RPM Magazine August 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:

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Photographic Contribution: IAN RAE, JANIS RAE, TONY WEBER, SCOTT

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SINGLETON, TIM LEWIS, BRIAN HANSEN, PETE “BOOMER” ORES, PAUL SCHMITZ, DALE BOERU, LOGAN WEBER, MARK goDragRacing.org, TOMMY LEE BYRD, www.DragStory.com, TOM OWENSBY, BRIAN TYLER, GEORGE PICH 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, AL HEISLEY, GEORGE PICH 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 -- Got A Performance or Race Related Business? GET RPM FREE, On Us! In our continuing effort to support the automotive performance and race industries, we’re once again offering a chance for related companies to take advantage of our “Industry Distribution Program” which sees FREE copies of RPM Magazine sent to Performance & Racing related businesses in the USA and Canada. So, if you own, operate, or manage any type of performance or race industry business (ie: Speed Shop, Race or Chassis Shop, Manufacturing firm, Installation facility, Warehouse etc), you need to sign up for your FREE copy of RPM MAG today! Simply complete this form and send it in along with your business card and you’ll start getting your complimentary copy of RPM, right to your business door each and every month! Because MORE RPM is ALWAYS better, we also offer an enhanced program which enables you to order MORE copies of RPM for an incredibly low price, to either give away free to your best customers, or sell on your magazine rack. Industry Distribution Program info can also be found at www.rpm-mag.com and completed online! Or by simply emailing trish@rpm-mag.com Chris Biro, Editor In Chief, RPM MAGAZINE

ADVERTISER INDEX Advertiser Name Page # Accufab Inc. 33 AFCO 51 AJPE - Alan Johnson Perf. 19 ARP 80 ARC - Applied Racing Components 52 ATI Performance Products 71 Autoglym 28, 81 Bad Attitude Engines 40 Baer Brakes 10, 72 BES Racing Engines 24 Bill Mitchell Products 17 Blower Shop 5 Browell Bellhousing 55 BTE Racing 87 Calvert Racing Suspensions 22 C&C Motorsports 49 CN Blocks 54 Coan Engineering 82 Crower 41 CVR Products 69 DART 23 Design Engineering 29 DIY Auto Tune - MegaSquirt EFI 65 D.U.I. Performance Distributors 65 Dynotech Engineering 8 Ed Quay Race Cars 17 EFI University 27 Engine Research & Development ERD 49 Fast Eddie Racewear 69 F.A.S.T. - Fuel Air Spark Technology 73 FastMotorsports 9 FORD Racing 39 Frankenstein Racing Heads 25 6

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G Force Racing Transmissions Gold Living GZ Motorsports Harland Sharp Holcomb Motorsports HoleShot Wheels Holley Ultra Dominator Holley Ultra Double Pumper Holley Ultra Street Avenger Hot Heads Research & Racing Induction Solutions J&K Converters Jeffco JE Pistons Jesel JET Performance Joe Gibbs Racing Oil - DRIVEN Leash Electronics Lokar Performance Products LUCAS Oil Products Lunati M&M Transmission Mahle Clevite Inc. Manton Pushrods Meziere Precision Manufacturing Mickey Thompson Tires Midwest Converters Mile High Crankshafts Neal Chance Converters New Century Performance Nitrous Supply NOS - Nitrous Oxide Systems OASIS by Corlor Ohsweken Speedway Outlaw 10.5 Racing Association

74 66 88 8 36 50 38 10 64 9 37 89 32 75 26 14 34 42 48 2 86 26 54 82 88 7 40 89 13 53 44 35 50 18 16

Parts Pro Performance Centers 92 Performance2Way Racing Communications 64 Performance Improvements 14 Performance Plus Connection 38 Powermaster Performance 16 Precision Turbo - ProInjectors 21 Proformance Racing Transmissions 24 PROLITE Batteries 74 Pro Systems Carburetors 15 Pro-Werks 25 PRP Racing Products 28 PTC 32 Racequip 53 Race Shop Converters 43 Racing Radios 7 Radir Wheels 12 Racepak 31 Rev-X Oil Products 29, 67 Ross Racing Pistons 5 RPM MAGAZINE SUBSCRIBE NOW! 90 Scotty’s Racing Engines 52 Shafiroff Racing Engines 11 Shakedown At The Summit 20 Smith Racecraft 30 Summit Racing Equipment 91 Taylor Cable Products 70 Ti64 83 Tom’s Upholstery 12 Trailer-Alarms.com 80 Trick Flow 45 Two Guys Garage/Truck U 68 Valvoline 77 VP Racing Fuels 83 WC Enterprises 72 Weldon High Performance 70

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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! August 2013

So Much Horsepower Packed Into One Place... That Place IS RPM Magazine! As The Phoenix Rises

The “WOLFE’S” ARE AT THE DOOR

...And there’s not much the competition can do to keep them away from it, as the Wolfe brothers make their presence known in the ranks of the Northeast Outlaw Pro Mods.

Triple Threat

Like many kids born in the mid-1960’s Brian Kohlmann collected Hot Wheels as a youngster and dreamed of one day owning his very own hot rod, but I bet he never thought it would be blown Hemi 1931 Chrysler CM 6 that can cruise the streets, win the shows and beat up on unsuspecting foes at the drag strip on Saturday night.

California Dreamin’ 16

Dave Bridgewater has three race-ready 1969 big block Chevy Camaros that he and his compatriots maintain and successfully race at local, regional and national events, but he was still looking for something more… he just wasn’t sure what that “something more” would be.

Living An Adventure Sharing a love for cars and racing would eventually bring this drag racing duo together as competitors, best friends, and husband and wife. 8

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HOT ROD HONDA Carey Bales, with his 4 cylinder turbocharged Honda S2000, slams down records once reserved for North American machines only. RPM Magazine, THE Voice Of Fast Cars WORLDWIDE

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Triple Threat Brian Kohlmann’s 1931 CM-6 Coupe... For The Hot Rod Lover It Truly Has It All - Street, Strip & Show, And The Blown Hemi Is Pretty Cool Too!

Story & Photos By Brian Hansen

Photography By Pete Ores

ike many kids born in the mid-1960’s Brian Kohlmann collected Hot Wheels as a youngster and dreamed of one day owning his very own hot rod. When Brian turned 16 he bought his first car (a 1931 Ford Model A). It was mostly stock but he already had visions of a “Hot Wheels” style street rod with steam-roller sized rear tires, a trick paint job and an enormous engine topped off with a blower. Over the next 28 years he’s owned a bunch of cool cars but the 1931 CM-6 in this story is by far his favorite. As Brian calls it, “a Hot Wheels

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Car on steroids”, his latest creation is not only jaw-dropping beautiful from every angle but it is also a brutally fast street machine! The Goal… Show and Go! What started out as a $2,100 ebay find has evolved into something that is truly unique. In a world where most street rods are decked out with a bunch of “go-fast” goodies, but rarely ever see the drag strip, Brian

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A forties style “Kohlmann’s” logo graces the sides of the trick rod. Most show cars of this caliber wish that they could carry the front tires like this. What is even more amazing is that the original parallel leaf-springs are still used!

Kohlmann’s Chrysler has proven that it can run the number and has already been in the low 10’s at a buck-thirty. As Brian commented, “When I set out to build this car I had three goals in mind. It had to be a reliable street cruiser, could hold its own at the drag strip and the build quality had to be so over the top that it would do well at any of the big car shows around the country.” Brian continued, “The car has gone through several stages of evolution since it was originally finished 7 years ago. I’ve logged over 10,000 miles in it and have a tried a number of different engine combinations. Just this year we started sorting out the current

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combination at the track and I’m confident that it has some high 9 second passes in it with a little more tweaking.” Engine & Drivetrain Starting out with an original 1957 Chrysler cast iron block, Roger Lechtenberg at R&J Performance (Cedar Falls, IA) filled it with a Callies 4.00” stroke billet crankshaft, Eagle H-beam connecting rods (made specifically for Hot Heads) and a set of Arias 8.3-1 forged pistons. The

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RPM Quick Tech Sheet 1931 Chrysler CM-6 Coupe - Street/Strip/Show Owner/Driver: Brian Kohlmann Engine short block: 1957 Chrysler 392ci Hemi filled with a Callies Billet crankshaft, Eagle H-beam connecting rods and Arias forged 8.31 compression dome pistons. Engle Indural solid roller camshaft Cylinder Heads: Hot Head Race & Engineering Hemi heads with Titanium Valves Induction: Eight Stromberg 97’s on a Weiand intake Manifold with Methanol injection Power Adder: Littlefield 8-71 High-Helix Blower Ignition: MSD 7 with Boost Retard/Crank Trigger Exhaust: Hedman Hustler/Hot Head design Suspension: Alston Chassis 4-Link and a Dana 60 w/4.56 gears Wheels & Tires: Radir Tri-rib (4.5” X 15” front/ 10” X 15”rear) with Radir 12 X 32 Cheater Slicks and Firestone whitewall reproductions by Coker Tire. Transmission: G-Force GFR-5 with twin-disc clutch Weight: 3,220lbs with Brian on board Best 60’ Time: 1.41 Best ET and MPH: 10.30 @ 130mph in the ¼-mile

Packing a tiny (by todays standards) 392 cubic inches, Kohlmann’s engine is a unique combination of old and new speed parts. The factory block dates back to 1957 but has Hot Heads splayed 4-bolt main caps, carb’s are from the 1930’s and the intake manifold was manufactured by Weiand in 1958. Right: No fancy fabricated 9-inch in this car. Being a hardcore Mopar Guy Kohlmann found a Dana 60 out of a donor 1970 Charger and filled it with 4.56 gears. Brian installed the Alston ladder-bar suspension with coil-over springs that puts the power to the ground. Lower: The build quality of Kohlmann’s Coupe won him the prestigious Best Overall Street Class Award at the 2012 Detroit Autorama.

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camshaft that opens the titanium valves in the Hot Heads aluminum cylinder heads for the Hemi is a 50 year old solid-roller camshaft by Engle that spec’s out at .600 lift/287 degrees of duration @ .050. To feed the hungry Hemi Brian came up with an ingenious combination of old and new parts. Eight Stromberg 97’s from the 1930’s are perched on an extremely rare 1958 Weiand intake manifold. As Brian commented, “I’ve researched this intake manifold and believe that there were only about 20 of these ever made. It was manufactured at the same time that fuel injection was coming out so most racers who would have used an intake like this were making the switch to fuel injection. With the tricked out Stromberg carburetors it has the capability to flow around 1250cfm”. Brian continued, “As I have been sneaking up on the tune-up it became obvious that we were going lean so I designed a methanol injection system. There’s a 1.5 gallon tank in the trunk and two fuel pumps to feed the system. The MSD turns on the methanol when the MAP sensors read 8 pounds of pressure and it also pulls out four degrees of timing. This has really been the key to preventing detonation.” The chassis consists of an Alston Ladder-Bar suspension that Brian welded up himself in a two car garage. Instead of going to a tube style chassis the original 1931 frame was maintained along with the factory parallel leaf-springs up front. Knowing that he would need a beefy transmission to hold up to the blown Hemi’s grunt, the guys at G-Force were

Far from stock Kohlmann’s coupe has been chopped 2 ½” inches, has a roof section from a 1963 Dodge station wagon, and features “suicide doors” that Brian fabricated himself. Jack Klamm did the pick and filed bodywork (no Bondo in this baby) and Dick Wolten at Custom Car Care did the exceptional paint work.

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Above: That wild Hurst shifter is connected to a G-Force 5 speed transmission. The factory seat is covered in leather just as it would have been when the car was new. A killer stereo system provides the tunes when Brian is out cruising his Coupe around town. A vintage Moon gas pedal looks right at home. Left: Radir 12 X 32 Cheater Slicks mounted on a set of Radir Tri-Rib aluminum wheels give the classy Chrysler a nostalgic vibe. The “wide whites” throw you off into thinking this is just another pretty street rod!

contacted for some advice on the right transmission for this most unusual application. A GFR-5 Magnesium case, Quick Time bell housing and McLoud Street Twin clutch have been working flawlessly for 4 years. World’s Fastest 1965 Dodge Prior to building the CM-6 Brian Kohlmann campaigned an altered-wheelbase 1965 Coronet 500 hardtop S/FX (Supercharged Factory Experimental) Dodge that was built as a tribute to Norm Krause’s “Mr. Norm” match racer from the mid-sixties. The previous owner had acid dipped the body to reduce weight (just like they did back in the 1960’s) and made the wheelbase modifications that included moving both the front and rear wheels forward. As Brian tells the story, “I bought it as a roller and added a combination of vintage and modern speed parts that would hold up to using nitro methane. It had the original frame, floor, bubble windshield, A100 Dodge van straight

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front axle, even factory fiberglass front fenders. The foundation of the new engine was a Keith Black block, Brad Anderson Engineering (BAE) “Fat Heads” and we topped it off with a vintage 6-71 blower and Hilbourn injector hat. With a load of 50% nitro in the tank our best ET at the time was 7.47 @ 189mph. I believe that this record makes it the World’s Fastest 1965 Dodge.”

Launch! With a heavy load of Nitro in the tank, Brian Kohlmann’s S/FX Dodge was capable of running midsevens when he used to match race his cool altered wheelbase machine. Back in the 1960’s Match Racers across the country would mix up a concoction of traction compound and gasoline that their crew members would light just as they started the burnout. In 2000 Brian Kohlmann recreated the “Fire Burnout” at the famous George Ray’s Wildcat Dragstrip much to the crowds amazement!

