. They expected 25,000 or so for that first year. Instead, more than 250,000 showed up. An automotive phenomenon was born. Today, the week-long “event” isn’t so much a singular happening as it is a collection of several events scattered over six adjacent cities and townships with
each one overlapping and complimenting one another. The actual Woodward Dream Cruise is touted as “the world’s largest oneday automotive event,” drawing more than 1.5 million spectators and more than 40,000 classic cars from all over. Then you’ve got things like Roadkill Nights and actual organized and legal street racing down
RPM EXCLUSIVES
Woodward in addition to a smattering of car shows, exhibitions, and family fun. If there is a “problem” to be had with such a massive car event, it is that it is so massive that it is difficult to find your place in the automotive ecosystem. If you like undisturbed Model Ts and Model As, then drag racing probably isn’t your thing. If you
like seeing Hellcats roasting their way around a 2.5 acre skid pad, then classic muscle cars may not be to your liking. And if you love RPM, then the flavor of high performance street machine and doorslammer drag car you like best is most assuredly there, it’s just probably dissolved into the acres upon acres and mile upon mile of other stuff.
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RPM EXCLUSIVES That’s when Drag Week legend and friend of RPM Tom Bailey—who also happens to be a local from nearby Waterford Township—had an idea: build an event before the festivities begin dedicated exclusively to the things he (and we) love best. More specifically, Bailey wanted to create a gathering for wild street and strip vehicles where participants could meet and mingle, enjoy a car show, take in a burnout contest, compete on a dyno, and generally just have a great time. In 2016, the Tom Bailey Woodward Pre-Party was born.
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At the same time, the location, momentum, and general environment made the idea of a drag race at nearby Lapeer International Dragway a great addition, with Brian Bossone of Boss One Media hosting one of his unique ALL OUT: Live events for the weekend. It was going to be epic. I arrived in Detroit around 2 PM and got my rental car: what seemed to me to be a 30-or-so horsepower Nissan Versa that promised 40 mpg—and most assuredly hearty laughter when I pulled it into the facility at Lapeer
CATCH THE DRIFT International Dragway. About 45 minutes away, Lapeer International Dragway plays host to drag racing of all varieties, including grudge and noprep. On Thursday, Bailey arranged for a number of racers to come to the track for some test-n-tune as well as simply enjoying one another’s company. Familiar faces like Tom Bailey and his iconic Sick 1.0 Camaro, Joe Barry and his wickedly fast ’56 Chevy, and Dave Schroeder and his Drag Week winning 1966 Corvette (all
october 2019 | RPM Magazine
Dodge had a massive presence at the event, as evidenced by their Dodge Thrill Rides that were offered for free all weekend. The 2.5-acre skid pad provided room for a drift course where professional drivers took spectators for a spin. Check out the QR code to see RPM’s own Trish Biro taking a lap.
EL JEFE
RPM Editor-InChief Chris Biro was on hand to man the mic and connect with friends old and new.
of which have been featured in RPM in previous years) were all on hand. A number other cool cars were there, too. We set up the RPM event trailer and enjoyed a day shaking hands, making or reconnecting with friends, and doing what we love most: talking cars. Things were off to a great start.
DAY 2: THE PRE-PARTY HAS BEGUN
After finally getting back to the hotel around 2 AM and catching a few hours of sleep, it was time to get going for the official kick-off to the weekend: Bailey’s Pre-Party. The past two years, the event has enjoyed steady growth. Unofficially touted as the “largest collection of parachute-equipped street legal cars in the world,” the event was moved to the magnificent M1 Concourse for 2019. The facility filled steadily all day long. The twisty 1.5-mile road course served as the location for parachute-equipped cars on one
side and non-chute-equipped cars on the other with an impressive vendor row connecting them. In the center of the facility, Dodge had set up a drift course on the 2.5 acre paved skid pad, allowing attendees to take free thrill rides all day long in new Hellcat and SRT Chargers and Challengers. A mobile dyno was on hand to allow participants the chance to prove their mettle, and a burnout area was created for the latenight fan-fav burnout contest. The facility was spotlessly clean and the expertly manicured grounds made for a picture perfect backdrop for such an incredible event. NHRA fuel funny car driver Matt Hagan and top fuel dragster driver Leah Pritchett were on hand to sign autographs later in the day, and a variety of food vendors had anything from grilled chicken and barbeque to sweets and treats. The mild high-70s weather and lightly clouded blue skies were perfect (and a welcome relief for this Texan!), and the venue even had bouncers and plenty of stuff for the whole family to enjoy. By mid-day, the grounds
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RPM EXCLUSIVES M1 CONCOURSE
This year marked the first Pre-Party in the relatively new M1 Concourse in Pontiac, Michigan. Originally opened in 2015, the sprawling 87-acre complex is currently home to a 1.5-mile road course, a paved 2.5-acre skid pad, and 180 garage condominiums that range from 720-1200 square feet. Director of Sales Brian Cox said that the facility’s management team is thrilled with the Pre-Party/ Takeover event’s move to their facility for 2019 and beyond and it is a perfect example of the vision the development team had for the complex when it first opened. “The Detroit auto community needed something like this, and the auto enthusiast community has really embraced it,” he said. The facility is still expanding, with another 60 condo units currently in the design phase and a new 6,000 square-foot indoor event center scheduled for completion later this year. Also anticipated is a new restaurant and banquet center in 2020 and a commercial/retail center after that. M1 was an incredible host for the event, and on behalf of Tom Bailey and RPM Magazine, we’d like to offer up a hearty thanks to the entire staff!
