RPM Magazine March Issue 2013 by RPMMAG

Meet Your RPM Magazine Team EDITOR IN CHIEF: CHRIS BIRO, editor@rpm-mag.com V.P. MARKETING/CUSTOMER RELATIONS: TRISH BIRO, trish@rpm-mag.com DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING: BRIAN HANSEN, brian@rpm-mag.com SENIOR DRAG RACE EDITOR - IAN RAE ian@rpm-mag.com EVENT MEDIA DIRECTOR - TONY WEBER tony@rpm-mag.com

WANT YOUR CAR IN RPM? RPM Magazine has been a world leader in motorsports publishing for 14 years and has support locations in Ontario, Canada, Alabama, Wisconsin & Virginia, along with contributing writers and photojournalists worldwide. If you have a story that may fit within the focus and scope of RPM Magazine’s coverage, please email our Editor In Chief at: editor@rpm-mag.com

EVENT SUBSCRIPTIONS COORDINATOR - SHERRIE WEBER sherrie@rpm-mag.com Photographic Contribution: IAN RAE, JANIS RAE, TONY WEBER, SCOTT SINGLETON, TIM LEWIS, BRIAN HANSEN, PETE “BOOMER” ORES, PAUL SCHMITZ,

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DALE BOERU, LOGAN WEBER, MARK goDragRacing.org, TOMMY LEE BYRD, www.DragStory.com, TOM OWENSBY, BRIAN TYLER Editorial Contribution: IAN RAE, SCOTT SINGLETON, TONY WEBER, TIM LEWIS, CHUCK SCOTT, TOMMY LEE BYRD, BRIAN HANSEN, ROBERT WEATHERS, BEN STRADER, MARK goDragRacing.org, RAY KNIGHT, BRIAN TYLER Technical Writing Contributions: CHUCK SCOTT, BEN STRADER, SHANE TECKLENBURG, ROBERT WEATHERS, TOMMY LEE BYRD

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www.rpm-mag.com RPM Magazine is a REGISTERED TRADEMARK of RPM Classifieds Inc. RPM Magazine is a worldwide motorsports publication distributed in 33 countries and can be found on popular newsstands in the USA, Canada and select newsstands in the UK. If you cannot find a copy near you please call 519-752-3705 or email circulation@rpm-mag.com To subscirbe to RPM go to www.rpm-mag.com or email Trish Biro at trish@rpm-mag.com, or call 519-752-3705. The focus of RPM is to bring a diverse mix of high performance street and race automobiles to life within its pages including; Race cars, Musclecars, Hot Rods and Street Legal machines with an emphasis on the “EXTREME”, including Fast Doorslammer and Outlaw forms of Drag Racing. Not familiar with these types of cars? They are considered to be the top-shelf of the industry and are on-the-edge with regards to design and power! RPM Magazine does not sell its mailing list or share any of the confidential information regarding its subscribers.

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EDITOR’S RANT -- More Action In 2013 For The Gearhead In Us All! This issue of RPM is not only packed with the usual incredible high powered machines we all love to read about, but we are also very excited to have been able to pursue two very important developments in the world of fast cars for this issue. Whether you follow street, strip, or both, you will definitely love what each of these bring to the table. First, on page 26, you’ll read about a long running event that had come to an end in 2012, but in an 11th hour deal has been resurrected by a very reputable venue with great people and industry support behind it. Expect the Summit Racing Equipment Shakedown At The Summit presented by Mickey Thompson Tires to be one of the premier drag race events of 2013, and hopefully well beyond. Centering on Outlaw heads-up drag racing and small tire unpredictable street machines, The Shakedown At The Summit promises a full array of wicked-quick and insane fast machines to suit any fancy. From the big and the bad Pro Modified and Outlaw 10.5’s to small tire Limited Street/ Drag Radial, X275, Index, Bike and even Pro Import mayhem, this event will not disappoint! In talking with Kurt Johnson of Summit Motorsports Park, it’s very clear that they mean business. The Bader family (the venue owners), are second generation and have

a reputation of going above and beyond. So don’t expect another fast car event where the most important thing on the promoter’s mind is the jingle in their pocket... on the contrary, expect the exact opposite here! These folks have even reduced the price of a weekend event pass to $45! And remember, put this into perspective, this is a ticket to see some of the fastest and quickest machines in the world, not your city, state, province, or even country! We’re talking about everyone and anyone from anywhere who’s fast, or thinks they’re fast. My guess is, if someone opens their mouth on the internet between now and October 4th, they’d better be in Norwalk, Ohio to back it up! I’ll tell you what, we will have to bring in reinforcements to cover the staff at RPM that will be calling in sick from October 3-6th to go to the Shakedown... and I know I will be one of them! In the meantime, we’ll do our best to get you updates on The Shakedown At The Summit as they come in and post them on our www.rpm-mag.com FRONT PAGE NEWS and in real-time to all of our social media sites. Next, on page 70, Pro Modified Goes X-treme as the XDRL becomes reality. Yeah, that’s right, there’s a new gig in town and they go by the name of the Xtreme Drag Racing League! The XDRL has everything you want in a high-powered series along with the people and smarts to back it up. From Pro Mods, Pro Stock, Dragsters, Junior Dragsters, Top Sportsman all the way to factory Supercars and yes, even a Pro Turbo class, they seem to be very focused on not just starting life as a series that is “all about” the racers and giving the fans one helluva show, but continuing to stand by that philosophy as they mature into a premier drag race series. But wait, now there are two sheriffs in town? Not focused on petty bickering or booking over existing dates of other series’ (if it happens, it happens), the XDRL seems to be taking the high-road and going out of their way NOT to partake in this nonsense. One of my own philosophies in business is, “if you worry too much about what the other guy does, you won’t have time to take care of your own business!” In other words XDRL, focus on YOUR game and you will reap the rewards in a following of fans and racers second to none! In short folks, it’s gonna get wild in 2013, so ENJOY... I know I will! Chris Biro, Editor In Chief, RPM MAGAZINE

ADVERTISER INDEX Advertiser Name Page # Accufab Inc. 25 AJPE - Alan Johnson Perf. 27 ARC - Applied Racing Components 50 ATI Performance Products 83 Autoglym 37 Bad Attitude Engines 48 Baer Brakes 34, 73 BES Racing Engines 49 Blower Shop 12 Boniferro Speed and Custom 8 Boteler Racing 32 Browell Bellhousing 47 BTE Racing 74 BTR Performance 40 Calvert Racing Suspensions 60 Coan Engineering 28 CN Blocks 13 Comp Cams 65 Crower 69 CVR Products 31 DART 11 Design Engineering 15 DIY Auto Tune 39 Dynotech Engineering 10 Ed Quay Race Cars 45 EFI University 23 Engine Research & Development ERD 36 Fast Eddie Racewear 62 FastMotorsports 9 FORD Racing 51 FONSE Performance 33 Frankenstein Racing Heads 50 GZ Motorsports 61 4

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Harland Sharp 8 Holcomb Motorsports 14 HoleShot Wheels 45 Holley Ultra Dominator 78 Holley Ultra Double Pumper 16 Holley Ultra Street Avenger 71 JB’s Power Centre 70 JEFFco Transmissions 22 JE Pistons 77 Jesel 16 JET Performance 72 Joe Gibbs Racing Oil 38 K1 Racegear 24 KOOKS/Global Emissions Systems 5 Leash Electronics 31 Lokar Performance Products 80, 44 LUCAS Oil Products 2 Lunati 66 Mahle Clevite Inc. 9 Manton Pushrods 78 Megaspeed Car & Truck Show 81 Meziere Precision Manufacturing 80 Mickey Thompson Tires 7 Midwest Converters 72 MSD Iginition 19 Neal Chance Converters 21 New Century Performance 49 Nick Arias Jr. 46 Nitrous Supply 75 NOS - Nitrous Oxide Systems 63 OASIS by Corlor 48 Ohsweken Speedway 18 Parts Pro Performance Centers 84 Performance2Way Racing Communications 79

Performance Improvements Performance Plus Connection Powermaster Performance Proformance Racing Transmissions PROLITE Batteries Pro Systems Carburetors Pro-Werks PRP - Philadelphia Racing Products PTC Converters Racequip Racing Radios Randy’s Ring & Pinion RH Racecars RJ Pro Fab Ross Racing Pistons RPM MAGAZINE SUBSCRIBE NOW! Scotty’s Racing Engines Shafiroff Racing Engines Smith Racecraft Speedwire Systems Steve Morris Engines Summit Racing Equipment S&W Race Cars Taylor Cable Products Ti64 Trailer-Alarms.com Trisk Flow Unlimited Products Valvoline VP Racing Fuels WC Enterprises Weinle Motorsports

33 40 73 36 34 17 24 32 71 61 7 26 10 22 5 82 28 41 68 15 30 35 39 62 13 79 29 20 67 46 70 26

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Who’s In This Issue of Often Imitated, Never Duplicated-- RPM Mag IS The ORIGINAL Voice Of Extreme Drag Racing & Wild Street Machines 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! March 2013

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

1-2 KNOCKOUT PUNCH pg 42 Kasper Racing... The Father/Son Team With The Muscle To Get It Done! Making their mark in the high-power fast paced world of Outlaw 10.5 Drag Racing is Tommy Kasper and his son TJ.

ORANGE JUICED

pg 8

Gary Courtier’s Rise To The Top Of Nitrous Oxide Drag Racing In 2012 Courtier entered the “5-second 1/4-mile club” in his wild nitrous injected Camaro that houses almost 900 cubic inches of power beneath it’s skin... now that adds up to a lot of horses!

THE IRS ...The Other IRS

pg 18

For years now Corvette owners have been dealing with the problems of getting their car’s “IRS” (independent rear suspension) to work in the unforgiving world of Drag Racing. Ohio racer Mark Carlyle has chosen to tough it out with his factory style IRS, and the results are incredible.

“EVOLUTION”

pg 32

The Chevelles Of Ron Mroz & Mark Gjavenis Fast street cars sure have gone through a lot of stages in evolution over the past two decades. True 9-second street cars were few and far between, and if you had an 8-second ride you were most likely becoming a household name. PLUS:

Read COMPLeTe RPM MaGaZINe baCk Issues O N L I N e F R e e a T www.RPM-MaG.COM 6

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Continuing The Tradition Getting Back On Track Pro Modified Goes X-TREME RPM Project THUG - In Case Of Fire

pg 26 pg 64 pg 70 pg 78

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Gary Courtierâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rise To The Top Of Nitrous Oxide Drag Racing Story & Photos by Mark goDragRacing.org

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Additional photos courtesy Bill Robaey

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ORANGE JUICED Gary Courtier’s Rise To The Top Of Nitrous Oxide Drag Racing

he thunder you may have heard at the 2012 Shakedown Nationals was that of Pro Modified Owner / Driver Gary Courtier [pronounced - Core-Tee-Air] breaking into one of the most heralded realms of the “Quickest Nitrous Pro Mods” in the country, and pushing Dennis Radford out of the top eight in this class. Courtier set his milestone quarter-mile pass with astounding numbers front to back. The run looked like this on his time slip; 60ft .970, 330ft 2.58, 660ft 3.86 192 mph and finishing the ¼-mile with 5.912 @ 237.71. Gary also backed up the run with solid 6.0’s the rest of the weekend. Quite a few drivers have been close to these numbers, but with ever-changing rules the task becomes an even tougher challenge, with Courtier noting that the Camaro was at a fairly hefty weight of 2,470 lbs... far more than previous record holders by at least 180lbs. And for those readers familiar with this level of drag racing, 180lbs is a huge!

