September 2021 RPM Magazine Car features, Tech articles, Project builds

smackdown-full

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RPM Magazine is a REGISTERED TRADEMARK of Revolution Publishing & Media Inc. RPM Magazine is a worldwide motorsports publication distributed online.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF.............................................................. CHRIS BIRO editor@rpmmag.com V.P. MARKETING/CUSTOMER RELATIONS.................. TRISH BIRO trish@rpmmag.com EVENT MEDIA.................................................. events@rpmmag.com EVENT SUBSCRIPTIONS COORDINATOR........... SHERRIE WEBER sherrie@rpmmag.com ART DIRECTOR............................................................

JIM McHARG

Photographic Contributions: MARK goDragRacing.org, GEORGE PICH, MATT WOODS, MATT TROMBLEY, LOUIS FRONKIER, BLAKE FARNAN, JERRY GARRISON, NEIL ZIMBALDI, EDDIE MALONEY, WES TAYLOR, STEVEN TAYLOR, DAVID GATES, and ANDREW RADIOTIS Editorial Contributions: CHUCK SCOTT, MARK goDragRacing.org, TIM BIRO, STAN SMITH, JT, GEORGE PICH, JAY MISENER, EDDIE MALONEY, WES TAYLOR, and SCOTT FORBES Technical Writing Contribution: CHUCK SCOTT, SHANE TECKLENBURG, TIM BIRO and JAY MISENER

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Chris Biro

editor’spix

Videos that are too hot to keep hidden

AED Competition ................. 36

Maxima Racing Oils ................ 2

AFR: Air Flow

Metal Products .................... 69

Research ...................5,60,61

Meziere Enterprises ............. 83

AJE Racing........................... 99

Misener Motorsports ........... 52

All Out Live.......................... 22

Moran Motorsports ............. 63

American Racing Headers ... 60

Moroso Performance ........... 65

Aurora Bearing .................... 91

Moser Engineering ........38,66

AVAK/Ridgegate Tools ......... 50 Baer Brakes ...................33,85 BES Racing Engines ............. 12

Ed Brown’s Total Overview 2016 Ford For Super Cobra Jet Mustang

Watch Forrest Kennedy’s 1971 Gorgeous Z28

Billet Specialties .................. 36 Bill Mitchell Products ....12,79 BoulandMotorsUSA.com ..... 89 Bullseye Turbo ..................... 77 Burns Stainless .................... 18

september 2021 | RPM Magazine

PBM Products...................... 70 Piston Racing Engines ......... 37 Profiler ................................ 66 Race Part Solutions .......21,78

Calvert Racing Suspensions . 24

Racetronix ........................... 27

Canton Racing Products ...... 26

Rage Wraps ......................... 66

Clearshot Customs............... 88

RAM Clutches ...................... 43

Deez Performance ............... 77

RCD ..................................... 69

Delta Performance

RM Racing Lubricants .......... 33

Auto Grp. ............................. 21

Ross Racing Pistons ......... 7,31

Design Engineering ............. 40

RPM

ECAM .................................. 79

Magazine ..... 18,60,73,101

Energy Suspension .............. 73

RPM Magazine

GRP Connecting Rods .......... 52 Harland Sharp ..................... 51 Hitman Hotrods................... 61 Hughes Performance.............. 7 Icon Forged Pistons ............. 89

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Centers ................................ 94

Callies Performance Prod..... 25

Granatelli Motorsports ........ 55

Submit your video for the Editor’s Pix: videos@rpmmag.com

Parts Pro/Total Truck

PRW-USA ............................ 18

GoDragRacing.org ............... 37

“And They Walked Away” .....As the new Red Bull Corvette nears completion, Watch Shannon “Big Dookie” Poole’s Crash Video

Northern Radiator ............ 100

C & S Specialties .................. 17

Erson Cams.......................... 31

WatchSteve Shraders 1999 “Brightmare” GT Stang

Neal Chance Converters....... 68

Subscribe! ..................19,103 SM Racecars ........................ 98 Summit Racing Equip. ..................10,99,107 Taylor Cable Products ....... 100 T & D Machine ..................... 75 The Supercharger Store ....... 75