-Toby Brooks
photo
-Toby Brooks photo
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SMOKE ’EM IF YOU GOT ’EM
The burnout competition is a fan favorite, with the fences lines 20-deep with rowdy cell-phone wielding onlookers. Rob Liemensoll won and blew up his ’57 Chevy in the process.
-Matt Trombley photos
had filled, with the area surrounding the RPM Magazine event central trailer packed to capacity with feature cars from issues past. Ace shooter Matt Trombley was on hand to capture several new features, too. By 5 PM, a cover band fired
up their amplifiers and entertained the crowd for a solid two hours of classic rock favorites. RPM’s own Chris Biro grabbed the mic to emcee the event and direct participants to the dyno and burnout box. Dyno winners included
Bryant Goldstone in his Chevelle at 1938 hp, Alex Taylor in second with a best pull of 1114, and Rob Liemenstoll in third at 945. We also spent the day celebrating 20 years of bringing you all the best in extreme horsepower, as the day marked
two decades since RPM was born. By 8 PM, the sun had set and a great day was capped off by a burnout contest that filled the air with the unmistakable aroma of burnt rubber and a thick cloud of smoke. Fans voted and
selected their favorite: Rob Leimenstoll (who completely grenaded his previously-mentioned 945 hp blown ’57 Chevy gasser in the process) and then everyone headed for the exits. Well, everyone except for Rob, that is.
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TOO HOT TO HANDLE
MORE POWER
BOTTOM: Last place this year went to last year’s winner Jon Swango with his A-team van burnout attempt. Since the motor was out of the Lemans they gave it a go with the van but she didn’t have enough power to get it going.
BOTTOM: Alex Taylor took second with 1,114 to the tires in her ’68 Camaro.
TOP: After their burnout this Camaro needed help leaving the burnout box due to a boil over.
-Matt Trombley photos
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TOP: Bryant Goldstone took top honors on the dyno with the Chevelle at 1,938 hp to the tires.
-Matt Trombley photos
Rob Liemenstoll explaining to Steve Metcalf the secret to his success in the burnout competition as Tom Bailey looks on. -Matt Trombley photos
RPM EXCLUSIVES DAY 3: ALL-OUT AT LAPEER
Travel plans had me returning to Texas early Saturday morning, so I missed out on the fun back at Lapeer. While I was pedaling my anemic Nissan back to Detroit Metro Airport to catch my flight, the rest of the RPM staff was headed back to Lapeer for ALLOUT: Live action. Bossone’s growing ALL-OUT format leverages the things people loved most about the old All-Out television show with the power of social media. Things like the “Call Out” are reminiscent of wrestling shows in the 80s, with Bossone serving as the Mean Gene Okerlund and the racers serving as the hyperactive wrestlers talking smack about one another—with only the racing to truly settle the score. Sadly for me, while all the fun was just getting started in Lapeer and in and around Woodward, I was stuck on a runway, missing a connecting flight and turning
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RPM EXCLUSIVES
DAY 3: LAPEER
-Charles Ruggles photo
GOAT ON THE GO
Jimmer Kline takes his street legal GTO to Lapeer International Dragway for Bailey’s Thursday test session. an anticipated 6-hour travel day into a 15-hour one. However, one thing was for sure: I was a believer. However, just because the Texas guy had to catch a flight didn’t mean the rest of the RPM crew wasn’t on hand for some insane racing action and all around good time. As part of the RPM 20th Birthday Bash, we celebrated with Brian Bossone and the entire ALL-OUT: Live crew and racers at Lapeer International Raceway—and what an amazing experience that was! The event saw some tremendous racing in all three classes and our own Editor-In-Chief
was called on to bring his unique form of high energy announcing to the ALL-OUT: Live fold for the Sunday event. ALL-OUT: Live not only has three classes of drag racing, they also include Call Outs for heads-up grudge races with local racers that think they have what it takes to beat their ALL-OUT: Live racers that travel with the show. The event also includes the ALL-OUT: Live “Instant Green” game show which involves fans, giving them a chance to win cash if they can choose the winning car during eliminations. It really is, as Instant Green host Gavin Jerome puts it, the “easiest continued on page 76
GOOD TIMES
The best thing about this event is hanging out with people you only see a few times a year. -Charles Ruggles photo
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RPM EXCLUSIVES
The matchup between two Michigan boys—Tom Bailey in Sick Seconds 1 and Wild Bill Devine in his wicked quick Ford powered twin Bullseye Turbo’d Mustang—had everyone on their feet. Bailey took the win when Devine ran into problems early. Tom would also later run his buddy Craig Groebner is his Nova who took the win. game show in the world.” All cars qualify for three classes based on their elapsed times. After qualifying, the closest 8 in each class are pitted against each other for eliminations, and it ends up being heads-up drag racing at its best.