The life and direction of Courtier has been one of dreams for a true horsepower addict. Starting young, he was simply a regular fan of basic street racing, cruise nights, real pro street style cars and Pro Stock. Some of his early influences came about when Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins was shooting it out with Ronnie Sox and Gary was bitten by the big power and competition he saw as a young man. At the age of twenty he had already begun committing his life to becoming a master carpenter, a career in which he excels at today as a high-end home builder and specialty carpenter from Long Island New York. “Courtier Home Improvements” has been his active concern for thirty-two years, during which time Gary was married and has been raising four children.

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

PROUD SUPPORTERS OF THE

“HEART”

OF AMERICAN RACING!

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In 1995 Courtier, against the advice of friends, pursued a driver’s seat at Roy Hill’s Drag Racing School, and with Competition License in-hand, began his trials and tribulations of becoming a Drag Racer. It wasn’t an easy ride for Courtier, after all he had never set foot into a racecar before! His first real race machine was a 1955 Chevy; in the beginning it was on nitrous and then moved into supercharged power. Which, considering the fact that when most enthusiasts and racers sway over to forced induction few rarely return, begs the question, why did Gary Courtier choose nitrous oxide and run with it? Gary, who had experienced both nitrous and blower horsepower, simply put, just didn’t like the sound, the raucous rattling, swapping feet, and feeling almost claustrophobic inside a blown car. He was much more relaxed in the nitrous setting. So, as his racing aspirations expanded, Gary moved into a complete Wally Stroupe Camaro fitted with nitrous oxide as his power adder of choice.

Gary’s crew are on top of every detail as he pulls well over 2,000hp of nitrous oxide injected big block to the starting line. Below, on the backup run to his 5.92 pass (where he ran a 6.01) at the 2012 Shakedown Nationals, the dark starting line captures the intensity of the moment.

Here, Courtier gained prominence with the Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association, running each month at Cecil County’s Saturday Street Car Shootout and various venues in the area, and along the way gained the nickname “Hammer”! Being a carpenter, he chose a paint scheme that resembled wood grain and a saw blade cutting through the body. This car paved

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the way for an outstanding ride that emerged out of Montana Brothers Race Cars; a new Camaro glistened with one of the finest skins to be laid on a body, a custom yellow/gold that dropped more than a few jaws. By now, Courtier was becoming known for having the most beautiful racecars in the country and his newest car, now 3 years old, is no exception; a 2009 Bickel Chassis/McAmis bodied 1968 Camaro covered in a “secret blend” of oranges, pearls, metal flakes and ghost flames by Performance Autocrafters’ Barney Squires. The car is completely show worthy and proved it by taking top honors at the inaugural Northeast Rod and Custom Car Show in Oaks Pa. two years ago and has been photographed with celebrity car show model Jessica Barton in a custom photo-shoot at that event. This car was also the poster child and billboard ride used for the promotion of the Orlando World Street Nationals in 2010, seen by hundreds of thousands along the Florida highways leading to Speed World Dragway, along with being in every known publication and

In the pits during late 2012 the freshened Camaro sports the new 882 cubic inch powerplant (even though the fender badge art still boasts the old 886 cubes), with new “bullhorn” exhaust exit pipes installed and ready for duty. These shots show just how nice the paint on this car really is. The color coded beadlock rings add a nice touch too.

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internet site in the industry. This was a stellar year for Courtier as he also finished his 2009 season as runner-up in the nitrous session of Pro Modified at the Shakedown at E-Town against Jim Halsey. After almost a year long hiatus searching for more power, we now see the newest rendition of the Camaro that clicked off the five-second pass. We’ll be honest, we knew something big was coming from Courtier as following the 2011 season, at the North East Outlaw Pro Mod banquet in early 2012, Courtier hinted to RPM Editor In Chief Chris Biro that he had some “surprises” in store for 2012… and he certainly backed that up!

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Inside the chassis resides a new Reher Morrison 855ci aluminum block filled with internals that are, for good reasons, top secret. If you ask about cam specs, consider the peaks of the Rocky Mountains! Want compression numbers? “Insane” would be appropriate. There is no secret to how his power is made on the upper end though, where the car really shines; the intake and nitrous system. With the new motor came a new addition to the car’s performance and Brandon Switzer would be the main force to gain control of this set up. Courtier has been singing his praise since early testing as Switzer has moved him

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PHOTOS: Left - The workshop of Gary Courtier. Gary defines himself more as a driver over a tuner. Inside the Camaro it’s all racecar, with a lot of carbon fiber thrown in for both weight savings and appearance. Looking closer you can see the massive Lenco transmission which is hooked to a Ram clutch. Located just below the steering wheel you’ll notice an easy-to-access small red thandle which is the car’s fire suppression system. Above - Nitrous cars are well known to “light up the pipes” during night runs. Below, with the old motor, Gary takes on NEOPMA Champion Fred Scriba in the Sorcerer Corvette.

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A transparent look at the quality and structure of Courtierâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Camaro resting in the pits between rounds.

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forward with every step of tuning, making the power and managing it. Getting the power to the ground on this ride is pretty much conventional in today’s world of Pro Modified drag racing. The rear differential is comprised of a Strange Pro Mod housing and Penske shocks help it hook solidly. Gary begins his strict ritual as he stages using an air-shifted four speed Lenco and Ram triple disc clutch. Leaving hard, the motor easily gulps down around two gallons of fuel and six to seven pounds of nitrous on a pass as all four stages kick in! Gary uses the finest in safety equipment including a head and neck restraint device. His Racepak dash keeps him informed as he goes through screaming burnouts with Hoosier slicks on Weld Wheels that are powder coated black and bead locked. The car is well known for its incendiary fire show out the custom made headers and new “bullhorn” turn-ups. Dual chutes pull the car down as his pass is finished and the motor has seen 7,500 RPM shift points through the run and hits the stripe at 8,200 before he shuts it down.

Some serious cubic inches, the right combination, an incredible nitrous setup, and some sound tuning advice is what it takes to compete in the world of fast nitrous Pro Mods, and Gary Courtier has all of those bases covered. LEFT: Brandon Switzer reworked the Braswell Split Dominator carburetors to perfection feeding into the massive custom sheet metal intake manifold. All plumbing for the nitrous was done by Switzer including using his own billet solenoids.

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Back in the pits Gary has a very dedicated team of New Yorkers by his side. Well-known winning driver turned Crew Chief Milt Decker handles most of the tuning and prep on the car, sorting through the data and tweaking as needed. Gary’s right hand man, Larry Gonzales, is there for just about everything, from driving the truck and trailer right down to the last detail before a pass including clutch and mechanical. George and Jason Papas cover a myriad of duties including the paint and body touch-ups. “Big Tony Candella”, a former powerlifting cham-

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Team Courtier Racing stands proudly as a solid group of friends and enthusiasts at Maple Grove Raceway. Left to right: Larry Gonzales, George and Jason Papas, Nick Lacerenza, Gary Courtier and Big Tony Candella. Below: During the Shakedown 2012 event (in Englishtown) Courtier tosses the chutes at the end of his personal best run of 5.912 @ 237 mph, and loses his passenger window as the parachutes blossom.

pion, is also on hand as is Bobby Lorello who is a big part of this team with his specialty in Pro Stock. Knowing and following Gary and his team for over ten years weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve witnessed them move to the upper echelon of this class. They have proven many times over that they can do more with what they have; but this is top-shelf Pro Modified drag racing and that means that to continue to be at the front of the pack you need every minute of seat time, and every single edge that you can get, so Gary is always actively looking for sponsorship options to allow him to make more progress, and reach that number one spot which is now well within their grasp. Being fun, friendly and dedicated to the sport and the Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association gives them the fuel they need to continue in pursuit of their dreams, dreams which have fast become realities!

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IRS THE

...The OTHER IRS!

Story & Photos By Tim Lewis

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The Corvette is one of those cars that is equally at home on the streets or the racetrack at virtually any type of motorsport event. In drag racing, for a number of years now, Corvette owners have been dealing with the problems of getting their car’s “IRS” (independent rear suspension), to work in the very unforgiving environment of the sport, where getting the car off the starting line without spinning the tires, then keeping it planted to the ground throughout the run is critical to success. With the Vette becoming more powerful with every new model that rolls off the assembly lines, it is the harder core enthusiasts who race these cars that would start pushing the limits of their OEM design and component capabilities more and more until breaking points were realized. Drag racers, such as Paul Major with his twin turbo

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Outlaw Drag Radial Corvette, race for years with the factory IRS, but once they reach a point where a new set-up will result in quicker runs, the torch comes out and (in Major’s case) a rear suspension much like what is on a 4th generation Camaro is designed and installed. And for Major, the result was quicker and faster elapsed times. Hilliard, Ohio racer Mark Carlyle however, has chosen to tough it out with his factory style IRS. But a slick high-powered Corvette was not what got Mark into drag racing, it was actually a 1999 Trans Am. “I went with some friends to the drag strip,” explains Mark. “I raced the car bone stock, and after that I was hooked”. With some work such as aftermarket cylinder heads, a lumpier camshaft, nitrous oxide and wheels and tires, the TA would eventually go low 11’s in the quarter-mile and could be driven to and from the track on a whim. Interestingly, the Trans Am was sold to help fund his company Debthelp Inc. A professional debt help company that has been serving clients since 2006. Mark continues, “it was a hard car to sell but I needed the extra

Photo pg 18: Pulling to the starting line at MIR in Nov 2012. Patrick Barnhill turned the wick up and got the car to go 4.56 @169 in the eighth-mile and a killer 6.82 @ 223 mph in the quarter! Could adding a Pro Stock type of rear wing help put this car in the 6.70’s and close to 230? Time will tell. Below: JC Racing vs Carlyle. The WCF or World Cup Finals race is a great place to see both 6 and 7 second imports going heads up with the American Outlaw Radial and 10.5 cars.

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money to help start my company. I somehow knew that I would have another car to race someday. When the time came, I wanted a Camaro but I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t find one that would suit my needs. So I got the Vette new in 2007 and started racing itâ&#x20AC;?. Who would have ever thought that Mark would get bitten so bad by this need for speed that his new Corvette would turn into the weapon that it is today. The car went through several smaller upgrades, however the latest configuration you see here is a true monster. Starting with a Dart billet block with a 4.125 bore and a 4.125 stroke, Kurt Urban designed the build, which would be regularly maintained by Bob Profit. A Callies Ultra billet crankshaft with Callies Ultra rods spin inside the wicked billet block. When it came time to order up pistons the crew at Wiseco were called upon to build the slugs to hold up to the power the new engine would be

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The Kurt Urban designed LSX small block is built with the best parts money can buy. And much like the rest of the car, the detail and cleanliness help set this car up as one of the nicest late model Corvette race cars built today. Photos pg. 21, From Top: With street turbocharger kits on the Corvette, the turbos are generally mounted in the rear, and with good results. But here the twins are mounted down low in the front end grabbing all the air they can bring in. With the 25.3 certified cage taking up the whole inside of the car you can really appreciate the added touch of painting the bars to match the Atomic Orange factory color.