Induction Solutions ............. 23

Thermo-Tec ......................... 16

Jesel .................................... 41

Ti64 ..................................... 65

Joe Van O............................. 61

Tom’s Upholstery ................. 40

JW Racing Transmissions ........ 5

Total Seal Rings ................... 98

Karbelt ................................ 25

Trailer Alarms.com .............. 89

Kinsler Fuel Injection.....13,67

Trick Flow ......................15,88

LenTech Automatics ......36,74

Tuned By Shane T ................ 71

Liberty’s Gears..................... 74

Ultimate Headers ................ 25

Lokar Performance .............. 70

VFN Fiberglass Inc. .............. 18

Lutz Race Cars ..................... 16

Vortech ............................... 37

Magnaflow.......................... 88

Weinle Motorsports ............ 17

MagnaFuel .......................... 16

World Domination – RPM ... 35

Manton Pushrods ................ 99 Mark Williams ..................... 98

World Products.................... 41

ENFORCER-HALF

JW-PERFORMANCE

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September

2021

Often Imitated, Never Duplicated—For 22 STRAIGHT YEARS RPM Magazine has been the ORIGINAL Voice Of Wild Street Machines and Extreme Drag Cars WORLDWIDE! Don’t Settle For Less! We DELIVER Insane Fast Cars and Bring You NO POLITICS... JUST ACTION! Your ONLY “Real Time” “Real World” Car Mag...PERIOD!

Scarlett Fever ...................................................58 Hit the books, scrimp and save, build a career then build yourself a big power ’71 split

bumper Camaro! That’s how the Kennedy’s did it.

Olds School ..........................................................................

8 Everything Olds is new again...

Brightmare.................................................................. 28

This bright yellow boosted Mustang is at home on the street, or strip!

SHANNON POOLE’S

Family Tradition ........................................... 46 This ’71 Nova has been in the Whitaker family since new; making lasting memories ever since!

Showtime ..........................................................

80 This wicked boosted Fastback Mustang is definitely an eye catcher!

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W

hen it comes to the Oldsmobile 4-4-2 (later becoming 442), the 4-4-2 part of the equation has been changed to mean different things up to 5 times. Initially, it referred to four-barrel carb, four speed transmission and dual exhaust. A few years later; 400 cubic inches, four barrel carb and dual exhaust, which lasted through 1969, so we’ll stop right there and not get into the more watered down handling and appearance or smog and compact car era versions of the story.

No matter how you slice it, Oldsmobile put out some cool cars and any of those bearing the 4-4-2 on the side were definitely more of a performance car than their more tame sister models. There is a solid following of all things Oldsmobile, and Chad Mullins is part of it.

Being into cars and anything motorized as far back as he can remember, Mullins became interested in the Oldsmobile line above all the rest, of course the fact that his grandfather bought a 1965 4-4-2

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Every area of this rebuild is near flawless Mullins installed the required body panels himself and had Ben Smith of Elyria, Ohio complete the remaining bodywork and lay down the Ford Light Crystal Blue Metallic paint.

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new, a car which Chad still owns today, had a lot to do with it.

Mullins bought this ’69 4-4-2 for the sum of $3500 back in 1995 while he was in junior high, a lot of dough at the time for a teenager. It was a solid good running car that he immediately enjoyed for the next 3 years, until he blew up the original engine, and sadly the car would sit in his dad’s barn for the next 18 years. Luckily though, the car was stored indoors rather than out as that helped somewhat preserve his high school ride until he had the funds and time to fix it. But that doesn’t mean it was in good shape, after all, Ohio winters can be treacherous, Chad explains; “In 2013, when I drug it out of dad’s barn to start building it the car was in pretty bad shape, A wicked 4-4-2 style Glasstek raised hood was added along with VFN fiberglass bumpers.

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The car was finished in 2020 and the first hits at the track are the most memorable moments to date for Mullins.

Watch Chad Mullins vs his cousin 14

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TRICKFLOW

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but I wanted to restore it anyways because it was my car from back then. It needed floor pans, quarter panels and the cowl panel all replaced and I spent the next 7 years doing a full build and restoration, finally finishing in 2020.”

One thing about the passage of time is that you tend to learn things along the ride and Mullins learned how to work on his own cars, including welding and fabrication, which he now does for others as side work from his tool & die shop Supervisor position.

With his hard-earned skillsets in hand, Mullins set out to restore his high school sweet ride, however, as happens all too often, he kept going and going and going, ending up with an incredible example of a rare musclecar that can cruise the street or mix it up at the strip.