Street Class
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In the Street Class, David Balkevitch and his 406 cubic inch naturally-aspirated 1972 Pontiac Ventura known as the Angry Pumpkin took home the big win—$2000 in cash and thousands in sponsor prizes. The runner-up was Bill Persi
RPM’s Trish Biro spotted this crazy Acadian with skateboards strapped to the wheelie bars. It could only be the son of former RPM feature car owner Jimmer Kline, you might recall his wicked GTO from last year’s event.
-Brian Epps photo
and his consistent 351 Windsor-based 393 cubic inch naturally-aspirated 1978 Ford Mustang.
Muscle Class
The Muscle Class—those cars running 10.0010.99—saw some heavy carnage, led by the transmission in a classic Camaro letting loose at the big end of the track, blowing a hole through the floor and roof of the car. The driver walked away with a broken arm, a giant hole in the trans tunnel, and crushed dreams—dreams that were realized by class champ Tony Schieweck in his positively wicked
looking (and running) murdered-out 440 cubic-inch naturally-aspirated 1970 Dodge Charger as he walked away with the two grand and sponsor prizes. The runner-up position was taken by the tenacious but so close/yet so far 427 cubic inch naturally-aspirated 1977 ford Mustang raced by Joe Persi Jr.
Extreme Class
In the Extreme Class—the bad boys and girls of ALLOUT: Live with rides running 5.00-6.39 in the eighth—saw some gorgeous and fast rides. The entire ALL-OUT: Live crew was drooling over the stunning 1969
ABOVE: Greg Csernai had his previously-featured Pro Street blown Stang out again for 2019. Csernai is very active in the street car scene in Michigan and is involved in a number of events during Woodward. -Tara Hurlin photo RIGHT TOP & BOTTOM: Doc Fox held a Reaction Time contest out of his Drag Week trailer that he tows behind his ’66 Vette with proceeds going to the Michigan Epilepsy Foundation.Tom Bailey awards the $500 for first place. -Brian Epps photo
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RPM EXCLUSIVES Mustang powered by a screaming 317 cubic-inch ProCharged small block driven by class winner Jay Barnabei. Joe went home two thousand bucks richer and with a host of sponsor prizes. It was a tough battle against runner-up Brian Baker and his naturally-aspirated 548 cubic inch big block Chevy. The Call Out was definitely a crowd favorite at Lapeer, as one would expect with the caliber of racers and rides that showed up to do battle on the historic drag strip. The big-power match up saw almost 7,000 horsepower line up at the tree, with legendary Mustang racer Wild Bill Devine lining up against the famous Sick Second Camaro of local Michigan racer Tom Bailey. The entire crowd was on their feet as Devine’s 3,500 hp race car Mus-
tang (and expected winner) pulled into the beams against Bailey’s Drag Week-winning six second Camaro. Ultimately, Wild Bill fell victim to his new clutch, which simply wasn’t dialed in enough to take down the insane Camaro, and Tom Bailey walked away with the win. Joe Murphy and his awesome Roush-Yates powered 9,000+ rpm small block Ford fell victim to Lou Robertson and his Chevy S10 pick ’em up that moved out and shot straight down the track like a missile. Murphy’s Mustang got bit by gremlins and left the line a couple of seconds later at a glacial pace. George Rubistello’s wild alky-injected and roots-blown Chevy II named “Loose Screw” lined up against a nitrous-injected V8 VW Bug—you
TOP: Shannon Poole, after winning 29 straight Call Outs, got bested by (and lost $500 to) Jeff Baker’s nasty turbo’d Upper Penninsula Outlaw Monte Carlo. Poole then came out $500 ahead after taking out the Limited 28 Wajdy turbo Mustang from Canada for $1k bounty...and Baker would later lose to the Limited 28 Mustang of Chris Hardee. -Brian Epps photos
MIDDLE: RJ Miolla took the show quality Pro Cameo truck to a straight-down-Broadway win against an equally stunning Chevy II. -Brian Epps photos
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BOTTOM: George Rubistello’s wild alkyinjected and roots-blown Nova went 1 for 2 in Call Out action when the “Loose Screw” wouldn’t stay running on the starting line for his second matchup with the Beatle Juice bug. -Brian Epps photo
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RPM EXCLUSIVES TOM THANKS:
Okay, as the smoke starts to settle from the 2019 Woodward PreParty, I want to get a quick recap out there: we are currently at $26,742.00 in donations to the Epilepsy Foundation of Michigan!!! We can’t thank everyone enough for their sponsorship, attendance, shirt purchases, help, etc. I would like to thank all the sponsors that helped make this event a huge success: Event Sponsors Lafontaine Performance Center Charity Motors Lapeer International Dragway RPM Magazine Leimenstoll Services Billy Briggs Racing Engines Callahan Muffler and Brakes Clarks Auto Body Go Fast Productions Groebner Masonry Gear Vendors Overdrive NGK Spark Plugs Prize Sponsors Goldstone Automotive Driveshare Go Fast Productions Volunteers Van Geibel Rick Fox Rick Dodge Ken Dunn Chad Sadler Allison Seff Kyla Seff