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putting out. All Pro 12-1 heads with valve train from Jesel get the job done up top. And when I asked Mark what the head flow is he said, you guessed it, “top secret” (which used to be something everyone bragged about). And this goes for the camshaft specs as well. We can tell you that it is a Comp Cams stick but that is it. For the intake, once again All Pro stepped to the plate and the throttle body is an Accufab piece. A pair of Garrett GTX5518R turbos with stainless housing make plenty of boost down low to get the power rolling on the top end. The exhaust and headers are custom built by the crew at IPS, and Mark gets all of this to run with a Bigstuff 3 system. Transmission time, and a TH400 built by RPM Transmissions “not magazine” mated to a Neal Chance billet bolt together converter have a lot of work on their hands to get the power to the ground. Now to the independent rear suspension. The Corvette’s

It’s strange to look under the back of a car this fast today and not see a 4-link or some tricked out deal mistakenly referred to as “stock suspension”. The IRS set-up under here looks pretty much like what you find on any stock Vette driving around on the street. And they said it couldn’t be done!

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IRS was mapped out and gone over by Tomi Lane. Lane who started with a Drive Shaft Shop and RPM custom built 9-inch IRS rear end. A gear ratio of 3.40:1 helps get the steam rolling top-end charge and Penske custom shocks help keep the car planted firmly to the track. The front suspension was kept pretty simple with Lane once again charged with the task. Keeping Mark safe inside the car is a 25.3 chassis cert along with Simpson fire suit with gloves, boots, neck/head restraint device and a fire suppression system. Mickey Thompson rubber is on all four corners and the rears are 315 Drag Radials. With a heavy weight of 3200-3500 pounds, depending on the set-up, Mark’s first 6 second quarter-mile pass made was at a whopping 3445lbs! But why stop at “just” 6.99! SIDEBAR: The World Of Fast Cars On IRS Mark was gunning for the IRS record but fell a little short when Sal Patel took his Viper to the first ever 6 second pass in an IRS car running 6.98 @ 207 mph while testing at Maryland International Raceway on September 28th 2012. Sal’s Viper features a 576ci V10 with twin 91mm Precision turbos. A powerglide trans and Pro Torque converter hook up to his IRS suspension with Mark Williams halfshafts and spool. This car trips the scales at a very hefty 3690lbs! Another IRS racer making waves at the end of 2012 was Jeff Rhodes from Mayhem Motorsports. The Mayhem/Lucado racing 2006 Corvette features a 427 LSX with Trick Flow 245 heads and a single 88mm Precision turbo that is legal to race X275. A Super Victor intake topped off with a Wilson elbow works with an air-to-water intercooler to cool the charge. Stock, yes we said “stock”, manifolds are used to get the turbo spooled up. A Bigstuff fires the electronics off and a powerglide mounted to a C6 Z06 diff with the factory IRS and GM 3.42 gears get the 3350lb

Above: Sal Patel has the baddest IRS Viper in the world! And this car is still 100% street legal! Trips around town and rides around the streets of Ocean City, Maryland are not uncommon. Sal will go down in history as the first ever 6 second IRS car. I can see a best 2 out of 3 grudge match race coming up this year with Carlyle!

Right: The Mayhem Motorsports crew, definitely not new to fast door cars, are mixing it up in 275 with their cool looking Corvette. With strict turbo size limits in the 275 class, look for these guys to step it up this season in both 275 and LSX shootout races.

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car down the track on Mickey Thompson Pro 275’s for a best et of 7.72 @ 180 mph. This was the first time the car was really tested on the ¼-mile so look for it to step-up in 2013. Lets not forget Gary White in the Titan Motorsports Toyota Supra. While testing at Bradenton White took the 2JZ powered single turbo inline 6 cylinder mill to a record run of 7.29 @ 201 mph, making team Titan the quickest and fastest stock IRS Supra in the world once again!

Team Titan with wheelman Gary White at the controls are not new to the IRS game. Look for these guys to step their game up as they get more laps on the new set-up.

Now back to Mark and his quest for record runs on IRS. These guys definitely had their work cut out for them, but how does 6.82 @ 223 mph sound! Mark not only took the record away, he blew it away on both ends and looks to go even quicker and faster in 2013. “PTP racing with Patrick Barnhill has stepped our game up. We had done more with him by the end of 2012 then over the past three years of trying to get this car to run where it should,” explains Mark. “I want to give special thanks to my whole crew. They will work the craziest of hours and never give up! No matter if we are working three days straight to make a race or all night to be ready for qualifying, they always come through. These guys really do not know the meaning of the word quit! A very special thanks goes out to Tomi Lane for talking me into spending the money on the custom shocks. People said we couldn’t get this thing to wheelie because it was an IRS car but Tomi makes those shocks work and have not only been able to stand the thing up but it covers the first 60 feet in 1.16 seconds, and using a suspension everyone said wouldn’t work for what I was building. We proved them wrong didn’t we!” With all the great people who helped Mark along the way he says that his wife and kids mean the most! “They put up with more than most people know. Thanks to my wife

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for never questioning how much, why or how long, and to my children for always supporting me and my efforts. Speaking of the kids go check out www.Carlyleracing.com and look under latest news to watch the picking kids up from school video! They loved it!” Mark continues, ”I would like to thank my crew Tom Willing, Jared Grabiel, Mike Niehus, Brandon Wright, Patrick Barnhill, Tomi Lane and Bob Williams. Without them I couldn’t do this. Sponsors like IPS Motorsports, RPM Transmissions, Garrett Turbos, The Drive Shaft Shop, All Pro Cylinder Heads, Tial, Bigstuff3, Wiseco, RacePak and Mickey Thompson. These are the people who really got things together and got this car the best parts on the market.” With the IRS arms race well under way it looks like it has turned hotter than ever! Will we see another member of the 6-second IRS club emerge? I say yes, and I think it will come from 6 cylinder power. But if Mark Carlyle has anything to do with it, he will drop the record even lower to set the bar even higher in 2013!

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With 60 foots in the 1-teen zone, and the wheelstands gone, the Tomi Lane tuned suspension can get the car to stay planted for more record breaking runs to come this season. Owner/Driver Mark Carlyle waits inside the car for the 1st round of Radial vs Modified at the WCF Import vs Domestic race at MIR. Mark would make it to the finals to face Jorge Juarbe all the way from Puerto Rico with his super fast 1982 Corolla. Carlyle had problems while Juarbe blasted off an insane 6.59 @ 215 mph for the win. As this year’s racing season is already under way look to see the Atomic Vette heating up the tires, and the score boards in 2013!

RPM Magazine, THE Voice Of Fast Cars WORLDWIDE

Photography courtesy Mark at www.goDragRacing.org

Continuing The Tradition It Ain’t Over Til It’s Over!

en years ago an individual who has become a close friend, not to mention an asset to RPM Magazine and it’s readers, introduced us to a small, little known heads-up style event... The Shakedown at ETown. This ace photographer, master internet and web-man, drag racing guru and very humble person prefers to simply be referred to as “Mark from goDragRacing” or even just gDR Mark (www.goDragRacing.org).

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For those who know him, they know there are very few that give so selflessly to something they love and believe in as Mark does. No hidden agenda, no politics, no bashing, and especially no self-affirmation. In our opinion, the industry of fast doorslammer and outlaw drag racing are indebted to him for what he has accomplished and those he has helped over the years, especially those in the Northeast.

In the December 2012 issue of RPM this very photo was used to bid farewell to Dave Hance and his 10-year run of Shakedown events... oh what a difference just a few short months makes!

Mark, who had completed some freelance work with RPM in the past, approached us with something like, “there is this event, The Shakedown at E-Town, that gets some of the wildest cars in the area and it’s run by a stand-up guy, ‘Cycle Dave Hance’, who loves the sport as much as we do. I’d like to submit coverage of that event...” and from that point on, since the very beginning of The Shakedown, RPM has gratefully hosted

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Mark’s exclusive full event articles. Even with the internet becoming “instant” over the years for results etc, Mark has skillfully morphed his piece for RPM readers into more of a “who’s who and what’s what” that focuses on the Shakedown racers and cars far more than numbers and round by round result. As our readers will attest “it is truly a must read!” When Mark introduced us to “The Shakedown”, RPM was about 4 1/ 2 years old, but even then we were committed to the grassroots, on-theedge fast door-cars of the world. Sure, covering the so called “big” orgs and racers would have made us feel “big” in our infancy, and maybe got some short term readership numbers at the time... but this is not about us, and anyways, why be the same when you can be original! Our vision was always to create a magazine that covered the types of fast cars we grew up with roaming the streets of our neighborhoods, and do it for those that would appreciate knowing that people around the world were reading about them! The Shakedown was right up our alley! And it grew over the years into a top-shelf world class event for some of the world’s quickest and fastest machines to do battle!

Over the course of 10 years Dave Hance’s “Shakedown” would become a world class event, and in 2012 he announced that it would be his last.

In 2012 Dave Hance announced that this Shakedown would be his last, and that was truly a disappointment to many. If you are not familiar with the world of promotion in motorsports, or most any sport for that matter, let’s just say that to get a professional promoter who does what they say and also provides a quality venue can be tough. As one fan of the Shakedown put it, “the only complaint I’d heard about the Shakedown in ten years was the track curfew”, speaking of the time that English Town track was forced to cease racing due to local noise restriction bylaws.

Well it’s 2013, and in continuing the tradition, THE SHAKEDOWN IS BACK! In a press release February 1st,, 2013 the rumors ended and word was officially out. “Shakedown at the Summit: Race Gets A Second Life, Heads to Norwalk.” Many racers and race fans know of the legendary Shakedown, a heads-up race that grew in ten years from having just a dozen cars, to hundreds of the country’s best “Outlaw” racers. It was a race that sadly, didn’t look like it would continue beyond its tenth year. But, to paraphrase Mark Twain, rumors of its death were greatly exaggerated. For numerous reasons it looked like the Shakedown was over for good after the 2012 race, but an eleventh hour agreement gave it a second lease on life. It is coming to Summit Motorsports Park as the inaugural Summit Racing Equipment Shakedown at the Summit presented by Mickey Thompson Tires, October 4-6, 2013. The Shakedown at the Summit will be one of the events to cap off the track’s 50th anniversary season. The Summit Racing Equipment Shakedown at the Summit presented by Mickey Thompson Tires will bring in several hundred of the top racers from across the country as well as Canada, the Caribbean, and as far away as the Middle East. Classes will include Pro Modified, Top SportsRPM Magazine, THE Voice Of Fast Cars WORLDWIDE

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Continuing The Tradition

man, Outlaw 10.5, Limited Street, X275, Heavy Street, 8.50 Index, Pro Import, and Pro Street Motorcycle. “We have been amazed with the interest in this event,” said Bill Bader, Jr., President of Summit Motorsports Park. “The phones have been ringing since rumors of the Shakedown moving to our track started surfacing. I honestly think there is more ‘buzz’ in the racing community for this year’s Shakedown at the Summit than any other announcement we’ve ever made. It’s a great announcement to start 2013, our 50th Anniversary year.” “We’re also surprised with the interest from sponsors,” Bader continued. “It’s unusual to have sponsors call us and ask how they can support an event, but that’s exactly what has happened. The Shakedown at the Summit will have a purse in excess of $130,000.00.” One thing making the Shakedown at the Summit more amazing is the way it came about. New York promoter Dave Hance, originator of the race, offered to let Summit Motorsports Park continue his event while refusing any compensation for it. Although Bader offered to pay him, Hance was more interested in having the event continue into the future and said he trusted Summit Motorsports Park to host an event worthy of his decade-long efforts. Hance, an accomplished racer, plans to continue his involvement with the race he created as a participant.

Reaching huge mph and insane quick ET’s in the 1/8th-mile is a breathtaking spectacle of horsepower harnessed on 10.5-inch tires. Turbos, blowers, big nitrous systems and a show that will simply blow you away. In Outlaw 10.5 ANYTHING can and does happen!