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Brian Continues, “Once we had the car completed I was talking with drag racing legend Arnie “The Farmer” Beswick about what match racing was like back in the Sixties when he was racing his Pontiacs. He told me about some of his experiences running at small drag strips down South and how they would do just about anything to put on a good show for the fans… including “Fire Burnouts”. This intrigued me so I asked who had actually invented the Fire Burnout and he told me to call Bruce Larson (who ran the USA-1 Chevrolets back in the day). It seems that Bruce was mixing various traction compounds together at the track one day and during a burnout the heat actually ignited the mixture and a fire erupted under his car! The promoters loved it and before you know it they were asking the match racers to do these Fire Burnouts at tracks all over the country. In 2000 I was making exhibition passes at George Rays Wildcat Dragstrip (Paragould, Arkansas) and recreated the “Fire Burnout” with my S/FX Coronet. We followed Bruce Larson’s instructions, mixed up a concoction of VHT traction com-

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pound and gasoline, coated the back quarter panels with a coat of wax and then smeared Vaseline over the wax (so that the wax wouldn’t appear white for the photographers). My crew members armed themselves with fire extinguishers and they lit the fire as I matted the throttle. It was pretty crazy seeing the flames come up from under the car as I did the burnout!” Special Thanks To build a car of this caliber Brian went to some of the best in the business for help. Thanks go out to Dick Wolton and Jack Klamm (body & paint), Bob Walker at Hot Heads (cylinder head program), Roger Lichtenberg (machine work & cylinder heads), Radir Wheels (rims& tires), Jeff Ludwig (Special Fabrication work) and the “Saturday Lunch Crowd” for inspiration. A special thanks goes out to Brian’s wife Julie, son Kieron and crew chief Keith Christensen.

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Hanging the hoops with pie crust Radir Cheater Slicks. You’d figure Brian would have the power to weight formula on his side, not true as this all steel street machine weighs in at a hefty 3220lbs! Below: This car was built to cruise and Brian has logged over 10,000 miles since 2007. In the iconic movie American Graffiti’s “John Miner” was the guy to beat on the street back in 1962. I wonder what he would have thought if Brian Kohlmann’s 1931 Chrysler Coupe came rolling up next to him at a stop light!

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Al Heisley Bob Johnson

Story & Photos by Action Photos by

California Dreamin’ Dave Bridgewater’s 2012 COPO Camaro Dream Comes True, And Then Some!

ave Bridgewater has three race-ready 1969 big block Chevy Camaros that he and his compatriots maintain and successfully race at local, regional and national events, but he was still looking for something more… he just wasn’t sure what that “something more” would be.

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Earlier in the year, Bridgewater had submitted an application to GM Performance for one of the 69 2012 COPO Camaros to be built, but had apparently been passed over. The dream was still alive though, and just before the 2012 Indianapolis Nationals while watching YouTube vids of Dave Connelly testing the new Cagnazzi 2012 COPO Camaro, Bridgewater, knowing that all of the COPO’s had already been spoken for, decided to go for it anyway. Something he was sure he’d succeed at doing if he put his mind to it. Because he wasn’t completely familiar with the purchasing process he posted an inquiry on an internet forum “ClassRacer.com” which led to a contact number for Dr. Jamie Meyer, Marketing Manager for GM Performance. Because Dr. Meyer had already left his office for Indy, Bridgewater left a voice mail for him and waited.

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Soon after returning to his office, Dr. Meyer called Dave explaining that all the 2012 COPO cars had been sold. Dave explained that he knew that and the conversation turned to the required proposal Bridgewater had submitted to GM earlier in the year. Meyer told him that GM Performance had received 3,600 letters of interest with applications from buyers that the COPO committee then had to choose from, and that was after all of the “VIP’s”, like Cagnazzi, had been allotted cars. Nearing the end of this discussion, Bridgewater told Meyer that GM needed a COPO on the west coast and Meyer agreed. Dr. Meyer asked Dave to send him pictures of his “fleet” of race cars, which Dave did the following morning. After several emails and more phone calls, Meyer asked Dave to visit him at GM Performances’ SEMA exhibit the following month

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The stance from all angles tells you this Camaro is different than all the rest.

in Las Vegas. Before the call ended, Dr. Meyer hinted that there may be a 2013 run of COPO Camaros. But they werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t 100% at the time. In late October 2012, as agreed, the two met at the SEMA Show as they had agreed. During a productive meeting, Meyer told Bridgewater that the cars were offered to buyers on a lottery-style pick that GM Performance managed based on the proposals interested buyers had submitted for the 2012 COPO Camaro program. And that you could not purchase one through your local Chevy dealer. You had to wait until the certificate was signed by GM and then you were asked to choose your dealership. The process was simple because the cars were sold as a part number through the

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dealerships parts department. And because the entire run had been spoken for, Bridgewater should sign up for the 2013 COPO Camaro Program right away; now that GM had decided to go ahead with the new run the following year. Bridgewater submitted his application then and there. Several weeks later, on December 18, 2012, Bridgewater received an early morning call from Dr. Meyer with news that Christmas had come early in Detroit. “I have the last, and I mean the very last available COPO Camaro for 2012. It’s Number 67, a white 427! Do you want it?” Bridgewater yelled “Hell, yes!” Dave placed his order with Tom Koppenhaver, the parts manager at Rotolo Chevrolet in Fontana, California right away. Koppenhaver commented that it was the easiest $90,000 order he had ever made. The day after Christmas, Dave and his wife flew to Detroit to seal the deal. After driving to GM’s Oxford build facility the following day, they met with GM representative Cliff Cohen and the build shop supervisor, Mike Lawrence where they were given a tour of the entire facility. When the tour was done, it was time for the unveiling of the

Below: The 2012 COPO trunk lid is graced with signatures of the builders.

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car. “Wow! I remember the chills that ran up my spine. The car was beautiful,” explains Bridgewater. “When I sat in it for the first time and fired it up, those chills intensified. And I can’t say enough about those GM guys; they were great and they knew every corner of those badass hot rods.” At the factory, Dave learned that the car was built with NHRA input so that it met all of the association’s rules for their Stock and Super Stock classes, as is. While you do not need to add much aftermarket equipment yourself, the COPO does use some for its build. Holley supplies the naturally aspirated hi-rise manifold and the injection system is a Melfi 5 system. ATI takes care of of the harmonic balancer, transmission and converter. The rear-end gears, which are 4.29:1, and the axles are from Strange Engineering. While the chassis is factory designed, it’s actually built at Turnkey Automotive, and the front and rear suspension is also Strange Engineering. The trunk is loaded with aftermarket stuff; a factory designed fuel cell and placement of the car’s battery. Bridgewater also added an additional battery and extra weight in a weight box weighing in at 100 pounds, including the weight of the box itself.

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The naturally aspirated 427 Chevrolet engine may have the displacement numbers of the early 427, but that is where the similarities end. This beast is all high tech horsepower and took the 2012 COPO to mid 9-second quarter-mile elapsed times right out of the box!

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Call them Supercars, factory race cars, or COPO cars. The COPO, “Central Office Production Order” in the 1960’s was a way for customers to order fleet vehicles with special equipment or option combinations from General Motors. Then some dealers thought, why not use it to order special equipment that makes the cars faster? Thereafter, COPO developed into a musclecar buzz word used to describe a specially ordered limited edition high performance Chevy such as the 1969 ZL1 Camaro or 427 Chevelle or Camaro, and now it lives again in the 2012 and 2013 COPO Camaros. Below, the COPO trunk is filled with the fuel cell, batteries and custom weight box.

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When their business was done, a Reliable Automotive Transportation truck arrived, and in the trailer the car went for its trip to California. Because of delays in delivering the car, Dave drove to Phoenix and took possession of the car himself on December 30, 2012. Once back in his shop, Paul Cannan, Bridgewater’s crew chief, tuner, engine builder, driver and one of Dave’s best friends on the team, immediately began working on the car. He installed a 2-step ignition, weight bars and the weight box built by Phil Mandella at PMR Race Cars in Rancho Cuccomonga, California. After scaling the car for CC/ SA, setting the ride heights and changing springs, they were ready for testing before the Winternationals. As long as you stay within the limits of the NHRA class you are running, you can massage the driveline with a new cam, transmission or anything else you feel provides an advantage. Wanting to test the car prior to the Winternationals, Dave and his team traveled to Bakersfield where Bridgewater’s first pass on the car was a 9.81 at 142 mph! Running the same weight on the next pass, Dave went a 9.79. After pulling some weight for the third pass, he ran a 9.64 and then a 9.62! He could not have been happier as he felt ready for the Winternationals. At the Winternationals, the car was consistent and easy to dial-in but as it turned out, Dave’s driving skills in this quicker class needed some improvement as shown by his 2nd round loss. At the Division 7 race in Phoenix, they changed the Powerglide out for a Scott McClay Metric and picked the 60’ time up from 1.42 to

Wheels-up launches from a factory prepared race car that runs mid 9’s in the quarter... you gotta love it!

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As the General Motors Official Press stated, “The COPO Camaro is designed to NHRA racing specifications including a solid axle and a full chrome moly roll cage. Inside, most of the standard sound deadening and power accessories have been deleted in order to optimize weight for NHRA racing. Also included is a pair of racing bucket seats (no rear seat), a safety harness for the driver, a competition floor shifter and Chevrolet Performance gauges.” The COPO’s large array of racing gauges, custom switch panel and Hurst shifter are all ready to take on the dragstrip!

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1.28. Not only was the car now leaving better, but it was rotating, too. With this better performance, the team traveled to the SummitRacing.com Nationals in Las Vegas where they won the CC/SA trophy and went 5 rounds in the eliminator. “Still all over the board with my lights, I got real lucky in a few rounds,” adds Bridgewater, though he was quite pleased overall. While in Las Vegas, Dave took the COPO to Cody Chapman Racing to wake the engine up. On his dyno Cody found almost 50 hp with his spot-on tuning skills. The Mefi 5 system by Bob Radkie that came with the car is awesome but it has no data logging or wide band 02 capabilities so Dave and Paul just listened as Cody and Bob talked. Radkie told us to “just fiddle with it.” The $90,200 Camaro exceeds all of Bridgewater’s expectations, but he explained that what he likes most about the car is that it is a turnkey race car that happens to be serial numbered and factory documented. What he found most exciting is that the car ran 9.60’s at 140 mph right out of the box. What he likes least is that it has no data acquisition capabilities as he could use the information that an acquisition system would provide to save time in finding the right tune-ups.

fore he knew a 2012 would become available. When Meyer asked him if he’d be willing to buy another COPO, Dave told him that he would take a 2013 if the factory guaranteed him the same number “67” production number he’d purchased in 2012. That it would be a deal breaker if he could not obtain the number 67. After some negotiating at the factory, Dave was promised number 67, and in keeping his end of the deal, Bridgewater purchased the 2013 COPO Camaro on the spot.

But wait. There’s more to the story, and it will literally blow your mind!

Excitedly, Dave is looking forward to taking possession of his new car. Especially since Holley is providing the new data acquisition system he has been wanting.

A few weeks after taking delivery of the 2012 Camaro, Dave received another call from Dr. Meyer asking him if he had ordered a 2013 COPO Camaro. Dave responded that he had placed an order for a 2013 edition be-

Now Dave Bridgewater has two COPO Camaros, three race ready 1969 Camaros and a ’69 Pontiac Firebird with a 1999 LS-1 combination. All six of which will be raced regularly, or will be as soon as the new COPO arrives! When I asked who would be driving the “other” COPO, Dave said that he’ll most likely drive both cars; possibly one in Stock and one in Super Stock. Now that’s a full day!

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Super Summit 2013 – A New Era Begins

hat if we gave a party and nobody showed up? This thought ran through Jim Greenleaf’s mind more than once in the weeks leading up to Summit Racing Equipment’s annual show and open house known as Super Summit.

By Brian Wood

He needn’t have worried. By the time the final tally was taken at the end of the two-day performance celebration the numbers were most satisfying: Over 325 vendors, 5,000 visitors and 2,000 show cars proved that the move was the right one. Another prime example of “build it and they will come.”

And Summit’s Motorsports & Events Manager had good reason to spectacle, as the twentieth version of the big show at the company’s home base in Tallmadge, Ohio, was not only expanding to two days for the first time but it was also moving to a new and larger location. Originally conceived as part of the company’s 25th anniversary celebration back in 1993, Super Summit was held for the next 19-years under a huge tent erected in the parking lot of the main Summit retail store in Tallmadge. Enthusiastic response from the company’s dedicated customers, manufacturers, suppliers, racers and motorsports enthusiasts of every description over the years led to company officials finding it necessary to take the show to the much larger venue at Summit County Fairgrounds for 2013.

One of the highlights of the weekend was the appearance of the Summit Racing/Bigfoot monster truck. Driver Dan Runte put the big machine through its high-flying paces, crushing cars flat to the delight of the huge crowd.

Tom Bailey’s unbelievable “Sick Seconds” Camaro (as featured in RPM Nov. 2012) wowed spectators at Super Summit. The beautiful street-driven powerhouse runs in the six-second range at over 200 mph on the track.

To further enhance the experience for all, Summit combined the Super Summit show with another of their annual extravaganzas, known as TruckFest, to present one monster show, all available to the public at no charge. And this is why Greenleaf spent a lot of time wondering if the changes they had made would generate the excitement and participation the show had annually enjoyed.

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”For the first nineteen years Super Summit was a one-day event, but we just ran out of space to do the show justice,” said Greenleaf. “This year we decided to combine Super Summit with our TruckFest event and it worked out great. The show was actually better than we expected it would be. There were a lot of unknowns going into the weekend, but in the end it went really well. We had a large crowd and there were thousands of great cars on display and taking part in our cruise-in.” “In addition, we ended up with over 325 vendors, which made the inside-for-the-first-time manufacturers’ midway a great place to meet with performance industry reps and see the latest offerings from a wide range of top companies. It was a great opportunity to talk tech with some of the best in the business.”