Building a killer street strip car is one thing, but you have to give that second tip of the hat to anyone that chooses to stick with building their original brand engine over going with the overwhelmingly more cost effective The Milan Obradovich built 462 inch mill started with a stock 1965 Oldsmobile 425 production block. On top of the ported Wenzler heads sits what started out as an LS3 intake that was cut apart, ported and welded back together configured for an Olds. Notice something? There’s no power adder here, the engine produces 790hp @ 7500 RPM all on its own!

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Mullins first restored to perfection the original interior most of which was being kept, then added parts for track duty and safety.

The car could have easily been on the showroom floor equipped as it is now, it’s that clean!

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small or big block Chevy platforms. So yeah, Mullins’ still runs the Olds motor and started with a factory produced 1965 425 block. And it gets better, dynoing in at a tick under 800hp naturally aspirated, the heavyweight 4-42 stops the quarter-mile clocks with very low 9 second ETs, we’re talking 9.19! Now that is one bad street car!

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Milan Obradovich is credited with the engine build and once all was said and done, that 425 block worked out to 462-inches. Anyone who knows anything about building an Olds knows you better build bulletproof, and Obradovich chose a Rody billet crank, R&R aluminum rods and Diamond 12:1 pistons to rotate inside the block. The bottom end was

september 2021 | RPM Magazine

Mullins first restored to perfection the original interior most of which was being kept, then added parts for track duty and safety.

The car could have easily been on the showroom floor equipped as it is now, it’s that clean!

Video walkaround of Chad Mullins 790 HP Big Block Olds 442

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The ultra-clean trunk area houses the fuel cell (large enough for street cruising), battery and fuel system. Under the rear of the car you can see where the factory frame was boxed and narrowed along with the top-quality ladder bar/coilover suspension and fabricated 9-inch work completed.

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girdled and Wenzler heads were hand ported by John Marcella and assembled with Del West 2.200 titanium intake valves, Ferrea 1.65 exhaust valves, Jesel 1.75/1.70 shaft rockers and Manley springs.

The Bullet solid roller cam specs to .750/.730 lift, 269/275 duration @.050 with a 112 lobe separation.

Sometimes, when you’re building a brand where not all parts for max power are available, rather than settle, you just have to improvise. A custom one off intake was built by John Marcella that started off as a Mast Motorsports LS3 piece. It was cut apart, ported and welded back together configured for an Olds. A 1350 cfm 2.200 throttle bore carb originally built

by Dale Cubic was recalibrated by Milan Obradovich to sit atop the now venerable mill.

A tricked out TH400 with Hipsters transbrake and 8” 5500 stall converter transfers the power of

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Chad Mullins’ 1969 Olds 4-4-2 Street/Strip Car

Body & Paint:

Ford Light Crystal Blue Metallic, Axalta Base/Clear product. Body and paint work by Ben Smith of Elyria, Ohio. VFN fiberglass bumpers, Glasstek hood.

Chassis Modifications:

Boxed factory frame, narrowed for rear tire clearance, 8.50 chromoly cage by Diamond Race Cars.

Suspension:

Front: TRZ A-Arms, Afco BNC double adjustable shocks, Flaming River rack & pinion, Rear: TRZ 36” ladder bars, Koni double adjustable shocks.

Engine:

1965 Olds 425 block, 462 CID (4.185x4.200), built

by Milan Obradovich of Downers Grove, Illinois. Full bottom end girdle, Rody billet crank, R&R aluminum rods and Diamond 12:1 pistons. Wenzler heads hand ported by John Marcella, Del West 2.200 titanium intake valves, Ferrea 1.65 exhaust valves, Jesel 1.75/1.70 shaft rockers, Manley springs, Smith Brothers pushrods. Bullet solid roller cam: .750/.730 lift 269/275 duration @.050 112 LSA. Custom one off intake by John Marcella that started off as a Mast Performance LS3 intake cut apart, ported and welded back together configured for an Olds. 1350 cfm 2.200 throttle bore carb originally built by Dale Cubic and recalibrated by Milan Obradovich. Makes 790hp @ 7500 RPM.

Power Adder: None Transmission:

TH400 w/Hipsters transbrake and 8” 5500 stall converter.

Rear:

Moser M9 with 4.10 gears, Yukon aluminum center, Moser 35 spline axles, spool, 5/8” studs.

Brakes:

Wilwood Dynalite brakes all four corners.

Tires & wheels:

MT Pro 5 wheels, 15x3.5 front and 15x12 rear 29.5x10.5 MT Pro Bracket Radial.