Below: 8.50 Index is the toughest class in the world to compete in! Over 60 teams show up to battle, and the last team left standing will surely have earned the name champion! To have a chance to win in this class, drivers must have excellent reflexes & reaction ability combined with superior driving skills.

The Shakedown at the Summit is scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 4-6, 2013, with a test and tune session on Thursday, Oct. 3. More news on the Summit Racing Equipment Shakedown at the Summit presented by Mickey Thompson Tires will be posted in the coming months on the track’s website at SummitMotorsportsPark.com. “Continuing the tradition” is what Kurt Johnson, Track Manager of Summit Motorsports Park, describes The Shakedown At The Summit as. “This is greatly out of respect to Dave. He is such a class act individual and the door is always open to him. This is an opportunity to bring one of the

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If you’re serious about winning, then get serious about the parts you use. Find out what thousands of street and race enthusiasts already know—premium quality cylinder heads, intake manifolds, camshafts, valvetrain components, gaskets, and fuel delivery products from Trick Flow deliver the power you need to get ahead on the street and on the track. Trick Flow produces engine parts for small and big block Chevrolet, GM LT1, and GM LS engines. ®

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Continuing The Tradition

most exciting races in the county to a large audience base that has not seen a lot of “Outlaw” heads up racing. We are constantly developing this as it is my main project right now.” Kurt continues, “Both Mickey Thompson’s Tom Kundrik and VP Fuels’ Jason Rueckert were major players in helping us decide to take this event on. Tom, Jason and I just flat out did not want to see another great race disappear, especially something that someone had put so much blood, sweat and tears into. Jason from VP will also be helping me prep the track. I believe that the fact that Summit Racing Equipment has stood behind this event it shows that Heads-Up Racing (small tire) is being more and more recognized as a viable form of racing. One thing our park is very capable of is putting butts in the seats. I think that as the fans up here get a taste of Outlaw racing, the event will grow and grow.” “Racers and spectators feed off each other, the more spectators the more racers want to come. The bigger the competition side, the more buzz it draws to the spectator side. We are committed to the future of this event. I’m very pleased at the racers responses that are coming in. We have many of the best committing that they will be here at Summit Motorsports Park October fourth. We will test and tune on October third. I think there will be a pretty

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Above: Pro Mods are the ultimate doorslammer! Watch for teams from the USA, Canada, and around the world to battle it out at Summit Motorsports Park in 2013! Right: And for the two wheeled horsepower fans... the modifications to the street bikes in Pro-Street Motorcycle are quite limited, but they can still reach speeds of over 200MPH in the ¼-mile.

RPM Magazine, THE Voice Of Fast Cars WORLDWIDE

steady flow of traffic north up Highway 75 from Georgia!” The classes will be the same classes from 2012, and the rules will primarily stay the same as last year with changes to the weights to match changes in the industry. The X-275 Rules will simply update to the 2013 set. “I’ll have the rules complete and on the Summit Motorsports Park site by March,” added Johnson. “The purse is sizable, the park is friendly and state of the art, and the surface will be killer!”

Above: Teams in Limited Street/Drag Radial are limited to a 29.5" slick or a 315 street legal drag radial tire. They must weigh approx 3,200lbs, and cannot have wheelie bars, which makes for some crowd-pleasing wheelstands down the track!

For more information on Summit Motorsports Park, you can visit the track’s website at http://SummitMotorsportsPark.com. Tickets are available for purchase online or by calling (419) 668-5555. The second-generation family owned and operated track is located two miles east of Norwalk, Ohio, just minutes south of Exit 118 (U.S. 250) off Interstate 80, at the intersections of State Routes 18 and 601. To follow the Summit Racing Equipment Shakedown At The Summit presented by Mickey Thompson Tires watch for this event logo!

Pro Import/Sport Compact Drag Racing has a considerable following. These are serious guys that spin wild RPM’s on turbochargers and have rotary engines that scream… they put on one fast show.

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“Evolution”

Story & Photos By Brian Hansen Action Photography By Pete Ores

The Chevelles Of Ron Mroz & Mark Gjavenis

ast Street Car Drag Racing (AKA Fast Doorslammer Drag Racing or Outlaw Drag Racing) sure has gone through a lot of stages in evolution over the past two decades since it first began, and really started to become popular in the early 1990’s. Back then, true 9second street cars were few and far between (and if you had an 8second car you were most likely becoming a household name among street car drag racing fans all over the world). Many of the cars being raced in the early street car shootout events were actually street legal and street driven cars complete with factory suspensions, full interiors and looking very similar to the way they did when they rolled off the assembly lines in the musclecar era of the late sixties and early seventies. These early pioneers of the sport really captured the imagination of the drag racing world and laid the foundation for all of the similar classes that continue to gain popularity today.

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In this issue of RPM we will introduce you to Ron Mroz’s “timecapsule” 1965 Malibu that remains much the way he raced it back in the early 1990’s. Then, we’ll fast forward twenty years and unleash Mark Gjavenis’ ground pounding 1,500hp 1965 Chevelle 300 Deluxe on your senses. Both cars are 1965 Chevelles, but each represents a very different era in drag racing with “street” style cars.

Ron Mroz “Giant Killer” Ron Mroz was one of the pioneers of “street car” drag racing with his unassuming 1965 Chevy Malibu. I first met Ron back in 1991 at Great Lakes Dragaway (Union Grove, Wisconsin) when he was tooling on his car in the pits between rounds. At first glance the Tan Malibu did not look like much with its flat hood, steel wheels, column shifter and lack of roll cage. When asked about what engine he was running Ron responded, “small block… with a little nitrous plate.” Intrigued, I followed the car to the starting line to see how it ran. Ron warmed up the 9” Goodyear slicks and staged the car. The exhaust note was rather tame thanks to the “Turbo” mufflers of the day tucked neatly under the A-Body, and then he rolled up to the starting line. The timing tree lights went from yellow to green and that Chevelle left like a scalded dog on its way to another low 10 second pass! I was blown away by what I had just seen and have been a fan of the car ever since.

Above: As you can see, in the early 1990’s Ron’s Chevelle was a force to be reckoned with! Below: Fast forward over 20 years! Ron Mroz brought his legendary Chevelle to Gus’s Drive-In last summer and drew quite a crowd all night long. This car had been tucked away for a long time and many of the “old-timers” who remembered seeing the car race enjoyed the walk down memory lane.

Powered by one of Fast Times Motorworks (Morton Grove, Illinois) 406 cubic inch small block combinations, Ron Mroz was a serious competitor on the street and strip. Back then Ron ran the Malibu in a class called “Outlaw Stock” and regularly carried the front tires 8-10” off the ground to the spectators delight. Considered a rather tame combination by today’s standards, this little small block powered the 3,600 pound Chevy to low 10’s in the quarter-mile at speeds approaching 140 mph (through the mufflers)! To make this kind of power a GM 4-bolt block was filled with a steel crank spinning a set of 5.7 GM LT-1 connecting rods and a set of Speed Pro forged slugs. Chevy Bowtie “Turbo 292” cast iron cylinder heads were mas-

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“EVOLUTION”

saged by Chuck Samuel at Fast Times and topped off by a Bowtie intake manifold fed by a Holley 850 double pumper carburetor. The power adder of choice was an NOS plate system that was modified by Jeff Prock at Applied Nitrous Technology. Doing the math on this combination it must have been making somewhere in the neighborhood of 750 horsepower to propel the Malibu into the bottom tens. Impressive!

Sleeper Extraordinaire No cage, no aftermarket seat belts, no tach and a lowly small block under the hood made this a real sleeper. Purchased in the mid-eighties Ron began building the Malibu to be just that, the ultimate street sleeper. As Ron commented, “I first saw the car when I was out riding around on my bike (yes, before I even had my driver’s license). The proverbial “little old lady” was behind the wheel of the Malibu and I followed her home. She had brought it all the way from Sacramento California and it was mint. I bugged her for a long time until she finally gave in and sold it to me. I guess the rest, as they say, is history.” The interior of Ron’s Malibu remains exactly how it was back when it was street driven and raced in the early 1990’s. With the factory bench seat, column shift, lack of gauges (or a roll cage) few street rats knew that this was a low 10-second car! Below: 283 badges… ya’ right! The classic “under-advertise” strategy may not have fooled everyone but it did sucker some of the “lesser-experienced” into lining up against Ron’s Malibu. And those polished Centerline wheels… classic! The “Giant Killer” 406 small block from the early 1990’s has been replaced with a much tamer combination designed for maximum streetability.

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“EVOLUTION”

Mark Gjavenis- 1965 300 Deluxe, Trials and Tribulations Twenty years ago when Ron Mroz was out making a name for himself in Street Car Drag Racing nobody could have ever imagined a car like Mark Gjavanis’ 1965 Chevelle 300 Deluxe being a reality. At a time when a producing a 1,000hp was a truly monumental task, Mark’s 1,500hp 540 big block would have been impossible to build with the technology available at the time! Starting out with a solid rolling chassis Mark set out to keep the car as stock appearing as possible and opted to keep the “Fleet Green” paint and complete interior (including the factory back seat). Building a truly streetable 8-second street car has not been an easy task for Mark. “I bought the Chevelle back in 2003 and it has undergone three complete transformations to get it to its current state,” explains Mark. “I started out running nitrous assisted small blocks and finally stepped up to the 540 big block with a ProCharger F1R in 2006. Thanks to all of the support

The “sleeper” factor of this car is as incredible as the WOW it generates. Clocks Off Race Cars (Racine, Wisconsin) built the trick 8-point roll cage that is neatly tucked away with the ultra-clean interior of Mark’s Chevelle. Painstaking efforts went into maintaining the factory interior (including the original dash, door panels, headliner and front bucket seats). Who would imagine there is over 1,200 horses under the hood!

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I N D U L G E I N T H E G L O R Y.

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RPM Quick Tech Sheet 1965 Chevelle 300 Deluxe “Post” Owner/Driver: Mark Gjavenis Engine: 540 cubic inch Dart Big “M” Block, Callies Dragonslayer crank, Eagle connecting Rods, JE Pistons. Induction: AFR aluminum heads ported by Tony Mamo at AFR, Edelbrock 454-R Intake, C& S Specialties E85 Aerosol Billet Blow-Thu Carb Power Adder: ProCharger F2 centrifugal supercharger Ignition: MSD 7531 Digital 7 Plus Transmission: Powerglide w/Reid Superglide case built by Master Transmission (Rosemount, MN) Suspension/Chassis: Factory 4-Link by Clocks Off Race Cars Photos, from top left: On a record pass. Mark launches the big Chevelle to a best ever 8.69 @ 159mph pass at the Great Lakes Dragaway in July of 2012. Weighing in at a portly 3,815 pounds, the laundry on the back on Gjavenis’ Chevelle is a necessity. An example of the extraordinary engineering that went into the construction of the car is the parachute mount. It can be easily removed in a matter of minutes when Mark feels like taking his 8-second Chevelle out for a little cruise around his hometown of Apple Valley, Minnesota. Most of the available real estate has been spoken for in the trunk of Mark’s Chevelle thanks to the jumbo fuel cell, icebox and battery. Heavy Hitter! Built by Competition Engines (located in Eagan, Minnesota) Mark’s 540 cubic inch big block certainly lives up to its nickname! Featuring one of ProCharger’s F-2 centrifugal superchargers, this combination has pounded out 1,224 rear wheel horsepower during a dyno shootout!