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read that right— driven by Robin Strait not once but twice. In their first matchup, George dominated the track while the Bug trailed behind spewing flames from its scoop. On their second match up, The Loose Screw wasn’t able to lay down a repeat performance as the car stalled out after the burnout and wouldn’t re-start; giving the Bug an easy win. RJ Miolla and his beautiful “Pro Cameo” truck threw down with an equally stunning orange Chevy II. Miolla laid down a perfect pass to take the win. Shannon Poole and his 1964 Corvette “Red Bull” headed into Lapeer with 29 straight wins in The Call Out. But a negotiated off-the-trailer any tire heads-up race with Jeff Baker and his awesome turbo-powered slammed to the weeds Monte Carlo ended Shannon’s winning streak. Shannon made up for it in his final two races including defending his Keen Corvette Parts $1,000 bounty for a small tire/no wheelie bars run. Shannon outran the mod-motored Wajdy Turbo Mustang from Canada to retain the bounty one more time. The Lapeer episode will air in the first quarter of 2020. All episodes will be viewable on MAV TV, Revn’TV and their Roku channel. ALL-OUT: Live also live streams every event and publishes all episodes to their YouTube channel: ALL-OUT: Live. The remaining ALL-OUT: Live 2019 Schedule is: Houston Raceway Park Sept. 13th & 14th, South Carolina Motorplex Oct. 11th -13th. As a special treat, and also part of the RPM Birthday Bash celebrations, Ian Hill Racing Productions was invited by Brian Bossone of Boss One Media to join in on the fun during the Sunday ALL-OUT: Live Event. Hill brought 15 badass Limited 28 cars to the show, and a show is what they put on for the Lapeer fans. The Limited 28 cars are no-time grudge style heads-up street-appearing cars with steel roof and quarters, stock style front suspension and backhalfs only that run on a 28x10.5W or 275 radial tire. But here’s the good part; any engine combination or power adders are allowed! Limited 28 cars from two countries joined in the mix and in the end it was two American racers, Moe Alfaqih in his split Dominator nitrous Fox Body Stang and Ed McGuinn in his Pontiac powered nitroused Grim Reaper 1.5 fourth-gen Firebird battling out for the top prize. Moe would get the holeshot and run it through to the stripe but each pairing of the Limited 28s would prove to give ALL-OUT: Live Fans an amazing bonus bang for their buck.
october 2019 | RPM Magazine
Moe Alfaqih in his massive-inch BBC nitroused Fox Body would take out Limited 28 promoter Ian Hill in his show-quality nitroused ’68 Camaro in the semis on his way to the final dance. -Brian Epps photos
The Carolina NT Productions Mustang was in the house piloted by Chris Hardee and took on both the Limited 28 class and some Call Out racing. -Brian Epps photo
Canadian Nico Cechet competed in his completely insane turbocharged Chevelle. Cechet broke the trans in testing on Saturday, worked all night to do the repair only for it to fall victim again in round 1 of eliminations to the massive amounts of power the Chevelle is capable of laying down. -Brian Epps photo
P U S R E N N U R & S R E N IN W
Street Class winner David Balkevitch of Center line, MI in his N/A 406ci Chevy-powered 1972 Pontiac Ventura AKA “Angry Pumpkin.” -Brian Epps
photo
Street Class Runner-Up Bill Persi of Davidson MI in his 1978 Ford Mustang running a 393ci N/A Ford -Brian Epps photo
NEXT YEAR
Extreme Class winner Jay Barnabei of Belleville, MI in his wild 317-inch Ford ProCharged 1969 Ford Mustang -Brian Epps photo
Runner-Up in the Muscle Class went to Joe Persi Jr. in his 1977 Ford Mustang powered by an N/A 427ci Ford. -Brian Epps photo
Muscle Class winner Tony Schieweck of Avoca MI in his naturally-aspirated 440ci 1970 Dodge Charger -Brian Epps photo
Extreme Class RunnerUp Brian Baker of Manistique, MI in his all motor 1967 548 inch Chevy Camaro. -Brian Epps photo
If you haven’t been to Woodward, trust me: it is worth it. In particular, Bailey’s Pre-Party/RPM Mag Takeover is everything you love in an automotive setting unparalleled in all the world. With the move to M1, the event has found a home befitting the scope and vision Tom had when he first launched it three years ago, and the future is bright. Make plans now to attend next year…we hope to see you there!
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“T
h e car has been in the family since 1982 when my brother Scott bought it off of
a guy who worked for Chrysler,” recounted longtime Rochester Hills, Michigan resident Rick Callahan. “I had a ’73 Duster in high school and I’ve always loved
all the A-bodies, so I managed to take it off his hands by paying off his Snap-On bill not long after,” he said with a laugh. And while that may be the beginning of the
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WORTH THE WAIT tale, it is by no means a short trip to get to the sinister throwback black beauty you see today. Like so many things in life worth having, this Dodge took time. “The car changed hands in my friend group several times over the years, sporting all kinds of different combos,” Callahan said. At one point in the late ’80s, it boasted a pair of turbos. However, when the opportunity came to finally get it back in his name in 2009, Callahan took it and made it into what he’s
dreamed of all along. “The kids were all out of college, so it was finally time for Dad to get what he wanted,” Callahan quipped. “What Dad wanted” was a sinister all-black package with a distinctive nostalgia vibe, no new-fangled tech and gizmos, and a naturally-aspirated Chrysler powerplant capable of propelling the car into the nines— with decent street manners, to boot. The first order of business was to clean up a nasty butchered chassis job
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OLD SCHOOL
With painted steel wheels and a modified raised factorystyle scoop, the Dart has that classic musclecar street machine look down pat.