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“The concept of the show had many people commenting that it was a mini-SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show, and it allowed us to bring more of the products and services we offer to a large group of loyal Summit customers. From a market research standpoint, the show benefitted the vendors as they were able to talk with consumers to learn what they were looking for and address any concerns or questions people had about their particular product. It was a valuable learning experience for everyone.” “We sure had lots of things for people to see and do all around the grounds, including a car-crushing display by the Summit Racing/BIGFOOT monster truck, the Team FMX motorcycle stunt team, Summit Racing Power Experience simulator and Rubicon rock-crawling demonstrations. We also had kid’s activities in the Little Cruisers Corner, as well as music, food and prizes.” The vendors on hand had nothing but positive things to say about the new and improved format. “First and foremost, this is an opportunity to bring us together as manufacturers to an event of the type that many people on the street don’t get to attend, such as SEMA and PRI (Performance Racing Industry),” said Mike Downs, General Manager of Trick Flow Specialties. “The way the Super Summit show is arranged and laid out gives people the chance to experience what goes on at the major shows, which are usually open only to industry people. This is a great chance for the everyday speed enthusiast, racer and off-roader, among others, to see the latest product offerings from well over 300 vendors.”

Just one example of the fine hardware on display at Super Summit was this blown Chevy Malibu SS. The 454-powered machine was bad to the bone in its highly polished blue paint accented by chrome, chrome and more chrome. This blown, nine-second ’70 Opal GT is owned by Frank Armon, of Rochester, New York. The machine runs on E85 and Armon and his wife drive the little beauty all over the map when not racing it.

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Super Summit 2013 These are the consumers of our products, after all, the core group of people that we are trying to reach. “ Mike McLaughlin, Technical Consultant for Lunati Cams Inc., was also impressed, saying, “This is a very good show and it seems to be supporting all the vendors in a big way. Summit is very heavily involved in drag racing as well as in a number of other forms of motorsports and we greatly appreciate them for supporting and promoting our products.” Underscoring McLaughlin’s comment that Summit Racing Equipment is heavily involved in drag racing is the fact that the company supports and sponsors a number of sanctioning bodies and racers, including the NHRA Summit Racing Series, the IHRA Summit SuperSeries, the NMCA/PRO Series and NMRA. In addition, Summit sponsors three NHRA national events and many professional NHRA/IHRA race teams. They also offer contingency money to racers in the IHRA, NHRA, NMRA, NMCA/PRO, Pro Pulling League, and SCCA. To top it off, one of the finest drag racing facilities in the country bears the company’s name. Summit Motorsports Park, Norwalk, Ohio, hosts one of the aforementioned major NHRA national events every Fourth of July weekend. “This is the first time I have attended Super Summit and I’m very impressed,” said Bill Bader Jr., President of Summit Motorsports Park. “They moved the show this year because they had outgrown their retail location in Tallmadge. I have to say that in the event business it’s always risky when you move to a different venue or change dates. It’s just like starting over, an inaugural of sorts.”

Dick Bahnick’s Ruby Red 514 Ford powered 1966 Fairlane has air conditioning, power windows and seats and a whole lot of get up and go! Left: At the height of the show it was wall-to-wall people, with vendors and visitors alike enjoying the opportunity to meet and talk shop.

“From what I see here the move was very successful, and now they have established a baseline for future shows. I believe that within three years this will be a monster show.” “Obviously Summit Racing Equipment has been an invaluable partner to the Bader family,” Bader said. “We have worked with the company for thirty

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Photo Courtesy Bob Bugaj/Summit Racing

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years, and in 2006 when we announced the move to the National Hot Rod Association it was the naming rights deal with Summit Racing Equipment that allowed us to financially be able to spend the dollars necessary to become part of the NHRA.” “Clearly Summit’s importance to the Bader family is immeasurable, but perhaps even more important than that is the fact that they do a tremendous job for the performance industry as a whole. We are thrilled to be a part of the Summit family.” Brian Downard, V.P. of Sales and Marketing for Lokar Inc., added his voice to so many others by saying “I believe the new venue is going to be really good for Summit and the future of the show. I think they’ll have some growing pains, but eventually they’ll get through it.” “They are just so good to all of us. I mean the way they treat everyone from the vendors and other participants, not to mention the public, from the time you get to the show until the time you leave is just amazing.” “For the people in this area to have a show like this in their own back yard is just phenomenal. To be able to get in for free and look at everything and do everything for two full days is just unheard of.” So Jim Greenleaf and the hard-working crew at Summit Racing Equipment had no need to worry. The move was a successful one, the changes wellreceived and well-implemented, and Super Summit is now on the fast-track to the future. For racers, customizers, engine builders, off-roaders, and just about anyone else involved in or just simply in love with quality and performance, that future is bright indeed. Top: This car, owned by Lyn Smith, of Akron, Ohio, was featured on the cover of the first Summit Racing Equipment catalog in 1968. The T-bucket ran competitively in A/Street Roadster, and won the All American Nationals at Bristol in the mid-1970s. Lower: Pro Stock competitor Pete Berner had his beautiful Camaro race machine on view. He runs in the Extreme Pro Stock division with ADRL.

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Story Tony Weber Photos by Tony Weber

& Logan Weber

Living An Adventure

ften times at sports events you meet people who seem to grab your attention, and you want to learn more about them. They are the ones without all the fanfare and hoopla, and are obviously there for the sheer love of the sport. And after years of watching them, speaking only in passing or casual conversation, you finally take the time to sit down and chat, only to discover some of the most sincere and down to earth folks you would ever meet. But what really captivated us with this drag racing duo is the level of passion not only for their racing, but for each other. So is racing the only bond between Ronnie “Boo” Baxley and his beautiful bride Lynne Milner Baxley? Don’t count on it.

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Since the extremely young age of two weeks old, Lynne has been attending drag races across the Country. “My mother took me to US19 Dragway in Albany, Georgia,” Lynne remembers. To say that the world of motorsports was in her blood would be a tremendous understatement, being the only child of the legendary Ellis Milner. “Mom went with my Daddy all the time before I was born, so she was accustomed to being at the track.” With a racing career that began in 1957, those that know him say he has been a motorhead since the day he was born. No time for hunting, fishing or anything else, the only passion he had was cars, taking a backseat only to the love and adoration for his faithful bride who

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will forever be remembered as “Miss Becky”. For several years the A-Gas, Ultra Stock (which became Pro Stock) and Pro Modified classes were far from safe when “Big Daddy” Milner’s Beretta pulled through the gates. In fact, Ellis was one of the founding members of one of the Southeast’s most memorable organizations The Dixie Pro Mods. After a few years of service in the United States Military and retiring from Georgia Power, Ellis knew he couldn’t stay in the pilot seat forever. So it was only natural to turn the reigns over to his daughter. “My first car was that same Beretta with a 500 cubic inch motor when I began driving in 1997 after Dad decided he just didn’t want to drive anymore,” Lynne says. “While I was learning to drive, the ’57 Bel Air was built and Dan Parker was brought in by Dad to teach me how to drive. Our ’57 was the first Pro Mod that Dan drove.” Truth be known, Dan was more of a tester for Ellis, whenever they decided to turn up the wick Ellis would send Parker down the track first before allowing Lynne to get behind the wheel. “I felt kind of bad about that,” Lynne says with a smile. “But Dan didn’t mind, he just jumped in and sped down the track.” Being one of the original ladies in the racing world, Lynne says she has never really had any issues with being a female from any of the guys. “I have had a couple sideways glances from some of the men, but I think that only makes them step up their game,” Lynne states. “No one comes to the track with the intention of losing but to lose to a girl only makes it that much worse to some guys. So I know when I face other drivers I always get their A Game.” Even though there are numerous ladies in the sport today, a lot of them are not as accessible as Lynne is, and anyone who watches her pits will have no problem noticing all the traffic she gets from girls of all ages who are fascinated and impressed with the fact that Lynne is out there battling the guys the way she does.

Lynne purges the nitrous after a monster burnout. Below: There are no lace and frills in this pilots seat. Not too many ladies have it in them to sit so close to a Lenco 4 Speed transmission, but then again Lynne is a special breed of woman.

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When not in the lanes, Lynne is an Electronic Fingerprint Technician for the State of Georgia’s Department of Human Services, an agency she has been a part of for several years. Lynne admits she isn’t very involved in any of the technical aspects of the car, which stays at her father’s house, but she does try to help her husband with his car on occasion. “When my mother passed away in 2009 it was really hard,” an emotional Milner explained. “She was my biggest fan and when we lost her I didn’t care one bit about racing anymore. I felt bad because I encouraged Boo to get involved and then just jumped ship. Through all of that he stuck beside me and never faltered.” Anyone who ever met Miss Becky never forgot her, she was one of those women who just left an everlasting impression on your heart and soul. If becoming a race car driver and following in daddy’s footsteps seems like a storybook situation, Lynne and Boo’s relationship is no less captivating. “We were friends for years and even dated a bit when we were younger,” Lynne explains. “But we grew apart and went our separate ways, each of us got married and got divorced, but there was always that little spark whenever we were around each other.” When Lynne won her first race in May of 1998 Boo called her to congratulate her, neither one of them realizing that a few short years later she would be congratulating him on his first win and they would eventually be sharing their lives together. In 2003 they began to talk again and after about three years the two star crossed lovers made the ultimate deci-

Dixie Pro Mod competition is some of the tightest nitrous racing you will find across the Country. Here Lynne squares off against Norman Thomas in eliminations. Below: While Lynne was happy with her first motor, a 500 cubic inch big block, the 738 that currently resides under the hood has taken her places faster than the “little guy” ever could, exceeding speeds of over 200mph.

While Lynne scalds the Goodyears her number one fan and never to be forgotten mother Miss Becky prepares to help guide her back to the beams. It has taken a while to get over the passing of Miss Becky but there is no doubt she is there in spirit watching over each and every one of her daughter’s passes.

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sion to do what they probably should have done years before, they tied the knot. “We are truly in love,” Lynne smiles. “We share the same strong faith as Christians, and we share the same passion for racing. We are as compatible as a couple can be, and we are only ever adversaries for about 4 seconds at a time.” They both expect nothing but the absolute best from each other if and when they do find themselves squaring off in the lanes. “He has more wins than I do, after I beat up on him a bit in the beginning,” Lynne says with a grin. “But, I always make sure to remind him that I have still gone faster than him, so it all works out.” Longtime friend Quain Stott once told Lynne she was one of the first women to have an IHRA Pro Modified license, which is something that Lynne feels is a significant accomplishment. “I got my license at Silver Dollar in Georgia, where I also ran my first 200 mile per hour pass,” Lynne remembered. Both she and Boo also maintain an NHRA Advanced ET license, which is required at some Pro Mod events. Without the deep pockets required in racing with the larger organizations, this team realizes they have found their niche in the smaller Outlaw style events. “This is our family,” Milner says quietly. “Everybody doesn’t have this opportunity, and I am thankful that I have the chance to do something like this. We plan on doing this as long as Daddy wants to continue coming, it’s that important to him.” If Lynne ever deThe Milner Baxley team from left to right: Donnie Milner, Ellis Milner, Lynne Baxter Milner, Boo Baxley, Mike Shackette and Jeff Shackette. Built by Lil Art’s Race Cars and with the paint work now completed, Boo’s nitrous injected ‘68 has become one of the more sleek machines at the track. And with untold hours of sweat and determination wrapped up in it, Boo has every reason to be proud of his musclecar.

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cides to hang up her racing boots, the racing world will have lost one of the classiest members they have ever had. As much fun as it would be to work in a way to make this a Lady and the Tramp or Beauty and the Beast situation, that would only give Mr. Boo Baxley an unfair description. One of the most sincere and dedicated men around, Baxley is politely outspoken and firm in his beliefs while maintaining a humble spirit. Until he gets out onto the drag strip that is. Then you have a very competitive warrior on your hands. “My Daddy raced a ’55 Chevrolet way back in the day,” Boo explains when questioned about his heritage. “He always fooled around with cars and I can remember going to the dirt track races every weekend when I was really young.” The desire to race was always there and going to high school with Roger Elliott’s daughters led Boo to go with him to the drag races. Boo drove the truck, pulled nitrous bottles and did everything that Roger didn’t do in order to get the car ready to race. One of the first things you notice about Boo is his ability to be precise. Despite the dreams of running race cars up and down the track, there were priorities that Boo had set that must be met first. Building a house, a shop and making sure all the necessities were taken care of took the front seat. Starting out with an open trailer and a dually, then wheeling and dealing, Boo soon found himself the owner of an enclosed trailer for his ’68 Camaro, a car that would run 6.10’s pretty consistently before he got a dragster. “That’s something you just don’t do around this Milner bunch,” Baxley says with a laugh. After a little while someone wanted that dragster more than he did so next thing you know the rail The Ellis Milner built 780 cubic inch monster that powers the Camaro is topped by a custom sheet metal intake and four of Pro Systems’ split Dominator style carburetors.