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Wheels/Tires: Billet Specialties/ Goodyear Drag Radials Weight: 3815 pounds with driver, fuel and ice for the intercooler. Best ET and MPH: 8.69 @ 159mph with a 1.34 60’ time Horsepower and Torque: 1,224 Horsepower @ 15 pounds of boost at the rear wheels (1,500 horsepower at the crank)

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Also still sporting the original 283 fender badges, Markâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chevelle is an even bigger offender of understating (and over-delivering) as to what lies under the hood. The factory 283 small block produced around 220 horsepower (on a good day). The F-2 ProCharger boosted 540 cubic inch big block that resides between the frame rails now makes over 1,000 more horsepower than its small block brethren! Whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on the street or strip, Mark enjoys every minute that he is strapped into his bad bowtie... can you tell!

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from Cary and Sergio at ProCharger I’ve been able to continue to step up my engine program year after year and am now running their F2 centrifugal supercharger with great success!” Mark continued, “In 2009 I had Ron Wesley at Clocks Off Race Cars (Racine, WI) install the 8.50 legal cage in the car and upgrade the suspension to eliminate all of the “weak points”. Knowing that 8’s were right around the corner I proceeded to get my NHRA license. After playing around with the car a couple of years I got serious in 2012 and had Mean Street Performance plumb an air-to-water intercooler and re-do the rear suspension to make room for 315 drag radial tires. It was at the RPM Magazine Extreme Street Car Match Race in 2012 that I actually made my best pass ever of 8.69 @ 159mph… Finally!”

Heavy Hitter Mark’s 540 cubic inch Big-Block put down 1224 horsepower and 1101 ft lbs of torque on the chassis dyno with tuning help from Andy Wick at Dynotune USA. A Dart Big “M” block is home to a Callies Dragonslayer forged crankshaft, Eagle H-beam connecting rods and a set of JE 8.5:1 flat top pistons. A Comp Cams .735/741 lift solid–roller camshaft make the Manley valves dance in a set of high flowing (440 cfm to be exact) AFR cylinder heads massaged by Tony Mamo. An Edlebrock 454-R intake and C&S Specialties Aerosol billet blow-thru carburetor allow Mark’s 540 big block to consume lots of E-85. Exhaust gasses are routed through a set of custom 2 ½” headers into a pair of 4” bullet mufflers.

The Beat Goes On…. We’ve seen some incredible advancements in engine development/management for street and strip machines over the past two decades. With power adders like superchargers, turbochargers and multiple-stage nitrous systems producing staggering horsepower numbers, racers have many more choices of how they can make big (or small) power than ever before. Where will technology take the sport in another twenty years… it’s hard to say. One thing for certain is that the aftermarket performance and racing industry will continue to develop new and innovative products that will allow us to go quicker and faster than we ever dreamed. And in twenty years we’ll probably be looking back saying, “remember when…”

The classic lines of the 1965 Chevelle are immortalized in Ron Mroz and Mark Gjavenis’ cars. RPM Magazine, THE Voice Of Fast Cars WORLDWIDE

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Tom Kasper

1-2 Knockout Punch Kasper Racing... The Father/Son Team With The Muscle To Get It Done!

he dead of winter is upon us in the Northeast which not only allows racers and gearheads to rebuild for the coming season, but it gives us an opportunity to reflect on those that have made a difference in the fast paced world of Outlaw Drag Racing; not just this past year, but during the rise of this exciting form of motorsport. Outlaw 10.5’s Tommy Kasper and his son TJ Kasper have definitely made a difference, and definitely paid their dues along the way. Both have a long history of accomplishments that have gone literally unrecognized throughout industry media for whatever reasons. Well that’s about to change, and we’re sure that RPM will be the first in hopefully a very long line of motorsport media to bring to light the major impression they have left on the Outlaw 10.5 class, and this sport as a whole. Before we get into elapsed times, race wins etc, let’s first take a look at how this family came together as a team as early as 1999, when Tommy Kasper embarked on the ¼-mile with a very short stint in a front engine dragster. Shortly after, business became the main focus for

TJ Kasper Story & Photos by Mark goDragRacing.org

Additional photos courtesy Seth Cohen

nearly a decade until building a thriving automotive repair facility and performance shop in New Jersey with his father, Tom Sr., brother Todd Kasper, and young TJ Kasper. Their shop has come to the forefront for custom exhaust, performance mods and custom wheel packaging along with their traditional repair work. Along came the desire to get back in the game and begin running in the now forming “Quick 8” classes at tracks in the tri state, Mid Atlantic areas. It was Doorslammer heaven, low 8-second cars most of which could be driven home on the street. Tom began his ascent to being a popular attraction as one of the first, if not the first, to have a twin turbo car in the mix of this class. No one had really seen the rise of turbochargers coming as yet, but Tom Kasper did with a 306ci 1991 notchback Mustang in 1999 winning multiple race series’, including Atco, NMCA and Fun Ford Events. Later, they moved to the more wild and unique combination of a Lincoln Mark VIII (pictured many times in RPM) with a single turbocharger and kept going through the seasons with exceptional results, and Tom garnering his new moniker, “Turbo Tommy Kasper”. The Kasper’s have always been avid “Ford Racers”; no other brand so far has been used for any of their rides. The Northeast was changing quickly with the inception of more “Outlaw” style” rules wanting to be added, thus ending the days of the “Quick 8” races for these types of rides. Cars became lighter, less restricted and most notably quicker! ET’s dropped like a piano out a 5th story window with each year, if not month, of racing. Kasper’s decided they were going to embark on this new journey with a dual driver team which would now include TJ Kasper, just turning a mere 17 years old. He went from a superb Jr. Dragster Champion right into the newly formed 8.50 class. Most of us saw the talent in this young man immediately as he accumulated records and wins which included winning a total of 17 races at numerous tracks on the East coast. The 2006 Atco Raceway High School Challenge Champion, 2007 Atco Raceway Jr. Dragster Track Champion, Atco Raceway Jr. Dragster Driver of the Year award, all would help make anyone fearful of this young man’s talents when he stepped up to the next level. RPM Magazine, THE Voice Of Fast Cars WORLDWIDE

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Tom and TJ Kasper proudly in front of their New Jersey Auto Repair/Performance Shop “Kaspers Certified Auto” www.kasperskorner.com. “...we are a team, no question...” says Tom.

TJ’s first foray into Outlaw 10.5 was with his dads sleek Lincoln Mark VIII. Tom drove the car for many years, and it was a handful with small cubic inches and a lot of hi revving tubocharged power. Tom was quite revolutionary in the early “Quick 8” days in the Northeast, and then with the NMCA, with one of the only turbo combinations that actually worked, earning him the name “Turbo Tommy Kasper”.

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And step up he did. TJ Kasper ran a blistering two seasons in the 8.50 index becoming known as “Kid Kwik” wiping up seasoned racers at nearly every event. His profile as a new diver in this class caused many to sit up and take notice and have the cards already stacked in his favor to take a seat inside an Outlaw 10.5 ride in the coming season alongside his father. His extraordinary resume includes: 8.50 Index 2008 Atco Raceway 8.50 Index Track Champion winning a total of 5 races in an 8 race series. 2007 Cecil County Dragway 8.50 Index Track Champion winning 10 of 10 races, Englishtown Raceway Park 8.50 Index Track Champion 72/14 round wins. 2009 Cecil County Dragway 8.50 Index Track Champion winning total of 10 races in a 10 race series, Englishtown Raceway Park 8.50 Index Track Champion winning a total of 6 races in a 9 race series. Atco Raceway number 2 in Series points winning total of 3 races in an 8 race series with a total round Win/Loss record of 64/22. It should be noted that for TJ to compete in New Jersey he had to get a special waiver since minimal racing age was 18 years in this state. Top: The Kasper Racing pits are comprehensive with everything needed to handle the largest repair on both cars between rounds, and they always seem to find more than enough time to have the cars ready and in the lanes. The area is usually filled with spectators and when it’s time for dinner and lunch, Chef/Photographer “Seth Cohen” prepares for the team and pretty much anyone that stops by.

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Tom Kasper has always been a serious racer, no attitude, just a sense of establishing himself in racing along with being a good father, and a recognized businessman. His composure both on and off the track keep people coming to him for either racing advice or his knowledge of the automotive repair business. Photos page 47: The bullet... 670 cubic inches of twin turbocharged power! A hectic environment inside both cars. But it really is all necessary equipment, from the Precision Performance shifter to the full electronics of turbo management. All products are easy to maintain and the Big Stuff3, AMS 1000 Controller and MSD ignition are well within reach for easy maintenance.

Kasper’s Ascension To Become The Most Winning Team In The Northeast In 2009 Kasper Racing began the climb to the top in the Northeast with two new cars in the stable and Gil Christy making a large contribution to the team. TJ had completed his licensing in his father’s Lincoln Mark VIII, so the search began for a ride worthy of his abilities. Tom took ownership of Grant McCreary’s 2005 Mustang built by Matukas Motorsports Race Cars as TJ now had Tim Lynch’s record holding 2003 Mustang ready for his talents to emerge. Both

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cars underwent safety upgrades and new power plants. Jimmy Blackmon double frame railed the 2003 and lightened the car with as much carbon fiber as he could throw at it. It has to be noted that Team Kasper relies heavily on their safety protocol. Never wavering from their steps of preparation and safety right up until the final turnoff after a pass. Tom set the standard to enforce complete safety, their precision and prep is like pilot training on each and every pass. Their safety performance helps make them the force they are today as it only adds to their record setting numbers.

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What Lies Within The Mustangs Both cars are your standard 25.2 spec Mustangs, extremely similar with little differences. Hidden beneath the hood and fenders sit brand new 670ci billet aluminum based DiSomma Racing Engines; only variances in fuel and camshaft design separate the two. Weston Machine performed magic on lightening and machining the blocks. Inside they are both filled with a Callies crank, BME rods, and Diamond pistons, and to round out the bottom end, both cars are fed by dry sump oiling systems. The camshaft and head design remains “top secret” except for the Jesel valve train. Both cars are fed air through the twin Precision billet 94mm Pro Mod turbochargers and cooled by Precision PT4000 series Intercoolers, and Tial wastegates are a big part of controlling the power. The Q16 VP racing fuel is introduced vial Waterman pumps through HUGE Wilson throttle bodies and into a custom sheet metal intake. Fuel injection is handled by none other than Moran Engineering billet injectors. A combination of Big Stuff3 and an AMS 1000 boost controller take care of the management, and both cars are tuned by Tom Kasper himself. Are you sitting down? Both engines are capable of over 3,200hp on 35 to 40psi of boost, so a stout driveline is needed to handle the outgoing power. Both cars use Neal Chance Billet torque converters and Rossler air shifted T400 3 speeds with chrome moly driveshafts. TJ’s ride uses the Mark Williams Pro Mod rear, while Tom’s has a Fab 9 sheet metal set-up in place, and During our photo shoot we just had to get them to start Tom’s Mustang! It was February 2nd when we shot the cars and it actually snowed a short while after they were nestled back in the trailer. Tommy Kasper has seen his share of wins throughout the past three years. Although 2012 saw him as runner up to his son at both Atco Raceway and Cecil County, he couldn’t be more proud to have lost to TJ. Tom was number 8 qualifier of 36 cars entered at the 2012 Shakedown. The Mustang is always powering out of the hole, wheels up and tracking straight, always in the game. A peek underneath shows the fully adjustable and virtually indestructible equipment that gets Tom down the track.