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WORTH THE WAIT
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
Callahan stuck with a Mopar rearend, employing a Chrysler 8 3/4 housing that was treated to a back brace and ladder bar setup with coilover shocks. The beefy widened rear wheels now measure 10 inches, enough to easily mount up a pair of equally rotund 315/60-15 Mickey Thompsons to give the car bite without big tubs.
out back. “The car had been hacked up a bit with a bad tub job, so I decided to backhalf it and get all that fixed right away,” Callahan said. Ross Stomp put together a ladder bar rear setup with new tubs and a new 8 ¾-inch Chrysler rear. Callahan installed a 4.30 gear and a spool before Stomp hung it from a new pair of adjustable coilovers. Factory drum brakes were retained.
Up front, Callahan opted to go with a lighter weight and more versatile Reilly Motorsports AlterKtion front subframe. “It allowed us to drop some weight, add some ground clearance, and switch over to a coilover setup in one swoop,” Callahan said. A quick-ratio Mustang II rack and pinion was installed along with a set of Wilwood disc brakes. In addition to
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www.rpmmag.com | october2019
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88
Wrist Pins • High quality 2.500'' pin further reduces reciprocating weight • Carbon steel wire locks included
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october 2019 | RPM Magazine
the chassis work in the rear, Stomp also installed a full 8.50cert cage, ensuring the car would be safe and legal for most any engine combo Callahan had in mind. With the chassis complete, the car spent the next two years in paint and body, where Lightning Customs painstakingly massaged the classic sheetmetal to perfection. Fiberglass
pieces were installed to replace the factory bumpers and hood, and the factory-style scoop was modified to gain an additional two inches of clearance for the highrise intake Callahan planned to use, but otherwise the body was not modified. The factory silver color was replaced with an angrier hue of glasssmooth jet black urethane,
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RICK CALLAHAN’S NOSTALGIA SUPER STOCK 1968 DODGE DART Chassis Type & Mods: Backhalf and full cage by Ross Stomp. 8.50 cert. Suspension & Brakes: FRONT: Reilly Motorsports AlterKtion front subframe with coilover shocks. Mustang II rack and pinion. Wilwood discs. REAR: Ladder bar suspension with coilover shocks. Stock 11-inch rear drums. Body & Paint: Mostly steel with fiberglass bumpers and 2-inch raised Hemi scoop to clear the intake setup. Paint and prep by Lightning Customs. Factory original silver has been replaced with basecoat/ clearcoat gloss black. Engine: Mopar Mega block with 4.50 bore. 572 ci with Scat crank and rods (4.50 stroke) and Diamond 10.5:1 pistons. COMP roller cam (.590 lift intake and exhaust) with COMP roller lifters. B1 cylinder heads. COMP roller rockers. Induction & Fuel Delivery: B1 intake with single 1250 cfm Holley Dominator. Holley electric pump and regulator. Power Adder: None. Electronics & Ignition: MSD distributor and ignition control module. No delay box, trans brake, etc. “I’m old school.” Transmission & Driveline: 727 Torqueflite transmission by Jake’s Automotive. Coan 5,500 rpm stall converter. Differential: Mopar 8 3/4 rearend 4.30 gear and spool. Tires & Wheels: FRONT: 15x5.5-inch factory A-body wheels with Goodyear 215/70-15 front tires. REAR: 15x10-inch Specialty Wheels (widened factory) on 315/60-15 Mickey Thompson drag radial tires. Performance to date (quarter-mile): 9.98@142 mph.
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and a flawlessly installed black vinyl top hints that this beast might rip your face off, but it’ll be tuxedo-formal classy when it does so. Meanwhile, Callahan worked to get the engine and transmission readied for when the paint would finally be done. Bobby and Ronnie Keselowski were tasked with putting together a non-power added Chrysler big block to make big power. If that name sounds familiar, perhaps it is because nephew Brad Keselowski is a driver in the
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series—and NASCAR guys know how to make dependable, highRPM power. Callahan found a good deal on the block and heads from a guy who had planned to build a drag car but had suffered a heart attack and was no longer eligible for an NHRA competition license. Starting with a Mopar Mega Block with a 4.50 bore, A Scat crank and rods were teamed with 10.5:1 Diamond pistons to yield a roomy 572 cubes. “I had plans of
WORTH THE WAIT
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WORTH THE WAIT NICE MIX
A factory-style vinyl top and cage bars visible through the back glass? Not exactly something you see every day! Ross Stomp handled the cage work, while body and paint were managed by Lightning Customs.