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was history and the Camaro came back out. “It’s sort of embarrassing though when your car runs so much slower than your wife’s does,” Boo joked. “Art, who owns Lil Art’s Race Cars made me a really good deal on my ’68 Pro Mod and when he first built it we put a 600 cubic inch motor in it with a Powerglide transmission that my wife talked me into selling and replacing with a Lenco.” After the 600, Boo bought a bigger 706 that saw competition for about a year before settling on the 780 behemoth that currently resides under the hood. To say he is a born salesman is an understatement for sure. After 28 years as a route salesman for a propane company, Baxley and his father decided they would go into business for themselves doing whatever needed to be done ranging from lot clearing to septic tank installation, residential electrical wiring to laying driveways. Good honest hard work that builds men. After watching Lynne get emotional while speaking about her mother, it was completely unexpected when Boo did the same thing when speaking about Lynne. “I wasn’t a good guy,” Boo said quietly. “I didn’t want to take her down the wrong road, but now that I am a Christian she has been so good for me. She makes me such a better person, just like her mother did.” Don’t be mistaken, the competitiveness between them certainly never fails to rear it’s head. “She is my wife and I love her, but when she gets on that starting line I am going to wear her out,” laughs Boo. “But I know she is over there doing the same thing.” The difference is they know they can’t go out and burn up what they work so hard for, so they do recognize their

Even though Boo is far from boisterous about his hot rod, he maintains it at the highest level as evidenced by the shape of the Lil Art built rear-end and 4-link rear suspension. Below: Nothing fancy about this cockpit, it is a working man’s environment with no bells and whistles. Simply the important components needed to go from point A to point B as fast and safely as possible.

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limitations. To these two though, drag racing is about who gets to the finish line first, as long as it’s safe. While driving is fun, Boo really finds enjoyment in the tuning side of the car. Getting the car from point A to point B in the quickest way possible fascinates him and has become a tremendous passion for him. Whatever he is doing seems to be working as he won the Dixie Pro Mod Championship in 2011, which was only made sweeter by the fact that Lynne won it the following year in 2012! Right now, Boo is more than happy to learn everything that Ellis is willing to teach him which is more than you could ever get from any school. The future is not set in stone for the Baxleys though, being a team on a budget they have to pick their races wisely. Add to that the fact that they are nitrous racers with no intentions of turning to blowers or turbos, they know what they are up against when they show up to face some of those teams. They enjoy racing but they don’t see the sense in tearing up parts and spending money not in the budget just to keep up with the blown or turbocharged teams. “We are going to continue to do what we do the way we do it until it just doesn’t make us happy anymore,” Boo explains.

Lynne’s popularity is strong but at the Dothan Dragway in Cottonwood, Alabama she is a loved legend. And she never fails to please the crowd with one of her long smokey burnouts. Below: When Lynne is not behind the wheel of her own car, she is on the line helping her best friend. Here, Lynne helps as Boo prepares to make a test pass after working through some problems. The name Slim on the hood scoop is very special to Boo, as it was the affectionate name he referred to his late mother-in-law Miss Becky by. “Slim” was very instrumental in not only getting Boo back on the track but he still remembers when she looked him in the eye and told him “One day you will go faster than you believe”.

One thing that is without doubt, if you run across Ellis Milner and the Baxley’s at a track you will have run across some of the most genuine people in the world. Their passion, their dedication and most of all their love for each other is contagious. They may not consider themselves role models, but their legions of fans see them in a different light. We hope that Ellis never loses his love for the sport, as that would leave this team without its driving force, and Boo and Lynne Baxley without a mentor, father and friend.

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GREEN MACHINE

RPM PROJECT

GREEN MACHINE

PART V

Fuel, Nitrous & Control Story & Photos By Brian Hansen Additional photos by Manufacturers

Project Green Machine’s Weldon Fuel System, Leash Electronics Progressive Nitrous Controller & Nitrous Supply Solenoids

Since our last instalment of Project Green Machine we’ve switched gears while the exhaust system is being finished up and began installing the Weldon fuel system and one of Leash Electronics’ brand new Progressive Nitrous Controllers. Knowing that it would take lots of fuel to feed our 489ci Big Block Brawler we installed a Weldon DB20235-A fuel pump and Weldon fuel regulators to provide consistent fuel to the Pro Systems SV1 carburetor and Nitrous Supply Annular-Discharge Nitrous Plate system. The Weldon DB2035-A fuel pump is designed for engines producing upwards of 1800hp and is rated at 180-210 GPH/0-8o PSI so we know that it’ll provide plenty of fuel for our combination. The Billet Aluminum body contains 100% metallic internal components (no plastic or composite materials are used) and it’s designed to be rebuildable for long service life.

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9:20 @ 145 mph 2010 Ford Mustang, driven by Gary Richard

ZZZ FURZHU FRP phone: (619) 661-6477 fax: (619) 661-6466

GREEN MACHINE

Full size Chevy’s like our 1966 Bel Air certainly have a lot of trunk space! Even with two NS 15lb nitrous bottles, the Weldon D2035-A fuel pump, Weldon fuel pump controller, fuel cell and battery there is still room to spare. Holding the two 15lb nitrous bottles in place is one of Smith Racecraft’s dual bottle lay-down style brackets. To replace the original plastic cap on our fuel cell we chose Philadelphia Racing Products’ (PRP) new billet cap and bung assembly. With it’s O-ring seal design this is a must-have for any racer using a fuel cell The Weldon Controller: One of the problems with running an ultra-high flow fuel pump on the street is that it’s always running at 100% flow capacity. Not only is this hard on the fuel pump but it also causes the fuel to heat up and creates additional noise that can be rather aggravating on long trips . Weldon has come up with a great solution for street and strip applications with its 14000 Fuel Pump Controller. Designed for EFI and carbureted applications like our Big Block Brawler. This controller allows the user to adjust the volume of fuel flowing through the system while maintaining preset fuel pressure. A simple turn of the control knob that is supplied with the controller and it’s possible to switch between “street” and “race” settings. No tools needed! We chose Weldon’s A2046 4-Port Blocking Regulators to control fuel pressure to the solenoids of our nitrous system and the Pro Systems SV1 carburetor. These high flowing regulators feature a knurled knob that allows for precise control of fuel pressure by simply turning it clockwise or counterclockwise.

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GREEN MACHINE During dyno testing of the Big Block Brawler the Nitrous Supply Annular Discharge Plate produced a staggering 509hp above the 671hp that 489ci big block Chevy produced on nuts-nbolts. Harnessing the 1180hp, and 1069 ft lbs of torque will be tricky on 10” tires, so we’ll be installing one of Leash Electronics new N2O Single Stage Progressive Controllers. What really sold us on this new design is that it’s extremely easy to program, wire, and has a large LCD display screen that’s easily readable. Nitrous percentages are programmable from 0-100% and 1-3 programmable ramps can be used sequentially. This is one trick piece! Right: Since we’ve decided to control the Brawler’s power using Leash Electronics new Progressive Nitrous Controller that pulses the solenoids, we had Mike Thermos at Nitrous Supply update them with “pinned” Teflon plungers.

What’s Next? In our next installment of Project Green Machine we’ll have that killer exhaust system completed and give you a peek at what we’ve done with the interior of this beast. An array of gauges are currently being installed so that we can keep tabs on our 489 Brawler. Stay tuned because we’re getting really close to firing up this superbad street machine and getting a few street miles under our belt! Sources: Leash Electronics Phone (501) 515-1693 www.leashelectronics.com

Nitrous Supply Phone: (714) 373-1986 www.nitroussuply.com

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Philadelphia Racing Products Phone: (215) 969-3550 www.prpracingproducts.com

Smith Racecraft Phone: (214) 330-0660 www.srdparts.com

Weldon High Performance Weldon Pump Phone: (440) 232-2282 www.weldonracing.com

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Trick Flow Specialties Engine and Fuel Delivery Components Deliver the Power You Need to Get Ahead on the Street and on the Track. Trick Flow produces engine parts for GM LS and LT1, small and big block Chevrolet and Ford, Ford 4.6L/5.4L modular, and Ford Cleveland series engines.

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Story & Photos by Mark

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E R A S â&#x20AC;&#x2122; E F L O THE W

Rises ix n e o h P e h As T

R O O D E H T AT

...And There’s Not Much The Competition Can Do To Keep Them Away From It! We all remember the Firebird decals and emblems that portray the “Phoenix”, which legends describe as a “Fire Spirit, or mythical bird that rises and recreates itself when its body gets old, brings good fortune and lives forever in cycles”. The Wolfe Racing Firebird story is similar to that of rising and recreating itself since being under their ownership from 2007. It’s risen and recycled itself into a Pro Modified over the years capable of its best quarter-mile ET to date 5.915 @ 238mph as of this writing in the Northeast Outlaw Pro Modified Association Series known as NEOPMA. As you will see, it was a long and winding road to get to this point in the rise of the Wolfe Racing Phoenix. The Firebird was a state of the art 2002 Jerry Bickel Nitrous Pro Street car running several seasons before being found for Dwayne Wolfe and his brother Matt Wolfe through none other than Camp Stanley. The Wolfe brothers witnessed the car moving around the country at major events such as Vegas and Orlando but it was now listed on the “Racing Junk” website looking for a new home. After Camp assured them it was a good solid car, they purchased it as a rolling chassis that was set up for a nitrous oxide combination.... and the rise begins. RPM Magazine, THE Voice Of Fast Cars WORLDWIDE

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Screaming burnouts are part of the Pro Modified experience, and at any show that you see the Wolfe Racing team at you will witness them explode across the starting line billowing clouds of smoke from the burning rubber. Above right: On a whim the team took the ride up to the Shakedown at E Town and pulled off an upset runner-up finish against huge racing names like Scott Cannon.

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The Wolfe(s) Dwayne Wolfe, driver and co-owner, is a mechanic by trade and owner of a complete family owned (for 35 years) automotive business in Moorefield, West Virginia “Wolfe’s Garage”. Wolfe’s offers all major and minor repairs from simple maintenance to major fabrication. Dwayne, like many others, was brought up with a hot rod on the street and progressed to running 1/8th-mile Quick 8 drag race events. From age 16 his ride was a 1972 Chevelle with a stick shift and blown big block (now that is a stout first car!). Matt Wolfe lives about three hours away from his brother in West Virginia and is a highly skilled Electrical Engineer, employed by the Luna Corporation in Blacksburg, Virginia. Matt inserts himself into the team with his knowl-

edge that is well beyond that of a basic hot rodder upbringing. Matt also maintains the www.wolferacingllc.com website and their Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ WolfeRacingPM), so stop in and “LIKE” what you see. Both brothers, along with the rest of team, possess that smooth Virginia accent which goes a long way as they are the consummate southern gentlemen of the race track. Quiet when they want to be and in general portray the “good ole southern hospitality” from their coal country upbringing close to the Appalachia Mountains. The team fabricates almost everything they can, including their own hauler, a converted Kenworth with a Cat diesel and custom sleeper box completely “done” inside and out,

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(I call it “Big Mean Red”). Because Matt is located three hours from Dwayne his race day starts early with no less than five hours of driving to and from, so it’s a long weekend for this team once they commit to racing in a series like the Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association, which concentrates mainly in the North and MidAtlantic states.

The Rising The car was converted over to a blower set-up, which saw the brothers racing the local Quick 8’s. They did well but wanted more, and things began to move a little quicker with the introduction of a Mike Janis 481X engine and blower drive. But the point in time that will forever change the Wolfe’s racing destiny was the 2009 Shakedown At E’Town. That weekend, on

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Above: The morning set up at Capitol Raceway and the team has the car ready fast, not much is needed on race day by this group. Right: An up close look at the mighty HEMI as it sits in the car with the huge MSD Pro Mag 44 magneto sitting up front to deliver the spark needed to wake the monster. Dwayne Wofle in between rounds replaces a broken valve spring in the Hemi cylinder head.

a whim, and because their local race was rained out, they got together and decided to take a shot at this long time popular event. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What could we lose,â&#x20AC;? the team thought. Well losing was not an option! They qualified number three with a 4.130 @ 175.48, going rounds and taking out Scott Cannon in the first round, Mike Stawicki in the second and finishing the night as runner up to Mike Janis. Not a bad start for this off the cuff decision. The team decided after their strong performance that it was time to step up and get themselves more power. Mike Janis himself helped them decide that it was time, as there was no more power left to pull out of their 481X to stay competitive. Staying budget minded, they went back to Janis. Keep in mind that this team has absolutely no sponsors, not for

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spark plugs, or even oil, so they have to keep an eye on their wallets. They get to the races for the fans, but they do it on their own dime right now and they are very open to discussing sponsor opportunities.

The Firebird The new power between the rails of the Firebird is a Janis custom 526 cubic inch CN

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Inside the Firebird is as clean as they come. Dwayne uses the Racepak dash to monitor systems and record data and is surrounded and protected by a 25.1E certified chassis, meaning the car can go quicker than 7.49 in the 1/4-mile and 4.49 in the 1/8th, provided it weighs less than 2,800lbs.

Nitrous solenoids and controller on a blown Pro Mod? Of course, since Matt Wolfe is an electrical engineer. The system is programmed with the fuel tune-up needed for the specific track and conditions before a pass is made. After that the solenoids control rate and flow into the injector hat. The driver has no control of this application once it leaves the line.