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TJ Kasperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s banner year ends with two track championships (Atco Raceway and Cecil County) and the world record for the 1/8-mile at the Shakedown 2012. Below, check out the affect of the wind on the hood while TJ slows from a 200mph run!

gear ratios are determined by track temp and conditions at each outing. Putting this horsepower down is a balance of tire and shocks. Kasperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, throughout their career, have used Mickey Thompson Tires exclusively. Here, the rears are beadlocked onto Weld Racing wheels, and fronts are the same combination, with a mix of Santhuff shocks up front and Penske Racing out back. Hook is no problem on both cars, as data is fed through a driveshaft sensor and track temp sensor mounted underneath, reaching the driver inside via the Racepak dashboard and data logger. Both cars are plumbed from front to back with an extensive fire control system as well. Team Kasper, Racing To The Top It takes more than just one big win to become top racers. Kasper Racing has fortified their presence at many exceptional venues, not just with wins, but championships and rounds forcing notable

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TJ Kasper and long time friend Lizzy Musi. They share not only a history in motorsports but friendship since they were children. And now both have excelled in their respective classes in Drag Racing.

others out of the picture. They have skillfully accomplished this over the last two years posting massive round win ratios. In 2010 TJ Kasper finished his season impeccably by winning the Cecil County Dragway Outlaw 10.5 Track Championship, with Tom Kasper in the number two spot, and Atco Raceway’s Outlaw 10.5 Track Championship, again with Tom placing number two. TJ pushed out the 2nd fastest Outlaw 10.5 ¼mile pass in the world with a 6.35 @ 235mph recorded at the Shakedown at E-Town. The big “switch up” came in 2011 when Tom Kasper finished Cecil County Dragway’s Outlaw 10.5 series in the number one spot with TJ in second. And the Atco Raceway Outlaw 10.5 series ended the same way with a 1-2 punch, Tom taking first and TJ second in points. This was also the year TJ received his Top Alcohol Funny Car license in one day at Frank Hawley’s Driving School. “1-2 Knockout Punch” Continued on pg. 60

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“1-2 Knockout Punch” Continued from pg. 50

2012 would be TJ Kaspers banner year as again he took the Cecil County Dragway Outlaw 10.5 Track Championship title, also setting the track record in Outlaw 10.5 going 4.11 @ 190mph in the 1/8th-mile. No track was out of bounds for TJ’s hard work behind the wheel as again he became Atco Raceway’s Outlaw 10.5 Track Champion, holding another massive title of resetting the track record in Outlaw 10.5 going 4.15 @ 191mph in the 1/ 8th-mile. To top it off, TJ won a “Double Up” at the final race at Atco winning $15,500 in one day, making it one of the biggest purses in Outlaw 10.5 history.

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The Finish TJ had become a large draw with an immense following. His performance and records spoke for themselves, and only remained standing, “MPH”. That is until the Shakedown Nationals 2012. During qualifying TJ’s second pass made history at the Final Shakedown event at Raceway Park, and again he doubled-up by holding the ET record as well. To be clear, TJ backed up his ET of 4.08 which none of the other quicker racers could do. TJ finally got the MPH record on a stunning pass clocking 201.2 mph in the

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Engine photos page 60 - The DiSomma 670 cube billet block resides between the framerails. Just in front of the engine lies dual 94mm Precision turbochargers. Both engines are very similar 5 inch bore spaced. Only the fuel systems and camshaft profiles differ. 3,200+ horespower is always on tap with boost between 35-40PSI in both! Underneath TJ’s record holding Mustang, you’ll find extensive upgrades, the Neal Chance bolt together converter and Rossler’s ultra strong T400 3-speed automatic trans. The amount of safety items are abundant also with the needed engine diaper here and fire suppression running throught the car. Below: A look behind and in front of the rear differential in TJ’s Mustang. Both cars are sprung by the same adjustable coil over racing shocks, however the rear differentials are different between the two. Kasper swaps gear ratios depending on the track, ranging from 3.50 to 4.11:1.

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1/8th-mile with the new DiSomma power, and also backed that up the same weekend. Though he lost in the semifinals when the car went into a big wheel-stand and he had to pedal out of it against Harold Caldwell, the team is fine with taking these honors. In the words of “Team Captain” Tom Kasper, “I’m proud to be TJ’s Crew Chief and even more proud to have him as my Crew Chief. We are a team no question, when one of us is down or out of the race, we drop everything and move on to the one who is still in the running, and work for the win. TJ pushes me to be a little more on the edge and I push back keeping him right there, it’s a great balance between a Father and Son relationship” Kasper racing is always a team effort and credits follow with Tom Kasper as Crew Chief, Tuner and Driver, TJ Kasper - Driver and Team Co Crew Chief, Eddie Waddell, Sean “Poozer” Shehan, Darren “Tommy Boy” Clegg, Seth Cohen, the Official Kasper Racing Photographer and “Chef” (Tom’s wife Dana) and Son “Ty” rounding out the two car team.

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Team Kasper Racing and their Massive fans and crew make sure the celebration in the winners circle needs a wide angle lens each time they take the win. And this year the camera was busy as TJ had won more races, and money, than most. Gil Christy has been a major support to the team! Pictured from left to right: Darren “Tommy Boy” Clegg, Eddie Waddell, TJ Kasper, Gil Christy, Tommy Kasper and Sean “Poozer” Shehan

It’s March of 2013, the engines are already started, new tune-ups in the works with all the stops out, and you can bet that everyone who’s anyone in 10.5 drag racing will be gunning for Team Kasper who proudly wear the target on their backs. But just watch what they get in return…

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Getting Back on Track By Blake Robinson

Under Pressure - Part I

hen it comes to building horsepower we have several types of power adders to choose from. As many readers know, turbochargers are the current wave in performance and racing. Yeah, they have been around a long time but have really made a stand in drag racing and street machines over the past 5-6 years. After doing a lot of research I decided to contact Reed Patridge of WORK Turbochargers. Reed’s name had popped up on several of the forums I had visited and everything I read was positive. When I contacted him, Reed took the time to talk to me and asked several questions about our build. He was knowledgeable and made me, a guy who is no turbo expert whatsoever, feel very comfortable. When choosing someone to help with the power adder portion of your particular build, be sure to complete your own due diligence and make a choice that fits your project and specific needs. For us, Reed passed the test with flying colors. First, before we get into the turbocharger assembly then install on our Back On Track Camaro, we wanted to share a little bit of information about what a turbo is, its components, and how they work from “Turbocharging 101” at www.workturbochargers.com In its simplest form a turbocharger is an exhaust driven centrifugal compressor that feeds your engine with more air than it can normally ingest. This allows a greater amount of power to be produced than the same engine normally aspirated can create. Since all internal combustion engines rely on oxygen to burn their fuel, feeding more air/oxygen by the use of a turbocharger, will produce more power. In most cases, power increases of 50-75% will be achieved with turbocharging. Normally, the exhaust gasses produced by the combustion process are expelled from the engine out into the atmosphere. A turbocharger utilizes this normally wasted gas as an energy source to drive the turbine wheel before being returned to the exhaust system. The turbine wheel has a shaft that connects it directly to the compressor wheel located on the opposite end of the turbocharger. This compressor wheel draws in fresh air from the air filter assembly, then compresses it to provide a force-fed charge of air for your engine to utilize in combustion. The compressor (Cold Side) is the part of the turbo that pulls air from the atmosphere and compresses it into the intake side of the engine. The compressor wheel sizes that were offered for our Borg Warner S400SX4 Turbo were: 71mm, 75mm, 78mm, and 80mm. Our unit will have the 80mm wheel. The inducer side of the wheel is the part of the wheel that air is introduced to first (the small or minor side), while the exducer is the part of the wheel that expels the air out (the large or major side). The size of the turbo is based on the inducer size of the compressor wheel (the small or minor side), thus making ours an 80mm turbo. Our turbo utilizes the Borg Warner/Air Werks “S” generation compres64

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sor wheel with Extended Tip Technology for the ultimate in aerodynamics, low RPM spool-up & high RPM horsepower output. The compressor housing is usually an aluminum housing that contains the volute that will channel the air from the air filter assembly to the compressor wheel and finally out to the intercooler plumbing or intake. Its’ design and function are fundamental to the centrifugal compressor family. The housing will usually have a volute or scroll design that is used to promote airflow and pressure for the engine. There were two covers available for our S400SX4 Turbo: the standard cover that was limited to a 75mm compressor wheel size for optimal performance that would support up to 1050 horsepower, and the high performance cover that covers from 67mm to 82mm compressor wheels that will support up to 1250 horsepower. Reed selected the high performance cover that featured a large 5.50" ported anti-surge air inlet with a 3.00" slip-on charge pipe outlet for our build. The turbine (Hot Side) wheel and shaft assembly transfers the exhaust energy radially to the compressor wheel. Turbine wheels are usually made of Inconel or other high temperature alloys to allow them to perform in a temperature environment that regularly exceeds 1500 degrees F. The turbine wheel also holds the turbine side piston ring, provides the bearing surface for the journal bearings to ride, and also has the quill that holds the thrust collar, compressor wheel and shaft nut. Turbine wheels are usually measured by the inducer side of the wheel, the side that the exhaust is introduced to first (the large or major side), while the exducer is the (smaller or minor) side that expels the exhaust. The two turbine wheels that were available for our S400SX4 were: 87mm x 81mm and the 96mm x 88mm. Reed selected the larger 96mm x 88mm for our build. The job of the turbine housing is to collect the exhaust gases and direct them through a volute to the turbine wheel inducer. This increases the velocity of the exhaust gas and provides the drive energy for the turbine wheels rotation. The turbine housing will usually be made of cast iron or other high temperature alloys. Some turbine housings will have the waste gate valve built into the housing. Turbine housings are classified by both frame (T4,T5,T6,etc.) and A/R ratio (.90, 1.0, 1.10, 1.15, 1.25, 1.32, etc.). The frame size and A/R simply define the amount of exhaust capacity and at what velocity it will drive the turbine wheel. Smaller frame size and A/R will be suited for smaller engines while the larger frame sizes and A/ R will be more useful to a larger CID engines. These choices allow Reed to customize the flow response to best suit the application. Reed selected the 1.32 A/R T6 divided twin scroll housing with a 5.00" V-band down pipe discharge flange for our build. This housing is specifically made for the 88mm turbine wheel we are using. RPM Magazine, THE Voice Of Fast Cars WORLDWIDE

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Left: Here are all the components of our turbocharger waiting to be modified, upgraded, and assembled. Note that the thrust bearing in the picture is a 270 degree from the factory. Center: Seen on the left is the upgraded 360 degree thrust bearing we will be using. Pictured on the right is the 270 degree bearing. Right: The compressor wheels that were offered for our S400SX4 can be seen above. 71mm, 75mm, 78mm, and the 80mm which we will be using.

Most standard turbocharger designs have a rotating assembly that consists of the turbine wheel, thrust collar assembly, compressor wheel, and shaft nut. It is very important that if any one part of this assembly is changed, the unit as a whole be rechecked for proper balance to ensure optimal turbocharger life. Reed uses a modified Hiens TC-3 Dynamic Balancer to provide specific calibrations to keep the harmful vibrations at a tolerable level. The thrust bearing in a turbocharger is the main locating structure for axial movement. Axial, or â&#x20AC;&#x153;in and outâ&#x20AC;? movement must be held in tight tolerance to maintain the exact clearance needed between the compressor and turbine wheel to housing relationship. Thrust bearings can be made of bronze alloy, sintered iron or steel alloys depending on its application. All thrust bearing designs utilize hydro-dynamic action with oil as the medium to eliminate friction and allow precision location

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The two most popular compressor covers offered for the S400SX4 can be compared here. The standard cover is on the left and the high performance cover can be seen on the right.