maybe running Drag Week at some point, so I didn’t want a wild cam or crazy compression,” Callahan said. A COMP roller cam and an entire COMP valvetrain were selected for performance and reliability. B1 cylinder heads with a matching high rise intake from B1 were installed using ARP fasteners. The big COMP roller rockers were too bulky to fit beneath the valve covers,
so clearance windows were cut and raised covers installed. “You can’t exactly go buy custom B1 valve covers at Pep Boys, so we had to improvise a bit,” Callahan laughed. Topping it all off is a 1250 cfm Holley Dominator carb with a spun aluminum air cleaner that sits right inside the raised A-body hood scoop for a functional ram-air system. Ignition consists of an MSD distributor
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WORTH THE WAIT and ignition control module—and nothing else. “I’m old school. I didn’t want any of that other stuff on the car,” he said. Speaking of old school, it doesn’t get much older school than painted steelies where billet usually rolls. Factory 15x6 A-body wheels painted body color are shod with 215/70-25 Goodyears up front, while custom Specialty Wheels widened factory steelies with 315/60-15 Mickey Thompson drag radials provide plenty of bite out back. When the car isn’t headed for the track, Callahan has a set of polished “poverty caps” to add a little sparkle, but we think the black steel with chrome lugs
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BEEP BEEP
The Dart still sports a Road Runner horn under the hood, and the naturally-aspirated 572 Mopar has propelled the all-steel Dodge to 9s. The valve covers had to be clearanced to make way for the COMP roller rockers.
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www.rpmmag.com | october2019
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WORTH THE WAIT
LOW BACK
The interior of the Dart features all the factory seating and upholstery. “I know I could lighten the car up with aluminum panels and Lexan, but I hate the rattles,� Callahan said. G-Force harnesses add safety along with the 8.50-certed cage. The trunk features a fabricated aluminum fuel cell and an aluminum battery box.
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look is perfect for this throwback brawler. Shifting chores are adeptly managed by a fortified Jake’s Automotive 727 TorqueFlite transmission with a Coan 5,500 rpm stall converter. The interior looks factory fresh with the exception of the cage and a select few other items. A pair of G-Force harnesses and an on-board fire extinguisher add a measure of safety, while a Cheetah SCS shifter and a column-mounted tach add both form and function. The factory odometer
reads a legitimate 35,000 original miles, but Callahan is ready to log a few more. “We finished the car to this state about three years ago, and so far I’ve cruised it, shown it, and participated in mostly local events,” he said. However, he’s still considering taking a stab at the grueling Drag Week competition this year or beyond. Whether you compete or not, Rick, if you ask us, you’ve already got yourself a winner!
www.rpmmag.com | october2019
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T here’s very little on the outside of this clean but apparently mild-mannered Camaro that would give you much to fear. Steel wheels with redline tires. A mild-to-the-bone Sequoia Green paintjob. No towering blower. No
wild graphics. But then you spot it: a parachute hung near the rear bumper on a fabricated mount. Why on earth would a sleepy classic Chevy need to hang a big ol’ laundry brake out back? Simple: it’s lying to you. Oh, sure.
Father and son duo Quinn and Mike Lawrence are nice enough fellas. Car guys to the core, they’ve been racing together since Mike was just 16. And after going progressively faster in this exact car for the past 36 years, a little over three years ago they
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STOCK(ISH)...
DEAD GIVEAWAY
With a vinyl top, painted steel wheels, and all the factory trim, it’s just a sleepy first-gen Camaro. With a parachute. Riiiiiiiiiight.
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decided to make it “stocker” than ever. But don’t say we didn’t warn you: don’t fall for it. Prior to its most recent iteration, the pair had campaigned the car with a 327 that ran 12s and eventually a 383 that propelled the car to 10s in bracket competition. However, they were ready for a change. “We got bored with bracket racing but started to become extremely interested in ‘heads up’-type drag racing that would run during Norwalk’s Friday night street program,” Mike said. It was time for a makeover. The exterior is as nice of a first-gen
JE_BBC_RPM_2015_Layout 1 8/11/15 2:29 PM Page 1
as you’ll find. The now-50+ year-old steel has been massaged, tweaked, and refined with only a fiberglass 4-inch cowl hood straying from factory. Wendell Blevins handled the smoothing of the firewall and ironing out the rear quarter panels before Greg Stelma of Bad Ass Replicas sprayed the unique green hue—well unique for a 2019 street machine. The clean factory-style vinyl top is slick but not exactly racecar-common. But the factory color and custom wrapped top are just part of the ruse. The painted steel wheels from The Wheel Smith with factory-style
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7 1 4 - 8 9 8 - 9 7 6 3 • i n f o @ j e p i s t o n s . c o m • w w w. j e p i s t o n s . c o m
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...DECEPTION
chrome caps and redline tires by Diamondback Classic Radials look like they came right out of the dealer’s marketing material in the rack on the showroom floor—in 1968. And the factory-looking stance provides no cause for alarm, either. But that’s where the deception starts to get even more significant. Gone is the factory front subframe. In its place, a lighter and stronger Smith Racecraft bolt-on subframe was installed along with custom weld-in subframe
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LEAFY GREENS
The Camaro relies on Caltrac leafs with traction bars out back to suspend the beefed-up Chevy 12-bolt with Strange internals.