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billet block Hemi “wide block”. Why “wide block”? The designation is simply the amount of clearance inside the block which provides for less damage should something go wrong… yep, it’s that simple. Getting back to the engine. It’s a 4.125-inch stroke and 4.500 bore spinning a Bryant crank wrapped in Clevite bearings. GRP rods swing the Diamond pistons and Total Seal gapless rings keep oil and pressure in the cylinders. A Dailey Engineering pump pushes 16 quarts of “70 yr. old friend recommended” (Yes there is a story behind this also) Kendall Nitro 70 oil through the motor at 82-85 PSI. A Jan-Cen pan and diaper contain this blend during its 238+ passes. The gear drive actuates the “secret Janis grind cam” (which was where they found some impressive power above the original cam), which pushes the .904 Motorsports Unlimited lifters through the Manton pushrods to a T&D Machine rocker and shaft assembly. The Manley valves are set inside the Brad 6 standard Janis massaged billet CNC heads with pressure provided by Pac valve springs. On top sits a custom aluminum intake with a 16-71 Kobelco cast case, again with “all Janis inside of it”, running at 15% overdrive (I was a bit surprised at this since they are allowed to run 29.99% in the NEOPMA series). A Taylor restraint system keeps any woeful blower explosions in check. The JBR carbon fiber four “Square” blade injector hat was also fitted and massaged by Janis to accept four gallons of VP Alcohol into the system per run from a “Little Bertha” Waterman mechanical pump. The fuel injection is maintained by, wait for it,

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The trunk shows the lone 16volt battery, but also you can see the “steel” quarter panels and stock taillights still intact. Right: With valve covers removed, the team is shown working on the Firebird in the pits between rounds of qualifying which resulted in a number two qualifier at MIR. In any motorsport it is the teams that work the hardest that have any sort of shot at overcoming the big budget teams, simply because their program is so tight. They don’t have the finances, the number of crew members, or as much of the high tech equipment, but they have a synergy that gets results.

nitrous solenoids and a Nitrous Controller… wait a minute, nitrous equipment on a blower car? Seems there are four nitrous solenoids in the front with a controller inside that maintains the fuel system with a MSD power grid, so no CO2 is involved. I did mention that Matt Wolfe is an Electrical Engineer right? Well there you have it. The mix is finally fired through an MSD 44 mag to the MSD wires and through the NGK plugs where it exits in a stream of extreme heat through a set of headers custom made by Dwayne Wolfe. All the vital signs are collected through the Racepak dash and Data Logger which Dwayne Wolfe is watching from his seat inside the

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Firebird. The interior is tight but well laid out. The team will be installing an ISP pour-in seat soon but right now its standard 2002 original carbon fiber seating inside the 25.1E chassis with Funny Car cage. Dwayne uses DJ Safety for his suit and Impact Racing for his helmet with a Grant steering wheel. Beside him sits a Lenco “Quick Drive CS2” 3spd trans with a Neal Chance bolt-together converter, which is surrounded by an aluminum Pro Bell bellhousing. Shifting is done via air pods and the team praise the PST “Precision Shaft Technology” carbon fiber driveshaft for its three years of heavy use without a problem under this much power.

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As Dwayne Wolfe launches the Firebird his focus is always intense. Now, the throttle blades are wide open and it is go time! With his head slightly tilted down, he is seen in every run with this lasered-look on the real estate ahead of him. A good racer has a “mental game” for every pass that cannot be broken.

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What makes this car “different” than most others of today is just about as old school as it gets. The Firebird is still what some would call more of a “Pro Street” car in a way, and it is heavy enough after some upgrades that no weight bars can be used or it would be extremely heavy, making chassis tuning very difficult. The body is a mix of carbon fiber and get this, steel and fiberglass. Not the usual super light carbon fiber either, the doors, front end and roof are early era laminates which turn out to be quite heavy, layered panels. The front end is from Hairy Glass, the doors are the originals, and the kicker is, the rear quarters are factory steel with a heavy glass rear bumper, factory taillights (working) and an aluminum wing. Under the carbon fiber trunk lid sits a lone 16 volt Lithium Pro battery. The car weighs well over the 2,600lb minimum for the class and although the team would love to see it lighter, they feel a new body and chassis would fare better. The rear end is supported by Koni coil-overs mated to the Fab 9 1/2 sheet metal rear that houses a Strange center section, 4.56 gears, Mark Williams axles and floaters. Hoosier 34.5 X 17 X 16’s are bead-locked onto the Weld Magnum Pro rear wheels, with 110” wheelie bars keeping this bird from flying to high. Up front are Strange struts and Weld Racing Alumistar II’s on Hoosier 15 X 3 1/2 tires. Above,John “JR” Hill gets ready to start the motor, with a flick of the blades the alcohol is poured in, the blades close and it comes to life in a blast of power. Lower: The team is almost robotic; all have their duties to set the car straight at the starting line through communications and hand signals. CONTINUED ON PAGE 64

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The heart of this “Phoenix”, the crew, from left to right: Big John “JR” Hill, Jay Shockey, Co Owner / Driver Dwayne Wolfe and Co Owner Matt Wolfe.

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Rounding out this winning combination is Jay Shockey as Tuner, left side maintenance and final check of the valves. John Hill, “JR”, the big man who works the right side maintenance and is also the line man along with Matt Wolfe when it’s time to stage for a run.

The Ride

The car, as heavy as it is, launches hard with .987-second 60-foot times being the norm for this brute! Lower: Pulling the chutes in front of the crowd after a 5-second run at 230+mph, the body distortion of the front-end shows the wind force at this high rate of speed.

If you were in the car with Dwayne Wolfe on a 5-second, necksnapping quarter-mile run what would happen? First, Dwayne is double checked as “JR” Hill straps him in tight, rides him through the box to boil the hides, guides a quick back up, adjusts the wheelie bars and stages him at the line. Dwayne has an intense focus as he mashes the throttle on the two-step, around 4,200 to 4,800RPM. Letting it loose from the brake it’s out on the bars with Dwayne’s impressive range of .020 to .040 reaction times. The Firebird goes through the gears at around 9,400rpm and is in high gear by 600ft, picking up another 45-48mph in the back half of the quarter-mile and cleaning the track of all debris with a screaming 9,600 to 10,000rpm through the traps. The car is pulled down from 235+mph speed’s with chutes and brakes after an average of 3g’s pushing you into the seat through the length of the run. Congratulations, you have just run between 5.90 to 6.10 seconds in the quarter-mile! For 2013, the team had been 3rd in points with great qualifying and runner up positions until the last two races of the series. First, a total destruction of a Lenco sprag ended their run on the starting line, and at the most recent event a broken valve ended their day. With five more dates left in the Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Series they can fight their back, it won’t be easy, but then again nothing worthwhile ever is!

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HOT ROD HONDA Carey Bales, with his 4 cylinder turbocharged Honda S2000, slams down records once reserved for North American machines only. Yeah, it is a tough pill for us musclecar guys to swallow, but you gotta agree, this thing is badass! Story & Photos by

Tim Lewis

ngines in factory cars are getting smaller, making more power and getting better fuel mileage. Even just ten years ago that may have seemed next to impossible, but it is happening today, so it is no surprise that building up these new style engines has become the latest hot ticket in the world of fast cars. Every year the Big 3 auto makers try to one-up each other in the horsepower department, but in the last few years the overseas auto makers have joined in on the horsepower wars with cars like the Nissan GTR, Lexus LFA and don’t forget our Deutschland friends with the horsepower coming from the German hot rodders. The Chevrolet LS based engines may very well be the most popular of the “new breed” of American power, but the new Ford 5.0 has really taken off as well, producing more horsepower and torque out of the box than its big brother predecessor, the 5.4L. When it comes to making a small cubic inch screamer though, Carey Carey Bales, Jason Bales and Thomas Bemis

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Bales of Lebanon, IN may have the coolest of them all, even if some of the diehard musclecar guys don’t like to admit it. Carey, a home & mobile electronics business owner, and his 2004 Honda “yes Honda” S2000 have become one of the most talked about cars on the net as of late, and for good reason. Ask any NHRA Super Stock racer and they will tell you that a little 4cyl has taken the record away from the big block American muscle! It ran 7.92 @ 174mph to become the quickest and fastest pass ever in Super Stock history! Ouch! That hurt!! And the Super Stock class is no push over either! It is home to lots of R&D and pound for pound some of the most impressive combos in all of drag racing.

This is unbelievable! The 2.2 litre Honda engine (which came factory in the car) is something you would see under the hood of a stock S2000. Besides the turbocharger and intake that is.

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What made Carey choose a Honda? “Well I wasn’t really into racing at all out of school,” he explains. “I was more into car electronics, stereos, wheels, and appearance. My street car at the time was a 1994 4 door Honda Accord, and honestly, I just took it to a shop to get it lowered after I put some wheels on it. The owner of the shop worked primarily on imports and had

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The 80mm Borg Warner turbocharger fits under the stock hood and looks great. No inlet hole in the front-end makes for a cleaner look. Right - Working on the clutch between rounds. Removing the dash makes access to the G-Force GF2000 trans and setting up the East West 8" clutch a much easier job.

a shop Civic that he was playing around with. He also had a 9second ‘69 Chevelle that he had raced for a long time. He took me out to the local test and tune one weekend, and after one pass down the track in my then 17-second car, I was hooked. Then one thing led to another, and the Accord, which I daily drove, ended up with nitrous, a turbo kit and a built engine. By 1998 that car was a 12-second car, and led to me building the Hot Rod Honda. The reason I have stuck with Hondas is because it’s what I’m familiar with and how I got my start.”

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What sort of voodoo hardware does it take to make the worlds quickest and fastest Super Stocker stand up to fight the big blocks and Hemi’s? Starting with a 2.2 liter Honda F22 4 cylinder, Jeremy Allen and the crew at Inline Pro in Fairfax, VA got to work building the wicked warrior into what it is today. An 80mm bore and a stroke of 90.7mm were used with a stock crankshaft. Inline Pro rods were used as well as pistons from CD. Now comes the cool part. The cylinder head is factory Honda! A stock head and factory flow

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numbers. Allen came up with the camshaft specs to use for the job at hand and a Kinsler intake was bolted on. Now it’s time for some boost, and an 80mm Borg Warner billet turbo spools up to make the power needed to run in the 7’s! Full-Race built the custom header and AEM supplies the electronics. For a transmission, the stock unit was not going to cut it with the type of power and numbers Carey was looking to run, so a G Force GF-2000 clutchless 5 speed and dual 8-inch East/ West clutch was installed. Coming to the back of the car a “hybrid”, as Carey calls it, was put together along with a 4.30 ratio gear set. Strange 35-spline axles help get the power to the ground. Advanced Chassis got to work on a full 25.5 certified chassis and MR2 Performance did the rear suspension and made a custom built bolt-in 4-link suspension. No cut-up hacked together so called “stock suspension”, like a lot of the Radial cars have these days. This is a true bolt-in deal and it gets the job done very well.

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A very well done 25.5 spec cage and wood grain wheel make this a tidy race car interior. The amount of factory equipment inside just adds to the appeal, but the shifter is a dead giveaway that this Honda means to take care of some serious business.

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The Honda tips the scales weighing in at 2,650 pounds with driver. There are plenty of V8 cars at this weight, and even lighter, that just donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go as quick! Sorry, but that is the truth, and sometimes the truth hurts. Mickey Thompson 26x10â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s or Hoosier 26x8.5â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s are the tires of choice out back, while Mickey 26x4.5â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s steer the car down the track. Ok, now letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s get to what everybody wants to know, just how fast is this thing? On the Hoosier 8.5 slick the numbers read like this: 5.20 @ 140.5mph in the 1/8th. Out the back door on 8.5â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the car went 7.99 @ 175.43 in the quartermile! When you bolt the Mickey 26x10â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on, this thing gets busy! Knocking on the 4-second zone in the 1/8 th , Carey has been a stout 5.08 @ 140.2 and to the 1320 the scoreboard reads 7.92 @ 176.19mph!

Carey sits in the water box ready for another gear jamming pass. For being a small car there is more than enough room inside the cockpit.

To a true horsepower junky or racer of any character, these numbers are very impressive for any type of vehicle, let alone a 4 banger! But of course the internet is full of keyboard cowboys with

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plenty of bad things to say about anything not born and bred in Detroit. I guess I might be mad too if my Mustang or Chevelle with three or four times the motor size couldn’t even come close to running with the little Honda, but I’d get over it. Still, even with the bashing, Carey is a fan of the all American musclecars and has even driven and tested other small block stick shift Super Stockers. Sometimes, no matter what the logo on the fender is, you gotta just agree that, “hey, that thing is badass!” And that was said a whole lot during the last MIR World Cup Finals where imports face off with the domestics.

Photos, from top: Put some street wheels on this, remove the chute and you would think this is just another street cruiser. That’s part of what makes this car so neat. Carey does some final adjustments to the trans before going into the 1st round at the first IREV import event of the season. The bolt-in custom built 4 link keeps the launches hard and the car going straight at over 170 mph. Here the Mickey Thompson 10-inch slicks are bolted on in the final against Piolo Racing and their bad RX7.

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It’s summer time now and all the haters need to take a big drink of Haterade because this little Honda is not going away anytime soon! With that being said, what’s next for the Hot Rod Honda? Taking on the racers in the 26x8.5 class that’s what! With being just a little more than a tenth off the world record in the 1/8th-mile, the little 4cyl is catching up to the twin turbo small block that holds it. Right now, unless you know differently, the S2000 is the quickest and fastest import car on 8.5’s, but the NHRA record is still the icing on the cake. “When I ran 7.92 at 174 this was the quickest and fastest pass ever in NHRA Super Stock history,” adds Carey. In the sportsman rank, they do not keep an official record of who is the fastest overall, just

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The XFI 2.0 Opens New Doors When It Comes To Power Adders And Hardcore Drag Racing Performance. After listening to professional racers, FASTâ&#x201E;˘ engineers designed the revolutionary XFI 2.0â&#x201E;˘ with the functions, capabilities and adjustability needed to give hardcore racing applications a winning edge. The advanced forced induction, power adder and race controls include two separate, fully programmable sequential rev limiters for staging or boost building with six options for activation, four priority assignments and a user selectable VHTXHQWLDO RU UDQGRP PRGH RI UHY OLPLWLQJ $GYDQFHG VRIWZDUH DQG IDVWHU SURFHVVLQJ VSHHG PHDQV QR PRUH Ă DW spots in the power curve or settling for â&#x20AC;&#x153;close enough.â&#x20AC;? With a revolutionary new self-learning auto tuning VE WDEOH RSWLRQ WKLV LV WKH RQH (), V\VWHP ZLWK WKH IHDWXUHV DQG FDSDELOLWLHV QHHGHG WR Ă&#x20AC; QH WXQH OLNH QHYHU EHIRUH

ADDITIONAL FEATURES: User Adjustable Battery Voltage Injector Opening Correction Table

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Spark vs. Coolant Temp Offset Table

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User Configurable Target Air Fuel Offset Table vs. Coolant Temp Table Improved On-Board Diagnostics

Optional Upgrades For More Power: When you need even more power and control upgrade to Internal Data Logging for comprehensive data recording; Intelligent Traction Controlâ&#x201E;˘ to solve the problem of putting too much power to the ground with too little tire; or the 16 Injector Option to allow for control over 16 different injectors.