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at high speeds. We will be using a 360 degree thrust bearing that utilizes an improved oiling circuit and has more load area to deal with the high load/high performance demands we will be placing on our turbocharger. WORK Turbochargers offers this upgrade and the thrust bearing is 100% CNC machined from a bronze alloy here in the USA. The standard bearing utilizes only 270 degrees of contact area and smaller oil passages. Reed still uses the standard bearing in some smaller turbo builds because it does provide less drag and will enable the turbocharger to respond a little faster.

Top, from left: The turbine wheels offered for our S400SX4 were the 87mm x 81mm (left), and the 96mm x 88mm we will be using. Our rotating assembly comprised of the 80mm compressor wheel and the 88mm turbine wheel. Below, from left: That cover offers us up to a 200 horsepower gain over the standard cover. The 1.32 A/R T6 flange turbine housing we will be using is specifically designed for the 88mm turbine wheel.

We have now covered the major components of our turbocharger and will cover the smaller parts such as bearings, springs, clips, and backing plates during the assembly process in our next article. See you then. Source: WORK Turbochargers www.workturbochargers.com 205-516-3946 Reed Patridge first became involved with turbocharging in 1993 when he bought a 1987 Buick Grand National that he still owns to this day. He met a local turbo builder by the name of John Myers that was doing business under the name of Majestic Turbo South. Reed and John became friends and his Grand National became a test bed for some midnight experiments. John changed the name of his business to Turbo Specialties around 1996 and was on his way to becoming a common name in the high performance turbo aftermarket. In 1998 Reed lost his friend John to a motorcycle accident and afterwards purchased the business from John’s family, taking their advice in keeping the popular namesake. Reed followed in John’s footsteps by doing upgrades for the Buick Turbo, SVO Mustangs, and other popular turbo cars from that era. In 1999 Reed’s good friend Jason Smith introduced him to Wayne Young and Alan Dudley and they began building turbochargers for some of their NMRA/NMCA customers including: John Urist, Chris Derrick, and Mike Murillo. In 2008 Reed teamed up with longtime friend, Matt Rocksvold, and set the

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ground work for Super Natural Turbo, a small business that was focused on helping out a community of friends who were in need of some turbo help. During that time, Reed worked with many great customers, who would later become close friends as well. With the customer list growing quickly and a business that needed full time attention, Reed took the turbo shop back to the mainstream with the name “WORK Turbochargers”. With the goals of helping set records, winning championships, and most importantly, providing the very best turbochargers possible, Reed has been living his own dream for the last five years. WORK Turbochargers hand builds every unit that leaves their door. They offer new turbo sales of Borg Warner, Garrett, and their own line of turbochargers. In addition; a rebuilding service for almost any brand turbocharger, upgrades to existing units to better suit the application, waste gates, flanges, boost controllers and other turbo accessories can be found at: workturbochargers.com

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Pro Modified Goes X-TREME

ro Modified, or “Pro Mods”. The baddest of the bad when it comes to high powered doorslammers in drag racing. Each car puts out anywhere from 2,700 to well over 3,000 horsepower! On the edge to drive, and just as on-the-edge to watch. Over the last few months the drag racing community has been inundated with rumors, gossip and innuendos, all surrounding the wild world

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Story By Tony Weber Photos By Roger Richards,

of Pro Modified. In light of everything that has taken place, all the racers and fans really want to know is where they can race with or get their fill of Pro Mods and fast doorslammers this season. All the “who owns what” and “who screwed who” have no place in our community, and this type of bickering only adds negativity to our sport, something that can be ill afforded in this day

Tony Weber & Logan Weber

and age. In a matter of one week it was announced the ADRL (American Drag Racing League) was back under the leadership of new owner Kenny Nowling, while a group of businessmen with strong racing backgrounds was creating the XDRL (Xtreme Drag Racing League). As expected the technology of today went into overdrive with blogs, tweets and forums exploding over who

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would be better to run with, or which organization will be around longer. Instead of being grateful for another opportunity to race with a professional series, it seemed what so many people were more interested in was the dirt. But what did remain at the forefront was...just who is the XDRL and what can we expect from them? After going through the forums one day, I decided to stop wondering and start writing. Being the original (and only) magazine to cover the ADRL in it’s earlier years, we had made a conscious decision to step away from covering them the last few years, choosing instead to focus on RPM’s diversity of content within the performance and racing magazine market, and publish more of the less covered, and often overlooked, organizations, cars, classes and drivers. It wasn’t that we turned our backs on Pro Mod as whole, we kept up with the Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association, PMRA and a few others, we just felt there were a lot of different types of cars, classes and teams out there that needed some attention that only the pages of RPM could provide. So to get a handle on just who or what the XDRL was I picked up the phone and called Account Executive Keith Goolsby to determine if the XDRL was in fact a place for not only us to experience a renewed Pro Modified experience, but also for the drivers we have come to know and love. Right off the bat I knew this would be a great conversation as Keith and I both began with the same thought in mind. There would be no mud slinging, no bashing and no trash talking. The differences between organizations don’t make a hill of beans to me, and Keith expressed no desire to do anything other than promote the series he believes in with 100% of his being. Off to an excellent start as far as I was concerned.

Photos, from top: Texas native Jeff Cummins will bring his ’68 Camaro to do battle in the ranks of the Pro Nitrous class, a class that could see some of the top names in the sport swarming the lanes. After a nasty wreck back in 2012 in his ’70 Camaro, Jim Laurita is yet another standout in the Pro Nitrous field that has indicated he was looking forward to the start of the XDRL season. Lead photo pg 70: Coming off an impressive streak of mind boggling numbers over in

At the end of 2012, the future of the ADRL was left the desert, Texas Madman Frankie Taylor will be bringing the whole family based team in limbo. Ownership was looking to sell and offers were out to continue his record setting streak in the hopes of capturing yet another Pro being made. After deliberations and planning, three friends Xtreme World Championship.

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The beautiful blown ’68 Mustang of Oklahoma’s Todd Martin should see plenty of Pro Xtreme action this season. Martin, a former Pro Mod Motorcycle maniac, has been causing quite a stir with his Mustang and all indications point towards more of the same in 2013.

and businessmen very familiar with racing and operating under the moniker of MPH Motorsports, went against the current economic trends and breathed life into the Xtreme Drag Racing League. Based out of Texas, and with a wealth of racing and business sense to glean from, the team of Jeffrey Mitchell, Larry Pearce and David Hubbard were as they say, “off to the races” and forming a team of some of the industry’s best minds to create what they envisioned as a high quality association with plenty of excitement. And judging by the package they have put together in the short amount of time they had to do so, it appears they are well on their way. Interestingly enough, the majority of staff put in place are the very ones who kept the lifeblood flowing through the ADRL for the past few years. They had proven themselves through their work and dedication and were essential to MPH Motorsports’ vision regarding the XDRL. A new step for this year will be putting the promotion for the events into the hands of each hosting track. In other words, the tracks featuring an XDRL race will handle the promotions

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according to their market and fan base. This approach has generated a lot of excitement for each of the nine locations the association has scheduled for this year. Another huge feather in their cap is their television deal with Discovery Channel owned Velocity, presenting the potential for their racers and teams to be viewed in around fifty million homes. This could help the possibilities for teams looking for sponsorship, as being able to include potential cable or satellite exposure is substantial. Simply a huge bonus for the many fantastic teams to further their operations in an effort to continue providing entertainment for gearheads across the country. “It is beyond time for this type of racing to get the exposure it deserves and through Velocity this organization will make that happen,” Keith said. With the well being of the racers at the forefront, several contingency sponsors, including Pat Musi Racing Engines, Stupid Fast Racing, Jerry Bickel Race Cars, Jerry Haas Race Cars, Keith Haney Racing, Kinetic Engineering Flying A Motorsports, To A Tee,

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Suburban Chevrolet and Hot Rod Garage Apparel will be utilized in the development of a points fund. While talks are still in the works with potential series sponsors, nothing has been put in cement at this point, making the XDRL still a work in progress with a growth potential that seems near limitless. A competitive purse and membership package round out only an inkling of the benefits in place for the teams that will no doubt soon call the XDRL home. Tech and safety will remain a top priority for Director of Operations Chris Bell and his team, as they will be overseeing all tech responsibilities as well as ensuring the best and safest racing experience one can expect. Well balanced rules in place are in the interest

of racer safety as well as to promote an almost level playing field for competition. It is this strong sense of competition that led the group to purchase the entire line of track prep and safety equipment from Al Anabi Racing USA, equipment that has already proven itself to be top of the line. “We want our racers to have the finest racing surfaces at the finest racing establishments,” Goolsby said. It appears the XDRL is willing to put their money where their mouth is and put the racers first, which is honestly how it should be. While the tracks will be handling promotions, the XDRL will do all the track prep and safety concerns during competition. With a full compliment of classes including: Pro X-Treme,

Below, left: Showcasing his turbocharged ’67 Shelby Mustang in Precision Turbo’s PRI booth back in December, longtime Pro Mod pilot Todd Tutterow announced he would be competing in the XDRL with Galot Motorsports. Right: Former Pro Mod Rookie of the Year Tim Tindle has big plans for this year with the XDRL. After recently selling the “Dozer” Mustang, Tim will be seeing action in a new jaw dropping Jeffers Pro Cars ’67 Mustang, while his son TJ, a former Junior Dragster champion will take over the reigns of the blown “Backhoe” Mustang in his debut Pro Mod season. Watch for more on this team in RPM Magazine.

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Above, left: Dean Goforth, along with team mate Cary will be bringing both cars to compete in the X-Treme Pro Stock class, with Dean sporting a brand new EFI setup to start the season. You can bet the GoForth’s will be on top of their game as the ranks of Pro Stock seem to be increasing on a daily basis. Right: Longtime Nitrous driver John DeFlorian will continue to campaign his Xtreme Pro Stock Camaro in the XDRL with the intention of not only defending his world record elapsed time, but also bringing home a world championship. Could not happen to a nicer guy, as DeFlorian over the years has maintained one of the best dispositions wherever he goes. Lower right: The turbo powered Cobra may finally bring Danny Lowry, one of the finest drivers you will meet, some much deserved attention as he prepares to wage war in the new Pro Turbo class. It would be no surprise to quickly see the fields meet and exceed expectations in this class.

Pro Nitrous, X-Treme Pro Stock, Pro Turbo, X-Treme Pro Mod, Top Dragster, Top Sportsman, Pro Junior Dragster and Supercar Showdown there is virtually a place for everyone to come and compete. But what is interesting is the inclusion of a “turbocharged only” class, a move some say is widely intelligent, while of course gaining ridicule from others. “There were a few turbos running in the Extreme 10.5 class, and even fewer trying to run in the Pro X-Treme,” Keith explained. “When you have a driver like say, Danny Lowry, who is as fine a racer as they come, with a great combination and supports the organization but never can seem to qualify, you have to rethink things. Turbos just don’t seem to be as com-

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petitive in any of our classes, yet they remain one of the most loyal group of racers, so we felt we needed to respect that loyalty. It didn’t hurt that several turbo manufacturers approached us about the class either.” Interesting move, when others are shying away from an all-turbo class, the XDRL embraces them believing in the potential these teams can bring. While there may not be a full field every race, a growth pattern is expected and hopes are high. XDRL has every desire to make sure the racers know they are first and foremost. “Without the racers, we wouldn’t exist,” Goolsby says. Which is the same approach we here at RPM take, and have always taken. If they take that philosophy to heart and maintain it as a core part of their mission statement, then you can expect the XDRL to soar to heights only they themselves can contain. All the pieces are in place, and the stars seem to be aligning for a successful and fulfilling new excursion into the “new” realm of fast doorslammer drag racing, one where the players are just as important as the show. Hang on to your hats everyone, it is about to get X-treme out there! To learn more visit: www.XDRL.com and watch for this logo at a track near you! Photos, from top: While father Pat has stepped up as a contingency sponsor for the 2013 season, daughter Lizzy Musi will return to the lanes in her Pat Musi Racing Engines powered ’68 Camaro. After a horrific crash in 2012, Musi will return to Top Sportsman competition against some of the best in the country. Top Sportsman standout Bruce Thrift from Georgia will be bringing his ’07 GTO over to the XDRL pits to see what kind of an impact he and his team can make.