QUINN & MIKE LAWRENCE’S 1968 CHEVY CAMARO Chassis Type & Mods: Smith Racecraft bolt-on subframe. 8.50-cert cage with dual swing-out sidebars. Mini-tubs and weld-in subframe connectors. Chassis work by Jim Powski Racecraft. Suspension & Brakes: FRONT: Moroso front springs and Viking Performance Crusader double-adjustable front shocks. REAR: Caltrac traction bars, leaf springs, and shocks. Body & Paint: All steel with fiberglass 4-inch cowl hood. Smoothed firewall and rear quarter panels by Wendell Blevins Auto Creations. Sequoia Green (factory color) basecoat/clearcoat paint by Greg Stelma at Bad Ass Replicas. Engine: 409 ci small block Chevy engine built by Steve Morris Engines. Dart Little M block with SME custom rotating assembly and SME custom grind roller camshaft. 23-degree raised runner Pontiac heads. Induction & Fuel Delivery: Custom matched raised runner aluminum Pontiac intake with CSU carburetor. Steve Morris Stage II fuel system. Power Adder: F2 ProCharger with air-to-air intercooler. Plumbing and fabrication by Pat Martin Motorsports. Electronics & Ignition: MSD pro billet distributor with Firecore plug wires and programmable Digital 7 ignition control module. Transmission & Driveline: Proformance Racing Transmissions Turbo 400 automatic transmission with PTC converter. Differential: 12-bolt Chevy rearend with Strange spool and axles. Strange 3.40 gears. Tires & Wheels: Steel wheels by The Wheel Smith and redline tires by Diamondback Classic Radials. Performance: TBD. Special Thanks: Pat Martin (fuel system, exhaust and other fabrication), Jim Filipowski (cage, chassis & mini-tub), Wendell Blevins (body work), Steve Morris (engine & tune), Greg Stelma (paint & body), Dave Klaput (transmission), and Rick Gorski (plug wires).
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STOCK(ISH)... connectors. Jim Powski Racecraft handled the install, which included a full 8.50-cert cage with swing-out sidebars. Moroso springs with Viking shocks manage the bumps up front, while a 12-bolt Chevy rear with Strange spool, axles, and 3.40 gears rides on Caltrac springs and traction bars ride out back. But lift that custom cowl hood and that’s when the truth is revealed: this thing is no mild-mannered resto at all. It is a cold-blooded beast. A 409 ci small block Chevy capable of producing four-digit horsepower was put together by Steve Morris Engines. A Dart Little M block was filled
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BEAST MODE
The ProCharged 409 ci Steve Morris small block is capable of 1500+ hp.
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...DECEPTION with all the normal goodies: a bulletproof SME rotating assembly, a custom-spec roller cam, and a pair of 23-degree Pontiac raised runner heads. Ignition duties are handled by an MSD Pro Billet distributor with Firecore wires and an MSD Digital 7 box. Spent fumes are routed via 2-inch Hedman headers. Induction consists of an F2 ProCharger pushing an undisclosed amount of boost through a custom air-to-air intercooler before routing that charge through Pat Martin-fabbed induction tubing, into a polished Pro Series carb hat, and down the free-flowing throat of a CSU blow-
SO SMOOTH
A full interior has been augmented with an 8.50 cage, a custom shifter, and aftermarket gauges.
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STOCK(ISH)...
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through carb. The combo pushed more than 1,300 horses on pump gas and 1,500+ on C16 in the SME dyno cell. Handling that quantity of power is no easy task, but a beefy Proformance Racing Transmissions Turbo 400 automatic trans with a PTC converter does an expert job of it. A custom chromoly driveshaft connects the output shaft to the rear diff. Inside, there aren’t many additional clues as to the depths of the Chevy’s deception. A cleanly fabricated cage wraps around the clean confines that features factory-style black vinyl low-back buckets and full back seat. Factory carpet, door panels, and headliner have all been retained, and AutoMe-
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...DECEPTION ter analog gauges have been plugged in to the factory openings. A leather-wrapped 13-inch steering wheel and B&M Z-gate shifter round out the non-factory stuff. The Lawrences are quick to credit their family, friends, and associates who helped during the car’s most recent three-year build. “The car has been putting a smile on our faces for over 36 years, but it was just time for some much needed, and well deserved upgrades,” Mike said. “We named the car ‘Stockish ’68’ and you can look it up on Facebook, as we post updates and scheduled shows and races we plan to attend,” he concluded. Fair enough, fellas. It might be “stock-ish,” but it sure isn’t stock!
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RPM EXCLUSIVES 1: It’s getting a little better every month. We managed to install a new billet grille with emblem, new LED lighting, and treated the Fuel Offroad wheels to a fresh coat of paint.
TRICKYOURTRUCK 1
TREAT YOUR CUR B
story and photos by
Toby Brooks
RASH
>>Our Fuel Offroad wheels get some much-needed attention as we continue our Droolie makeover
L
ast month, we showed you how we upgraded the driveline in our ol’ Dodge dually hauler and mentioned that we were unhappy with how the repaired wheels had turned
out. The repair was excellent, with Kevin Clapp and his crew sanding and buffing the copious curb rash off the lips of three of our four Fuel Offroad wheels. However, after we got the tires mounted back up, we
realized the error of our ways: the polished lips looked like whitewalls. In a word: lame. Back on the jackstands to get fixed. First up, though, we found a black powder coated billet
grille on eBay and installed it in the freshly repainted shell. We also installed a new pair of freshly painted rear fender flares. Things were looking better. Except those wheels. We got the wheels off and
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2: A new gloss black powder coated billet grille added a clean, updated look. 3: Three wheels were pretty beat up with curb rash, so Kevin Clapp polished them before Josh at 13Sins resprayed the lips and barrels gloss black.