GAIN AN EDGE OVER COMPETITORS WITH OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES: Touch Screen Data Logger The XFIâ&#x201E;˘ Touch Screen Dash/Data Logger features a fully programmable, 6" LCD touch screen and powerful monitoring/data logging capabilities.

All options previously available with XFIâ&#x201E;˘ remain available with XFI 2.0â&#x201E;˘. XFI 2.0â&#x201E;˘ C-ComÂŽ software requires suitable PC computer for use.

FASTâ&#x201E;˘ offers the largest tech team and user community for unmatched product support via phone, instant chat, Twitter, Facebook, CPGNation forum and at events.

XFIâ&#x201E;˘ 3-Axis Accelerometer Module Perfect your launches by monitoring g-forces felt during acceleration, deceleration and vertical motion with the XFIâ&#x201E;˘ 3-Axis Accelerometer Module.

$ % - / # 2 !4 2 $ - % - 0 ( ) 3 4 . s % & ) ( % , 0 â&#x201E;˘ s 7 7 7 & 5 % , ! ) 2 3 0 ! 2 + # / -

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within their specific classes. So there can be a “record holder” for every class, but Carey’s run was confirmed to indeed be the quickest and fastest ever in the history of Super Stock. Carey is quick to point out this could not all be possible without the help of his crew; brother Jason Bales and good friend Thomas Bemis. AEM Devin Pearce, Real Street Performance, MR2, Advance Chassis, Inline Pro, Jermey Allen & Allenbuilt, Full Race and Borg Warner.

RPM Quick Tech Sheet Car: 2004 Honda S2000

Horsepower: 1100+

Specs: Best 1/4 mile ET - 7.92 Best 1/4 mile MPH - 176 Carey heats up the little 8.5” wide slicks. Rolling up to the starting line the Honda looks like something that just drove in off route 234 in front of MIR! This car is known for wheelstands, but that’s not the quickest way to the finish line, this launch is.

Engine: InlinePRO/Allenbuilt 2.2L F22c 4 cylinder, Kinsler Intake Manifold, Full-Race front mount turbo manifold Electronics:AEM Infinity, AEM Smart Coil ignition system, AEM 4 channel Wideband, AEM 4 channel EGT, AEM sensors Turbo:Airwerks by Borg Warner 80mm S400sxp, (2) Tial MV-S wastegates, Tial Q 50mm blow off valve Fuel: Weldon 2345a electric fuel pump, Kinsler K-140 PR Valve (4) ID1000 primary fuel injectors, (4) ID2000 secondary fuel injectors, VP C16 racing gasoline Chassis: Stock Suspension: Custom bolt in 4-link, ford 9", Santhuff’s bolt in shocks Transmission/Clutch: G-Force GF2000, East West 8" clutch Courtesy www.careybales.com “Recap for the confused” We are running the stock Honda engine that came in the car. It’s an F22c. This engine is a 4 cylinder engine that has been gone through and beefed up by Jeremy Allen/ InlinePRO. It’s got all of his stuff inside of it except for the stock crankshaft and unported stock cylinder head. It get’s it’s power from an 80mm turbo and no nitrous. It is not a back halved car, nor mini tubbed and doesn’t utilize wheelie bars or a wing. It also still retains the 100% OEM doors, windows, hood, trunk, hardtop, bumpers, headlights, taillights, shock mounts and mirrors. It runs on a small 26" tire that fits into the unaltered stock Honda wheel well opening. It has a 5 speed manual transmission and an adjustable East West clutch. This car utilizes an unaltered stock chassis with all “bolt in” parts to make everything from the engine back hook and work.

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BBC 632 Nitrous Series

BBC Open Chamber Blown Alcohol Dome

Designed for Nitrous-fed 632 engines using aluminum rods.

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

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

5.OOO'' / 5.3OO''

• Made from forged 2618 alloy

bore spacing piston

• Heavy duty .200″ wall wrist pins included

New “777F”

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

• • • •

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

• Accumulator grooves & Double forced pin oilers

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

Pistons • Rings • Pins

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

www.jepistons.com

Trick Out Your Truck

By George Pich

Transform Your Pick-Up Into A Versatile Machine Ready To Take On Anything You Throw At It... Work or Play! Part 2: Under Cover — Part 3: Getting Some Rest Last month in Trick Out Your Truck we installed a BedRug bed liner and since have run it through its paces. We got it wet and it dried, we got it dirty and it cleaned up no problem, we stacked wood in it, tires in it and more, we even went out for ice cream in it, and it performed like a champ. But I’ll admit, I just can’t bring myself to put greasy parts in it, instead, that is a job for the BedTred Pro Series, which you can also check out at www.bedrug.com. Just as a refresher, in our Trick Out Your Truck series we’re exploring ways of getting the most out of your pick-up, and looking good doing it, so functionality and wow factor will be our main criteria for these upgrades. We might touch on some horsepower goodies later, but for now we’re pretty happy with the performance of our hauler as it is, so versatility and looks are first on the agenda.

PART 2 - Under Cover The BedRug is durable, but we still wanted a bed cover to top it off (better known as a “tonneau cover”). The bed cover not only protects our cargo from the elements, but it also saves us fuel while cruising down the highway by not letting the wind hit the tailgate and essentially “slow” us down. Like with our bed liner, we had to choose what cover we’d use for our 2013 Ford FX4 crew cab 4x4 long box test mule. We surfed the web, asked around and finally decided that Extang had a darn good reputation and had been in the business of making quality tonneau covers since as long as we could remember, so we focused on them. In talking with Extang they boast that they are America’s best selling tonneaus. They also estimate that the average customer will improve their gas mileage by 10%… yep, we said 10%! That ain’t nothing to sneeze at! If you get 15mpg, drive 20,000 miles a year and the average cost of gas is $3.50/gal, then your annual savings are $465… see what I mean! Our criteria was that we wanted something that would last, be easy to put in and take out, fold or roll until it was completely out of the way, it has to keep the elements out of the bed, be really easy to use, and of course, it has to look trick!

We took delivery of our Extang Revolution series tonneau cover and unpacked the box to see exactly what we were up against. The Revolution is Extang’s “ultra low profile” roll-up style cover. It is a soft fabric bed cover without any snaps and uses a proprietary spring loaded design which keeps the cover tight and secure when latched, unaffected by wind during driving. It really is amazing! Below: We separated our hardware on the tailgate to figure out what was what. At this point we thought we were in for a substantial install that would take hours. Hmmm, we just couldn’t figure out why we had so many parts? We compared our actual parts with the supplied parts list and, instead of being short parts, we actually had too many parts. About a dozen or so too many! It seems that the person who packed this box added two parts packages for another style of cover in error (shown in the photo below between the yellow arrows). No big deal, the extra aluminum plates and stainless bolts will surely come in handy someday, so in the toolbox they went. Now this job suddenly looked a lot easier, and it was.

I’ll be straight up… snaps are definitely not for us. Hey, they work great for most, but we need a quicker deal when time is money, after all, this is a work truck. A quick trip to www.extang.com and we found that they had ten to choose from, which is fantastic, but you have to know me. A menu at a restaurant with more than 5 items on it and I am there for an hour choosing! We eliminated snap and tool box styles as well as hinged styles, which pretty much left us with Extang’s soft roll-up cover or their hard fold-up covers. We’ve seen the folding hard lid covers and they are very cool, but for us, as you will see in Part 3 of Trick Out Your Truck (page 79), the roll-up fabric is the best choice. So we ordered up an Extang Revolution Ultra Low Profile tonneau cover. Why do they call it revolution? One guess… because it rolls up! The Revolution takes literally less than a minute to have it fully in the “covered” position, latched and road ready, to completely rolled back exposing the truck bed, fastened in place and road ready… now that is fast! Plus, it really is “ultra low profile” and gets the RPM seal of “ultra cool” approval for looks! CONTINUED ON PAGE 78 78

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2 RPM Magazine, THE Voice Of Fast Cars WORLDWIDE

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

Available at

TRICK OUT YOUR TRUCK

3. All we needed were 6 aluminum U clamps (2 of them are special adjusting clamps for each side rail rear), 6 stainless steel clamp bolts that fasten the tonneau rails to the U clamps and thus to the bed of the truck, 2 of the 4 longer U clamp bolts (the length depends on your specific application), the nuts and plastic tips for those U clamp bolts, the foam seal roll, our instructions, and of course the two side rails shown in photo #2. In all, we had this tonneau cover installed and operational in under an hour! 4. Here you can see that the aluminum U clamps install under the factory bed rail. Note the adjustable clamp is installed at the rear of each side (closest to the tailgate). The U clamps have a special nylon strip to prevent damage to the underside of the factory box rail. 5. The two Extang tonneau cover side rails (marked passenger and driver side) fit nicely on top of the inside edge of the factory rail. You simply line up the appropriate hole in the rail with the U clamp, spacing them according to your instructions, tighten the hex head U clamp bolts on each side, and your rails are installed. If you’re like me you are saying to yourself, “no way, it can’t be that easy,” well it is. Just to be sure they were secure I tugged on the rails and sure enough they are ready to go. As you are doing each step be sure to follow the hints in your instructions, they are very straight forward and easy to follow.

6. A better look at the adjustable U clamp on the driver side. These clamps are adjustable to keep the rear of the tonneau rail square to the truck bed. 7. Here you see the proprietary Extang Revolution spring tension mechanism. 8. We placed the actual fabric cover at the front of the box, nearest the cab, and fasten it in place on each side. The yellow arrow shows the bevelled tab on the ends of the fabric cover bow that slides under the “butterfly” style bow clip fastened to the side rail. These bow clips will loosen with the hex key so you can slide them along the tonneau side rail in order to ensure the bow end slides under the bow clip, which is essentially what keeps the tonneau cover from blowing up or off. 9. This is a view of Extang’s trick latching system. After you unroll the cover all the way just set the last bow end “pivot” into the pivot block (as shown with the yellow arrow), and, with the help of good old fashioned leverage, a flip of the wrists downward securely latches your tonneau cover! 10. It was after this that I crawled in to give those “butterfly” style bow clips a final set-up to ensure the bow ends slid under them far enough on each side rail. Double check everything for tighness, and you’re done!

For further information visit Extang at www.extang.com

10 80

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The finished product... now that is low profile! And the Revolution will go from fully closed to fully open and ready to drive away in less than a minute! RPM Magazine, THE Voice Of Fast Cars WORLDWIDE

Trick Out Your Truck

Part 3: Getting Some Rest A really sharp reader thumbing through last months Trick Out Your Truck article might have picked up on us mentioning that we chose the BedRug as it is “comfortable enough to sleep on”, due to the fact that it has a waterproof dense foam underlay. Well that is exactly what we plan to do, sleep on it! Like we said, our goal is versatility here. For the last 14 years we’ve attended so many events and shows that it is hard to remember them all. We always traveled and stayed in a motorhome, or grabbed a room when we weren’t. There are a lot of times though when we’d be scheduled to attend an event and we’d mix in some holiday time and turn it into a family vacation with the kids. Keep in mind that a lot of us at RPM do not consider hanging around a pool in some foreign land a vacation, we’d rather be around fast cars! Go one step further and if we can find some camping, hiking and biking at a campground near the race track, we’re in! Lately, a number of us have been getting back in touch with the simpler things in life, trying to enjoy more outdoors, and also trying to juggle that in with our work responsibilities. So what better way to make our ½ ton truck even more of a universal, do-it all machine than to equip it with sleeping quarters. After doing our due diligence on the internet in search of the right product for our needs, we ran across our good friends at Summit Racing Equipment, yep, Summit really does have it all! A little bit more reading, one call for some product info, and a few days later we were the proud owner of a slick new Napier Enterprises Backroadz Truck Tent. Talk about bang for the buck, these high quality tents are priced from just $149.99 from Summit, plus their no hassle shipping in USA, Canada, or most anywhere in the world for that matter. I wouldn’t say that we’ll be going on some of the longer hauls and “tenting it” the entire trip, but it is nice to have that option. Or, to be able

The Backroadz truck tent is pretty straight forward really, but there are some tricks to the set-up, especially first time through when you are concerned about accidental damage to you or your truck. First unpack your tent and familiarize yourself with each piece as you read through the instructions.

to pull into an area along our way and just pitch a tent for a night or two, well that is cool, and when we don’t want to do that we can always still grab a room. Also, this enables us to tow our RPM supply/event trailer behind the ½ ton when needed, or a couple ATV’s when we can steal the truck for a non-official business weekend away! During our shopping we noticed some differences with the Boackroadz truck bed tent that set it apart from a lot of others. First, they offer a large interior with over 5 ft., 5 in. of headroom, several large windows, which, along with the door, allow for excellent ventilation. They also offer a full rain fly, a storm flap in the door for protection and privacy, and a storage bag for easy carrying. Plus, you got it, they look awesome! For our first go at setting up our Backroadz tent we chose the confines of the RPM install shop. We took our time, worked through the instructions and each part, plus we were pretty careful… we did NOT want to be the first ones to put a mark in the new hauler! Afterwards though, we had this baby up in 10 minutes with ease! They say it sleeps 2, but we managed 3 people and a dog so far… shhhh, don’t tell the boss! CONTINUED ON PAGE 80

Our first step was to roll up our Extang Revolution tonneau cover and strap it into place, which took just a few seconds. Next, lower the tailgate, layout the tent in the truck bed, and attach the side straps (3 each side). We clipped the front straps (nearest the cab) to our running boards, the middle ones to the truck frame, and the rear straps to the rear bumper. We felt this would minimize the chances of a strap scratching the paint. Before connecting our 3 rear straps we had to unzip our BedRug tailgate cover from the bed portion (photo 4).