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“Assassin Bars” From Smith Racecraft

t’s no secret that “Stock Suspension” drag racing classes are all the rage these days. Once believed to be a handicap, leaf spring equipped vehicles have been able to achieve levels of performance thought only to be obtainable by all-out drag cars with four link suspensions. So what has leveled the playing field you may ask? Companies like Smith Racecraft have been perfecting the science of leaf spring suspensions, giving the racer and enthusiast even more ammunition on race day! Smith Racecraft recently released their new “Assassin” Traction Device. Starting off with a clean sheet of paper Kim and Josh Smith (Owners of Smith Racecraft) set out to design the ultimate leaf spring traction device. Smith Racecraft boasts that The Assassin offers more adjustability than any other traction device on the market, because of the multiple holes in the devices lower bracket. The ability to make adjustments allows for a softer hit by moving the bar down a hole. When the track surface allows for a harder hit, simply move the bar up a hole…it’s that easy!

Everything about the design of the Assassin Leaf Spring Traction Device screams heavy duty. With big gussets on the spring brackets flex is eliminated even under the most extreme conditions. A nice added feature is provisions for tie downs.

Applications With so many leaf spring cars produced, Smith Racecraft offers their Assassin Traction Devices for all of the GM models including the 55-57 Chevy, Camaro/Firebird, Nova, 82-94 S-10, and 88-09 Chevy 1500. Mopar offerings include all of the A-Body, B-Body and E-Body Models. The Assassin Traction Devices can be used on factory mono or multi-leaf springs. For max effort applications Smith Racecrafts offers custom made Mono, or Split-Mono, Leaf Spring systems to produce exceptional performance on the street or strip.

Track Testing Stay tuned as we cover the install of a set of Assassin Traction Devices, and a pair of made-to-order Smith Racecraft split-mono leafs on a 1971 Nova for a little track testing. The results of this testing will be the basis of a follow-up tech article on how these devises worked on our 3,600 pound test mule that is powered by a rowdy 940hp big block (before the 300hp nitrous system)! So we’ll definitely be giving the Assassin a workout!

Source: Smith Racecraft Ph: 214-330-0660 www.smithracecraft.com

Photos: The Assassin is constructed out of Chrome Moly Tubing and Teflon Lined Rod Ends. Finished in a high quality Nickel Plating these components will be able to stand up to the elements for years to come and still look like new. Smith Racecrafts “Assassin” leaf spring traction device was designed to handle today’s high horsepower engines. At home on the street of the strip the Assassin delivers unsurpassed traction control even when you have over 2,000hp between the frame rails!

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Project 4 Lug Thug By Chuck Scott

In Case Of Fire

or many of us obsessed with go fast parts and the latest developments in horsepower, race car fire systems is the last thing on our minds. If you go to the track at least a few times a year, I guarantee you have witnessed a car fire in person. Even with something as highly probable as an engine fire on a race car, many folks don’t think it will happen to them. A look around the pits at your local track will prove that to be true. Quite a few racers will use that hard to come by cash on something to make their car quicker, or to replace a broken part instead of investing a few hundred bucks into an onboard fire system. Some may even argue that they have seen deployed fire systems on cars during a fire that didn’t seem to do much other than slow the fire down. But that may depend on the type of fire system installed. After seeing two close friends burn their cars up in one season, I started researching fire systems and different extinguishing agents. My search netted a number of positive things about Cold Fire, and there are a bunch of videos online demonstrating it’s effectiveness. Cold Fire is a non toxic, non corrosive, non staining water based agent that mixes with and encapsulates fuel at the molecular level. Cold Fire also cools 21 times faster than water and prevents re-ignition. What this means for a racer is not only does this stuff work better, it won’t poison you or suffocate you in the process of extinguishing, or damage the rest of your car that wasn’t burned. With some fire suppression agents, the product actually displaces oxygen to help suppress the fire. That is why you have heard people say “make sure you can get out of the car, and hit the fire knob on the way out”. Cold Fire won’t hurt you so you can engage your system as soon as you

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can stop the car or slow to a safe speed. The nozzles won’t be spraying a powdery mess either, just wet. What types of fires does it work with? Cold Fire works on class A, B, D & K fires so that means ordinary combustibles like wood and fabric, flammable liquids and gases, combustible metals, cooking oils and fats. So most anything except electrical due to it being water based and conductive. Never use Cold Fire product on anything with enough voltage to shock you. It can also short out race car electronics just like spraying it with water. Luckily a lot of automotive electronics are in sealed weatherproof housings with weatherproof connectors, but some are not. So now I knew what I wanted in the bottle, I just had to find out who uses it in an onboard fire system. I was pleased to find out that our friends at DJ Safety was one company that does. DJ Safety is at the top of the shelf in racing safety products so I knew the packaging and quality of the fire system would be great. I chose the ten pound bottle, three nozzle system for the RPM Magazine project car, and it came charged and ready to install. The DJ system came with the charged bottle, 2 nice billet aluminum bottle brackets, an injector valve with attached cable bracket and gauge, activation push cable and knob, ten feet of 1/4” aluminum hard line, three blue B-nuts and

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sleeves, five red B-nuts and sleeves, a T-fitting and 3 discharge nozzles. What you will need to finish your install is some mounting tabs or brackets to bolt the DJ bottle brackets to, a push knob bracket and some steel or stainless steel 1/4” hard-line if you need to pass NHRA/IHRA tech. Those items aren’t included in the kit because every install is a little different and not all applications could use the same parts in these areas. It is a good idea to include the bottle and push knob mounting in the chassis building stage of a new build so your fabricator can make those brackets and weld them to your cage. If you waited until the end of the build like we did, it isn’t a big deal though. It just requires a little paint removal and touch up on the cage when complete. Fire suppression isn’t just for the race car either. It is a really good idea to equip your shop, race trailer and support vehicle with fire extinguishers. You can get a variety of sizes in traditional fire extinguishers charged with Cold Fire. Al though they always do their best, you can’t simply depend on the race track workers to be there when you need them or for their equipment to work properly. It is ultimately your responsibility to take care of yourself, your property and crew. Cold Fire is a non toxic, non corrosive, water based product that works extremely well to extinguish or resist fire. It is growing in popularity with fire departments, police, military and other government agencies as well as home, industrial and automotive consumers. It can be purchased in bulk and mixed in fire trucks all the way down to small 8oz cans. Cold Fire instantly cools hot surfaces at a much higher rate than water. The handy 13.5oz spray can on the right is perfect for the kitchen, or tool box and are only about $20. The Fire Block on the left is intended to treat anything that will absorb it to retard fire. It is great for fire suits, race car carpet and seat covers and can even be used on building materials like wall studs. All you do is douse the item and let it dry. Below: To give it a test, I made an X on a regular tissue with the Fire Block and let it dry completely. I then lit the tissue all the way around its perimeter. It burned quickly until it reached the treated area and just went out. I tried to re-ignite the rest of it but it just wouldn’t start again.

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In Case Of Fire

Above: I stopped by to see Mike Gray of Plumb Wired to pick up a roll of 1/4” stainless steel hard line for the install. Plumb Wired specializes in race car wiring, plumbing and fire system installs. They also are a dealer of Cold Fire products and DJ Safety fire systems. Mike showed me his line-up of brackets made specifically for the DJ Safety system. The DJ kit comes with a set of nice billet bottle brackets but you have to come up with your own brackets to mount them to your cage depending on where you plan to mount your bottle. Mike sells roll bar clamp mounts if you plan on mounting your bottle parallel with a bar, along with a push knob bracket and nozzle brackets. I purchased a couple nozzle brackets while I was there. After finding a spot to mount our DJ Safety fire bottle I would need the upper bracket to mount to the horizontal bar behind the passenger seat. I just traced the mounting side of the bottle mount onto a scrap of mild steel plate, cut it out and had Mark TIG weld it to the cage bar. The lower bottle mount will bolt to the rear floor with a couple 3/4” spacers. Below, from left: The injector valve has the cable bracket already mounted to it’s side. The cable feeds through the hole in the bracket with a nut on each side. The thick cable wire goes into the little hole in the top of the injector valve and is secured with an Allen set screw. With the safety pin removed the cable can be pushed, opening the valve allowing the system to fully discharge. The other end of the cable is mounted where the driver can push it if there is a fire. This end also has holes for a safety pin to prevent accidental discharge. We mounted this one to the right of the driver’s head. We opted to use stainless steel hard-line to be NHRA and IHRA compliant. The stainless line is a lot harder to work with compared to the standard aluminum line included in the kit. Stainless is much stiffer and harder to route not to mention more difficult to flair. If you use stainless line be sure to use a high quality 37 degree flaring tool capable of flaring stainless steel. A common auto parts store flaring tool will work fine with the aluminum line but won’t stand a chance with stainless. I routed our line through the center console wire trough.

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Below, from left: Eric McMillon of Speed365 gave me a hand flaring a few lines. The Rigid ratcheting flaring tool will handle the stainless line although the ratchet stop will come up short finishing the flair. You have to put a wrench on it to go the rest of the way. Eric had Vader catch fire twice in 2011 costing thousands in damage each time, even though the fires were extinguished quickly. I mounted the interior nozzle to the inside of the center console pointing at the pedals and the driver’s legs. I made a mount from a strip of thin aluminum. The most common driver injury from fire is the feet and lower legs from engine fire finding its way through the firewall. The Cold Fire foam from the DJ Safety fire system will not only fight any fire coming through, it will cool the surfaces in case you can’t get out immediately. The other two nozzles go on the firewall on each side of the engine. The slots in the nozzles should be aimed to cover as much of the engine bay as possible. Notice the nozzle brackets from Plumb Wired providing a nice secure mount. I coated the hard-line with a little Plasti Dip to seal up the holes, prevent chafing and give a different look.

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In Case Of Fire Well, just a few hours and our fire system is installed. Hopefully we will never need the DJ Safety fire system but if we do, at least we know we have a good chance to save the driver and car. I’m sure if you think for a second, you can name at least one if not a few people you know personally that have had a car fire. If you have been around cars more than driving to work or the grocery store, you have likely even had a small one yourself, that was maybe put out by a jacket or turning the engine over again. Performance and Race car fires aren’t things you only see on the news or read about online, happening to people you don’t know in places you have never been. We push these machines to the limits with extreme heat, pressures, fuels and oxidizers. Fires happen all the time in motorsports. Don’t think it can’t happen to you or take the “I’ll get a fire system later when I get more serious about racing” attitude. Don’t let something that is so easy and relatively inexpensive to prepare for, cost you a car or your life.

Previous Project 4 Lug Thug Total =

$53,731.62 Sources:

DJ Safety Fire System Cost Breakdown DJ Safety Cold Fire Remote System #911102 – DJ Safety $606 20' 1/4” stainless steel hard line – Plumb Wired

$50

(2) fire nozzle mounting tabs – Plumb Wired

$8.50 ea.

Total cost of fire system

$673

New Project 4 Lug Thug Total =

$54,404.62

DJ Safety djsafety.com (323)221-0001 Plumb Wired plumbwired.com