2
the tires dismounted before taking them to 13Sins Racecraft, where owner Ben Brewer handed them over to his paint and body staff for a makeover. Josh Cervantes started by meticulously masking off the many psudo-beadlock bolt reliefs around the rim before respraying the lips black. That got us back to like new condition. But who wants box stock? Josh then mixed up some candy transparent red in his gun and
laid down three coats of candy. Fuel has recently released a candy red version of their Triton wheel, so we figured our Cleavers would look similar. What we didn’t know was whether we needed to painstakingly mask off all the machined highlights to preserve the black appearance elsewhere. Taking a bit of a chance, we told Josh to just spray the whole wheel with candy and then hit istwith a couple of coats of clear. The end
3
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TRICK YOUR TRUCK result was exactly the look we were after: a sinister gloss black face with killer red-anodized-looking accents that look perfect with our red anodized Performance Engineering cup washers. The wheels turned out great, so now it’s on to other things. We installed new LED puddle lights and next up it’ll get all new window tint. Then we’ll start on the interior, where it’ll get new carpet and a new subwoofer box. Stay tuned!
4: The candy red turned out nice! This trick could be completed on any black and machined wheel for a fresh look. Check out exclusive video content and subscribe to the channel at www.fuelmediachannel.com to keep up to date!
SOURCES Performance Engineering
4
www.killerbolts.com 806.391.9331
13Sins Racecraft www.13Sins.com 806.241.5241
Fuel Offroad www.fueloffroad.com fuel@mhtwheels.com
5 5: A new set of LED puddle lights can be programmed to display thousands of colors and are controlled via a smartphone app.
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Texas Premier Polishing www.texaspolishing.com 806.317.8067
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DashLink
Turn your portable device into an advanced display and monitoring system. DashLink app is a plug-n-play, virtual dashboard display system for your vehicle that’s easy to install and fun to use. PN 6035 OBDII digital gauges for Apple iOS and Android powered devices.
7-Blade Silver Flex Fan
Great for pullling air through thick 3- or 4-core radiators and are quieter than a rigid-blade fan. They move more air at idle and the blades flatten out at higher engine RPM to reduce engine drag for better performance and improved fuel economy. PN 4817 17" diameter PN 4818 18" diameter
NITRO-LUX PRO ZERO Advanced LED Headlight Bulbs
The newest & most advanced LED kit available in the world. 6500K colour temp. 5,000 Lumens. Putco’s most powerful bulb ever designed for maximum down-road punch.
Performance Mufflers
Featuring a free-flowing, straight-through perforated stainless steel core, stainless mesh wraps acoustic fiber fill to deliver a smooth, deep tone for your custom exhuast project.
Universal Catalytic Converters
Designed to the exact original equipment specifications. Keep the Check Engine Light off.
Cat-Back Exhaust Systems
Delivers dyno proven power with a comfortable interior sound and performance exterior sound.
Dual Friction Clutches A performance matched pressure plate & disc combination featuring the patented Centerforce centrifugal weight system (where applicable) and specialized machining processes to provide a performance clutch that offers exceptional street characteristics, while offering outstanding holding-capacity and durability.
Ask about applications for your vehicle
Ask for more details!
Delivers street-tested, dyno-proven tune files developed by SCT’s expert calibrators to unlock each vehicle’s true potential. Its sleek design, full-color display and customizable gauges help track, data log, and adjust powertrain performance to deliver more horsepower and torque when it’s needed most.
Next Generation Performance Tuning
This logo has the ® in white
#20016 Complete Engine Treatment - 16 oz. #20020 Fuel Treatment - 5.25 oz. bottle #20302 Fuel Stabilizer - 15 oz bottle #20512 Deep Clean - 16 oz. bottle
Keep your vehicle running like new with LUCAS
Lucas treatments are unique formulations that clean and lubricate multiple systems in your vehicle.
More Power. More Mileage. More Stability. More Protection.
Fuel Treatments
Delivering over 187 mJ of spark energy, the Digital HP features an integrated 3 step digital REV limiter. Continuing the PerTronix standard the Digital HP also delivers multiple spark all the way to redline. PN 510 Black Anodized, PN 512 Silver Anodized
Exhaust Cut Out Kits Digital HP Ignition Box
• Stainless steel construction electric exhaust cutouts in 2 1/2" and 3" diameters • Rugged gear reduction 12 volt DC motor and a rotating gate for a leak proof seal • A pre-wired harness with an illuminated rocker switch is supplied for easy installation • Ideal for race tracks that don't require mufflers
Un-cork your exhaust with the flip of a switch!
Actiontrac
Powered Running Boards
The ideal lifted Jeep or lifted truck power steps. Featuring a unique step-within-a-step design that automatically deploys when the door opens, providing an 8" drop and two-step access to any truck or Jeep.
Rebellion XD Ball Mount
with Shock Drop Adjustable cushion hitch ball mount (2" Shank, 15,000 lbs., 6-1/4" Drop). Dampens jerking and jarring from bumps and potholes for smoother towing. Increases driver control by reducing tendency for trailer sway. PN 45949
WirelessONE with EZ Mount
The Ultimate On-Board Compressor System
Whether it’s with the easy-to-read handheld controller or the free mobile app, you can inflate or deflate your air spring system with one touch.
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