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Now slide the male clip portion of the rear straps between the tailgate and truck bed (Note: You may have to slightly lift the tailgate for the clip to fit between the tailgate and bed). Fit the tent to the tailgate area and clip the 3 straps to the corresponding female strap end as shown in photo 5. Photo 6 shows the installation of the right rear tailgate strap and right rear side strap. The tent comes with 2 black poles, 1 green pole and 1 gray pole. Slide each pole through its sleeve in the tent (photo 7); the gray pole in the center, the black poles diagonally, and the green pole at the tailgate area of the truck which is the tent entrance.

8 8

The next steps of setting up the poles may take two people. Follow your intructions to insert the gray pole, then the black poles, and then the green pole into their pockets as shown in photo 8. Be careful not force the poles through their sleeves here, rather guide them through gently if they happen to stick. Also, the poles flex (arc) quite far before reaching their pockets, so be careful and have some patience with this step. Then, fasten the tent clips to the poles as shown in photo 9, ensure your straps are snugged up, attach the rain fly (photo 10), and you are ready to go!

For further information contact: Summit Racing Equipment 330-630-0230 Napier Enterprises 800-567-2434

SummitRacing.com

napieroutdoors.com

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GO SOMEWHERE FRESH.

Maintain beautiful interiors with teamwork. At Autoglym we’ve been developing car care products that work seamlessly for over 40 years so you could say we know a thing or two about interiors. Your 3-step cleaning routine for interiors combines Autoglym Interior Shampoo, Car Glass Polish and Vinyl & Rubber Care. It’s a winning combination that cleans, freshens and protects leaving your car’s interior a far more desirable place to be. Clean, Polish, Protect for perfect results. That’s the Autoglym way. Always has been. )))))

www.autoglym.com

P A S S I O N for P E R F E C T I O N

Now exclusively available at Canadian Tire and PartSource

VACUUM PUMPS: What YOU Need To Know When it comes to Vacuum Pumps, there seems to be a cloud of mystery surrounding exactly what they do and why we should use one on a performance or race engine. We’ll try to uncover these mysteries and bust the myths of Vacuum Pumps with the help of GZ Motorsports Owner, Gregory Zucco. When does a Vacuum Pump benefit an engine? A Vacuum Pump is an added benefit to any engine that is high performance enough to create a significant amount of blow-by. A Vacuum Pump will, in general, add some horsepower, increase engine life and keep oil cleaner for longer. What does a Vacuum Pump actually do? A Vacuum Pump has the inlet hooked up to one or both valve covers, sometimes the valley pan. It sucks the air from the engine, thus reducing the air pressure build-up created by blow by due to combustion gases going past the piston rings into the pan. Vacuum Pumps vary in the amount of air volume (CFM) they can suck, so the potential vacuum a pump can create is limited by the amount of air it can flow (CFM). The exhaust from the Vacuum Pump is sent to a breather tank with a filter on the top which is intended to retain any fluids (moisture, unspent fuel, air born oil) sucked from the engine. Exhaust air goes into the atmosphere thru the air filter.

GZ’s VP102 UVPM Sportsman Vacuum pump, 22 CFM at 5000 rpm, is good to about 700 HP. Below, the GZ Motorsports VP104 UVPM Super Pro Vacuum Pump pumps 33 CFM @ 5000 rpm and is good to 2000 HP.

So what actually happens during the combustion process, and at higher RPM and how does a Vacuum Pump change or mitigate that? As RPM increases the piston rings start to get pushed upward on the outer ring edge due to the pressure behind them because of the blow-by build up in the pan. This causes a reduction in ring seal to the cylinder walls, which causes more blow-by. It also causes the rings to “flutter”, which further increases blow-by. The increased pressure in the pan (due to the fact that in a higher performance engine you cannot get all the excess air pressure out of the engine with just breathers, much less in engines with PVC systems that are sealed), then pushes oil entrained in the air past the rings on the intake stroke when the engine is sucking in air. During the intake stroke oil is also sucked past the valve guides. The net result is oil contamination of the fuel (the same way a PCV system contaminates the fuel by sucking oil into the intake), which effectively reduces the Octane rating of the fuel. This reduces horsepower. The Vacuum Pump can reverse every one of these problems by reducing, eliminating or even putting a negative pressure on the engine. The net result is better ring seal, less or no oil contamination, less oil leaks, cleaner oil, longer engine life and MORE HORSEPOWER! An added advantage is that your engine builder can use lower friction ring packages because the resulting blow-by is mitigated by the Vacuum Pump.

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What about the oil pressure loss we all are told about? There are lower gauge pressures typically with Vacuum Pump applications, and there are several explanations regarding this. However, we have information from actual testing that indicates oil flow is NOT reduced and that lower oil pressure is a result of the fact that a pressure gauge shows zero at atmospheric pressure, hence unless the gauge is located inside the engine (the gauge thinks that is the ambient atmospheric pressure), it will read lower pressure since the air pressure reduction in the pan begins at atmospheric pressure and reduces from that. There are other reasons for the lower pressure readings however, and one is that poor oil returns to the pan are not capable of returning oil as quickly with a vacuum being created starting in the valve covers, causing oil starvation. Also, a higher vacuum in the valve covers than in the pan will cause the oil to be sucked up through the rocker arms, hence less resistance to oil flow and lower pressure. At GZ Motorsports, we suggest installing an AIR BALANCE TUBE between the pan area and a valve cover to help balance air pressure in the pan and allow the oil to easily flow back.

The GZ Super Pro vacuum pump with their Vacuum Control Valve installed in the pump. GZ offers the pump with and without the valve installed. Below, the VP104 Complete Kit; Everything you need to bolt-on and run a vacuum pump in one box. Upgrades include hose and fitting types, billet lock-in oil caps and pan-evac breather.

Why are GZ Motorsports LLC Vacuum Pumps one of the best on the market? That is easy, GZ Motorsports Vacuum Pumps generally have higher maximum air flow (CFM) resulting in higher potential vacuum, than most other manufacturersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; pumps. They require much less maintenance and have a much longer life between rebuilds. For these reasons, they perform very well on everything from street driven vehicles, road race cars, boats as well as raceonly vehicles. How much does a Vacuum Pump cost? The GZMS Sportsman Vacuum Pump (VP101/102) is $319. The Super Pro Vacuum Pump is $419. The Vacuum Control Valve (VCV101A/B), which limits actual vacuum in the engine by allowing air to pass into the engine or into the pump directly depending on where the valve is placed, is $79. GZMS also offers all required pulleys, mounting brackets, spacers, etc. GZ offers absolutely complete bolt-on kits for most high performance engines.

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Source: GZ Motorsports LLC 209-296-3793 www.GZ motorsports.com

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You Don’t Know ‘Squirt! PART 2 By Jerry Hoffmann

obody would ever tell you Bob Kurgan of Kurgan Motorsports doesn’t know squat. But Bob knows ‘squirt too. MegaSquirt EFI that is. Furthermore, Bob is pretty well known as one of the best big-power drag car tuners on the east coast and his shop sees cars come from far and wide to get dialed in by him in Braselton, GA. DIYAutoTune.com’s HQ is a short 30 minute drive from Kurgan Motorsports, so Bob asked us to stop by a while back to show him just how far MegaSquirt EFI has come, and to let him “play” with the product. Why change the ECU? While the MS3-Pro is the most powerful EMS offered by DIYAutoTune.com and rivals the featureset and capabilities of systems that cost several thousand dollar more, Bob was specifically interested in the MegaSquirtPNP line of ECUs, which allow for a super-simple installation as they plug directly into the factory wiring harness replacing the stock computer. The MSPNP Gen2 (part# MSPNP2-EEC4A8) allows you to eliminate the stock ECU and the MAF completely on your 88-93 5.0 Fox, and gives you full control of your ignition, fuel tables and more for just over $800. This is far more control than a ‘chip’ or ‘flash’ programmer can give you, allowing you to run any injector size (high or low impedance) you’d like with the built-in Peak-N-Hold injector drivers, and giving you full control of two-step launch control and redline rev limiters, electronic boost control, and plenty of other features needed in a drag car. Typically in drag cars it’s not uncommon to see a multitude of ‘little black boxes’ installed controlling these things. The two-step rev limiter, boost retard pulling back the timing so the head won’t lift and pistons stay in one piece under boost, boost controller dialing in just how much boost the engine runs, etc, etc, etc. The MegaSquirtPNP Gen2 let’s you eliminate all of this though, and gives you a single tuning interface granting you full control of all of this in one place. Say you want to close the wastegate completely to spool the turbo as fast as possible off the line, then open it just in

Jeremiah McNeil’s 1985 Fox is a gorgeous example of what a Fox can be. And today we make the bite match the bark.

time to prevent boost from spiking and hold boost at a dead steady 17psi all the way to redline? Not a problem. You want a two-step rev limiter for launch control and a separate soft and hard limit at redline? Fuel cut, ignition cut, or a combination of the two— again, not a problem. With fully mappable 3D fuel and ignition tables you can dial any engine into perfection, and let that monster purr like a kitten. Until you mash the pedal under your right foot and let the monster out again that is. Victim of the day Enough telling you about the computer we’re using, what brings us to Kurgan Motorsports today is Jeremiah McNeil’s 1985 Ford Mustang. A beautiful car that’s as much ‘show’ as it is ‘go’, with shaved firewall, tucked wiring and a clean Borg Warner 76mm turbo installed, Bob suggested we throw a MegaSquirtPNP Gen2 in it and ‘see what it can do’. So far Jeremiah has followed the fairly typical path of ‘band-aids’ on his turbo Mustang, with an adjustable fuel pressure regulator, larger than stock (42lb/hr) injectors, and locked out ignition timing at a static 18 degrees. Jeremiah enjoys his car, but couldn’t help but wonder if there was more if he just got rid of the band-aids and got the right tune on it. This is a stock block, 100% stock internal car. This is a 1992 302 EFI swap, and the motor has never been opened up. The only change that’s been made apart from the turbo is an Explorer SVO intake manifold. He’s had it on another shop’s Dynojet dyno before, and made 365whp and 467wtq at 9psi of boost. Again, that’s locked at 18 degrees of ignition timing, which works at wide open throttle, but driveability and power everywhere else, at cruise speeds and partial and even heavy throttle is likely to suffer when running locked-out timing like this. If all you’re ever doing is running wide open, and you don’t give a crap about how the car runs at anything other than wideopen, then that’ll work just fine. If you want maximum horsepower/torque and fuel economy at partial/heavy throttle while below WOT, you want to be able to dial in your ignition timing to make maximum brake torque at all load/rpm ranges. And that’s just what a standalone EMS like the MSPNP will do for you. Install Time

Part# MSPNP2-EEC4A8 fits 1986-1993 5.0 Ford Mustangs and Thunderbirds, while the MSPNP2-EEC4B8 fits 1994-95 5.0 Mustangs and T-birds. Several other models are available for foreign and domestic vehicles, see www.mspnp.com for details. 86

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Normally the installation takes about an hour, maybe less for a basic install. As I type this Jim just finished installing the system onto this little pony, and after configuring the base map for the 42lb injectors he and Ben just fired the car right up with no drama. From beginning to end this install took about two hours, but that included a few optional bits Jeremiah decided to have us hook up today. We ran a couple wires to tie his wideband into the ECU and we also installed and wired an electronic boost control solenoid so we can dial the boost curve in through the MSPNP as well. As everything is hidden up in the wheel wells and cowl of this car, that was a little bigger effort than to get to and modify the hidden wiring and components. Jeremiah would like to see 400whp today, RPM Magazine, THE Voice Of Fast Cars WORLDWIDE

and the boost controller will help us ensure we can give him that, so it was worth the extra few minutes. After firing the car up, it’s time to set base timing. This works a little differently than with the stock ECU, but the MSPNP’s documentation covers it nicely. You leave the SPOUT connector in place. (That’s just removed when setting base timing on the stock ECU). With the MSPNP you simply use the tuning software to command a certain amount of timing, 20deg BTDC for instance, and you then put a timing light on the engine and see if the commanded 20deg at the computer matches what you see with the light. If not, you don’t have to mess with the distributor, simply change the ‘Trigger Angle’ setting in the TunerStudio MS tuning software to make the commanded timing (at the computer) match the actual timing (with the timing light at the crank) and you’re good to go. It’s as simple as that, make the commanded timing equal the actual timing. Now we’ve synced the ECU to the engine, and we’re ready to tune. On to the dyno! Dialing it in Bob’s team strapped the car down to their DynoJet and got right to work, despite the fact that he was new to the TunerStudio MS tuning software, after DIYAutoTune.com’s Ben Berusch spent a minute or two showing him where the fuel and ignition tables and a couple other things were, Bob pretty much just tore into it. First pull, the car came made one horsepower MORE than it’s prior record at 366whp though was down a bit on torque at 458wtq. Nothing to fear, we’re just getting started here! It was a bit rich below 3000 rpms, and started to get lean at higher rpms, causing Bob to get out of the throttle early in order to make some adjustments. Boost stayed just a hair above 9psi on all pulls, just like it had before. The wastegate was doing it’s job well holding boost to 9psi with almost zero creep as the rpms climbed.

It’s as pretty underhood as it is everywhere else, with shaved firewall, and the cold-side of the turbo protected by a built in heat shield. On the dyno, DIYAutoTune’s Ben Berusch shows Bob around the tuning software before he dives into the tune, while Wade ‘Rockstar’ McGowan shows off his ink. ... And three pulls later, Bob is up 43whp and 17 ft-lbs of torque over the stock ECU with band-aids!

Bob took a second pull, and though the adjustments he had made were moving the fuel curve in the right direction, he saw he needed to add a little more fuel up top and only pulled the car part way through before aborting and making some more fuel adjustments. He tweaked the fuel table a bit more, and took a third pull. The car has been on the dyno for less than an hour at this point. 408whp. 484wtq. Jeremiah had the 400+whp number he was looking for on his stock small block, and he was extremely happy about that. So much so in fact that he chose not to continue to push it until he can get another engine together in case he pushes this one too far, and/or a stronger block motor so he can really open that 75mm Borg Warner up! Stock Ford 302 blocks have their limits and reach them pretty quick once you start forcing air into them. 500550whp maybe, and you tend to split the block. So 408whp it is, and we didn’t even have to touch the boost to get there! But I have a feeling Jeremiah is just getting started here, though we installed the boost control valve and wired it up to the MSPNP we didn’t even get to use it, the tune was far enough off with the stock ECU and band-aids that we were able to make Jeremiah’s 400whp+ number easily at the same 9psi or so he’d been running for over a year now. A 43 horsepower and 17ft-lb of torque gain, in just a few hours of time, and less than 2 hours of that being dyno time. (Bob is THE MAN, he was very quick and efficient on the dyno, and whatever he charges for his time, trust me, he’s worth it.) The rest of that time was spent doing a couple more pulls, and then doing a little fine tuning at various loads/speeds ensuring the car would have excellent driveability and manners, with instant throttle response. All in all the car’s owner Jeremiah couldn’t be happier with the MegaSquirtPNP and the tune Bob whipped up for his car. When asked what he thought a day later he told us, “it feels real good. I can’t believe I waited so long to get a tune, throttle response was much better and it has more power everywhere”. And what did Bob Kurgan think of his RPM Magazine, THE Voice Of Fast Cars WORLDWIDE

experience with the MSPNP Gen2? He had this to say, “Extremely simple to install, software was very user friendly and simple to navigate, the car tuned out very well and the customer was thrilled with the driveability and the newfound power” Specializing in Ford Mustangs, there were no less than 19 different Mustangs there as I typed this. One on the dyno, three sitting up on lifts with technicians busily working away bringing their owner’s dreams to life, and several others waiting for their turn. And at Kurgan Motorsports, you can dream big. With so-called “street” cars regularly leaving here in the 800-900whp range capable of every bit of 8 or 9 second quarter-mile times at the strip. There are also several more serious builds including several grudge cars in the 1500-1800whp range. Ben and I enjoyed spending the day there hanging out with the Kurgan Motorsports crew, and from the sound of it we’ll be hearing more from them regularly now. If you’re looking for a killer tune on your ride, give him a call and ask him if he has an MSPNP that’ll meet your needs, or check it out for yourself at www.MSPNP.com and/ or ask your local tuner if they have an account with us at DIYAutoTune.com yet. We are confidant that you and they will be as happy as Bob and Jeremiah are. Visit Us Online at www.rpm-mag.com

Getting Back on Track By Blake Robinson

GEARING UP - PART II

ith our third member completed and our Fab9 housing still sporting the dummy axles, it was time to complete our rear end assembly. I contacted Mitchell Differential Inc. and spoke with Dan about our build. After our conversation, I e-mailed him the build sheet for our Fab9 housing from Chris Alston’s Chassisworks so the axle lengths could be determined. One phone call later I was told: which axles we would be running, their lengths, and that they would be completed and shipped in two days. Now that is an impressive turnaround time on custom built axles! Mitchell Differential Inc. started out as Mitchell Brake & Driveshaft in 1991, a company started by Mike Mitchell. When Mike first opened he had one toolbox and $100 cash to be used as operating capital. Within six months of operation, Mike’s son Dan joined him in his endeavor to build a lasting family business. Specializing in brake & driveshaft repair, the two quickly gained a reputation for doing quality work at a fair price. Then one day a gentleman contacted them and said that he heard, “they could do anything when it came to machining & fabrication.” He put them to the test with their first Dana 44 rear end build, and the rest is history. Mitchell Differential has been building and re-building differentials & axles ever since.

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Dan suggested that we use a 1541H alloy steel axle for our build. This alloy steel, which is made from carbon, manganese, phosphorus, sulfur, and silicon which allows for a deeper case hardening and tighter grain structure, ultimately makes for a stronger than stock axle shaft. The upgraded 1541H induction hardened axles shafts can almost handle as much twist force as a thru hardened 4340 shaft, but the design of the induction hardened shaft will usually yield more bending life cycles than its 4340 counterpart. When it comes to strength, the axles are no slouch either and can handle the following amounts of torque: 31 spline – 7,000 ft. lbs., 33 spline – 8,200 ft. lbs., 35 spline – 9,600 ft. lbs., and 40 spline – 12,000 ft. lbs. Dan shared the formula below to help his customers in choosing the proper axles by finding out what their rear wheel torque (RWT) is. Peak engine torque x 1st gear ratio x Rear end gear ratio x .90 = RWT Remember, if you are running a spool the total RWT needs to be divided by two to determine the amount per axle. The .90 is based on 90% efficiency.

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Dan started the machine work on our custom axles with preheat treated 1541H blank alloy forgings. The blank shafts were then cut to 20.812” for the driver side and 24 15/16” for the passenger side. Using CNC equipment Dan machined the spline surface to within +/- .002” for the splines that will be put into the shaft later. The flanged end of the axles were then machined for the brake pilot size or brake register. The brake register is the ring on the wheel stud side of the flange that centers the brake drum or rotor. Dan then machined the bearing shoulder to create the bearing offset needed for our application. The bearing offset is important

to maintain the proper axle offset or brake gap. If this shoulder or stop is machined using a sealed type bearing be sure to replace it with the same style or it can result in a different axle offset. This would create a change in brake gap, which in our case is 2 1/2”. The axle flange diameter was machined next. This is the diameter of the part of the axle that your wheel bolts to. The flange diameter must be machined to the proper size to allow clearance for the rotor or drum being used in your application. In our case the diameter was 5 7/8”. Dan likes to have a minimum of a 1/4” of material left from the outer side of the wheel studs to the edge of the outer flange.

Photos, from above left: By having forgings already pre heat-treated, Mitchell Differential can make & ship out their custom axle shaft orders in 1-2 days from the time they are ordered. CNC equipment was used to machine the spline surface to within +/- .002” for the splines that are put into the shaft later. The flanged end of the axle is being machined for the brake pilot size or brake register. Dan drilled & tapped the 5 on 4 3/4 wheel pattern into the flange of the axle to accept our 5/8 studs. The wedding ring is pictured on the left of the shaft. It’s responsible for holding the bearing in place and usually has to be cut off to be removed.

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

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

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

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Dan used a technique that is unique to Mitchell Differential Inc. for creating the splines and for that reason it will not be shown here. The CNC control of this technique is highly efficient and allows for minimal variances. The flange was then drilled and tapped for our 5/8 wheel studs on a 4 3/4” bolt pattern. The 5/8 studs have a machined shoulder on them and use a jamb nut instead of a bolt head. The stud was installed on the wheel side of the flange and then torqued to the manufacturers specifications. After the studs were properly torqued, the locking jamb nuts were installed on the inside of the axle flange and torqued to 95 ft lbs. For dedicated drag racing vehicles, 5/8-inch studs are highly recommended. Since 5/8-inch studs, unlike 1/2-inch studs, do not use conventional lug nuts, it is important to make sure that the wheel thickness, rotor hat thickness, and any wheel spacers being used are compatible with 5/8-inch studs. Dan finished off our custom 35 spline axles by pressing on our sealed bearings with the o-ring facing the axle flange. The axle bearing retainer/wedding ring was then pressed on until it was Our custom made 35 spline axles were completed and fully seated shipped within two days. The axles arrived seven days after my first phone call to Dan. against the bearing. This retainer has a much tighter fit than the bearing and will ensure that it stays in place. We started our rear end assembly and install by removing our Fab9 housing from under the car, trashed the dummy axles, cleaned, painted, and began to prep for assembly. We used a ½ NF thread chaser on the drain plug bung that was welded in the bottom

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of the Fab9 housing before installing our drain plug. I use a quality brand re-thread kit when I chase my threads, but I know a lot of people that use a tap or die. The idea of a chase is to clean and align any bent threads. The copper seal was placed on our magnetic drain plug and installed into the housing. The plug was then torqued to 40 ft-lbs as per instructions from Chris Alston’s Chassisworks. A 3/8 NF thread chaser was used to clean out the threaded holes on the face of the housing before installing our studs. Our Fab9 came with nine 12 point bolts and one 3/8 stud. The stud was installed first by inserting the longest end of the double ended stud into the faceplate mounting hole closest to the drain hole from the front side. The stud was secured using a 3/8 washer and a locknut. The nine bolts were installed from the inside of the housing faceplate and will act as studs for the third member. I used a small amount of Loctite on these bolts and then torqued them to 35 ft. lbs. The inside of the housing was wiped out and a small bead of RTV gasket sealer was applied to the gasket surface. The paper type gasket was placed over the studs and another small bead of RTV was applied to help seal our third member to our Fab9 housing. I placed the housing on its back to allow for an easy installation of the third member. The 3/8” aircraft washers were Once the third member was in place the aircraft washers placed over were installed, followed by the locknuts. I used a Crowsfoot the studs and on the lower two bolts of the third member to ensure the the locknuts proper torque was made. My torque wrench was readjusted were installed to 38 ft-lbs to achieve this torque. hand tight.

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The locknuts were then torqued to 35 ft. lbs. I use a Crowsfoot to torque the two lower nuts that you can only get a wrench on. The torque setting was changed to 38 ft-lbs to achieve the proper setting on these two nuts, but this could differ with your torque wrench. Before I could install the axles I needed to read the instructions for our upgraded disc brake set up from SSBC. Stainless Steel Brakes Corporation first pioneered the stainless steel sleeved caliper for classic Corvette and Mustangs back in 1975. SSBC now offers a complete line of high quality disc brake conversions and performance brake upgrades for: classic muscle cars, late model performance vehicles, street rods, customs, trucks/SUVs, and sport compacts. After getting the proper two-piece caliper mounting plate over the axle between the axle flange and bearing, I inserted one of the large split shims into the circular depression. This shim will correctly position the bearing in the housing. The axle was then installed and the retaining bolts were torqued to 40 ft. lbs.

Above: One side of our upgraded SSBC brake kit is seen here. Note* that the kit also comes with new extended studs, but we opted for the 5/8 stud upgrade with our axles. Left: Half of the two-piece caliper bracket is being held on with the mounting bolts. You can see the circular depression in the one on the table. Note* we used bolts with lock washers on our installation because the Fab9 housing is tapped.

The four 7/16 bolts from the kit were then installed through the plate from the axle flange side and a tubular spacer was placed over each bolt. The large caliper mounting bracket was then slid over the bolts with the counter bored pockets facing the center section. The four Nylock nuts were then installed and torqued to 65 ft. lbs. The brake caliper bracket can be installed towards the front or back as needed for any clearance issues. Ours are facing the front. With the axles in place it was time to install our rotors. We will be using 11” SSBC Big Bite cross drilled and slotted rotors. The Precision drilled holes help vent super heated gases eliminating brake fade while the Turbo slots maintain a clean pad surface for maximum grip. Our rotors came with both 5 on 4 ½ and 5 on 4 ¾ bolt patterns. The 5 on 4 ¾ pattern was modified using a step drill bit/unibit to accommodate our 5.8 studs. The rotors were installed and held into place with two lug nuts. Mounting the calipers was up next. We will be using the SSBC Competition Series Race calipers on the Camaro. These four piston calipers fit a variety of rotor widths ranging from .375” to 1”. The calipers are constructed from billet aluminum and as-

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The dual pad pins configuration also made we acheived to ensure they ran

slide out to allow for easy pad installation and removal. This helps eliminate pad chatter. After some adjustments were our proper pad clearance. The rotors were turned at this point squarely and centrally between the bosses of the caliper.

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sembled with stainless steel pistons and Teflon coated bleeder screws. These calipers provide 25% more pad contact area than many other calipers and have a 20% greater pad thickness. The dual pad pin design with o-rings eliminates pad chatter. Available in both street and race versions (race versions do not have dust seals), the calipers use an off-the-shelf D43 pad that is available at any local parts store. I placed the calipers over the rotors and found that I would need to use a smaller tubular spacer on my brackets. I remedied the problem by running two flat washers on each bolt

between the brackets, reinstalled the calipers over the rotors, and torqued my retaining bolts to 45 ft. lbs. The rotors were then turned to make sure they ran squarely and centrally between the bosses of the caliper. With our Project Back on Track rear differential now completed, it and the brake system will be finished off during the final assembly of the car, but first we need to work on dropping some weight on our Camaro.

This rear-end is ready to take on anything! We love the way Mitchell Differential labels their “MD ALLOY AXLES”. The brake caliper will be facing the front of the car but appears to be on the top because our housing is laying on its back in this shot. Remember that SSBC calipers can be installed facing either direction. On the right, our completed rear differential awaits installation in the Project Back On Track Camaro.

Sources:

Stainless Steel Brakes Corporation ssbrakes.com 800-448-7722

Mitchell Differential Inc. mitchelldifferential.com 508-755-3790

Chris Alston’s Chassisworks cachassisworks.com 888-388-0297