Interior:

TRZ lightweight column, Grant wheel, Kirkey seats, Precision Products shifter, Autometer gauges, RacePak Sportsman data logger, Impact belts.

ET & MPH: 9.19 @ 141 mph Thanks To:

Ben Smith who did all of the body and paint work and pushed me to keep going on it. My wife for her understanding and encouraging me to finish the car.

What is the most memorable experience you have had with the car to date? Making the first passes after finishing it!

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the naturally aspirated Olds rearward.

For chassis mods, the 4-4-2 starts with a pretty beefy, albeit heavy, frame. Mullins boxed that and narrowed it out back for tire clearance, then added an 8.50 moly cage by Diamond Race Cars. TRZ A-Arms and Afco BNC double adjustable shocks

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were installed up front and the bulky heavy factory steering setup was tossed in favour of a Flaming River rack & pinion. Out back, TRZ 36” ladder bars were used in conjunction with Koni double adjustable shocks and a Moser M9 rear diff was equipped with a Yukon aluminum center section with spool and 4.10

gears, and Moser 35 spline axles with 5/8” wheel studs.

We mentioned that the car needed quarters, rockers and a cowl, all of which were installed by Chad and the final body and paint work was completed by Ben Smith of Elyria, Ohio who laid down a slick skin of Ford Light Crystal Blue Metallic using

Axalta Base/Clear product. VFN fiberglass bumpers were installed and that cool factory style (but bigger) hood is a Glasstek piece.

As much care was taken to build the inside of the 4-4-2 as was taken with the engine and exterior.

Most of the factory interior was kept and job one was to restore it to perfection, and then add what Mullins needed to race. Aside from that 8.50 cert chromoly cage, he added a TRZ lightweight column, Grant wheel (with Oldsmobile center insert), Kirkey seats, Precision Products shifter, Autometer gauges, RacePak Sportsman data logger and Impact belts. All electronics, including the MSD 6AL-2 box, are situated on the passenger side kick panel area.

The car rides on Mickey Thompson Pro 5 wheels, 15x3.5 front and 15x12 rears, with 29.5x10.5 MT Pro Bracket Radial tires providing the hook. It’s fully street legal with working lights, horn, turn signals and runs 3.5” Dynomax Bullet mufflers to deaden, just a bit, the sweet music of a 12:1 compression naturally aspirated Olds turning 7500 RPM! After a long and arduous 7 year build, Mullins is happy to be driving and racing the car he once drove to school. “I built it because it was my high school hot rod, and honestly, I am surprised that it runs as good as it does with N/A Olds power,” he added with a smile.

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This bright yellow boosted Mustang is at home on the street, or strip!

Story & photos : Wes Taylor 28

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B

ack in 2000, (the year when the clocks would stop and world was going to end), Steve Shrader put his mind into things other than worrying about what would happen when the calendar swapped up in the new year, he went out and bought a brand new 1999 GT Mustang.

Steve had some fun in his newly acquired ride, and like all of us became addicted to modifying it, and had some innovative ideas on how to earn the funds to pay for the mods. It is amazing how one decision or a sequence of events can take us in a direction that will change our lives, and for Steve, his life would soon become all about cars, specifically Mustangs.

Shrader realized a while after the “New Edge” 1999-04 Mustang hit the streets that many true enthusiasts never had a use for the tiny back seat, so he started building rear seat deletes out of his garage, and to his surprise, that funded his new found hobby.

His next endeavor was the forming of the Yellow Mustang Registry, and it grew to over 5,000 people and he traveled all over the eastern side of the country hosting events.

Soon after, Steve quit his day job to start Shrader Performance, with “Brightmare”, his now solid performing Mustang, being the shop car. Business was going well and in 2013 a Dynojet chassis dyno was added, allowing Steve to specialize in tuning all ’99-up Mustangs.

At first, the GT sported the usual boltons, but Steve soon decided to spice things up with a Vortech S-Trim supercharger. He ran this setup on the TV show Pass Time and fooled all three judges by besting their 12.0 E.T with a 10.57, and took home the cash. Almost everyone ran on pure gasoline; but Shrader had a leg up by running E-85 (despite the naysayers back then).

Nowadays, virtually all street-friendly

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Body mods to the GT are subtle and include a modified Steeda R hood cut for a ram air system to the blower. A 99-01 SVT Cobra front bumper was also installed, the rear spoiler was nixed and a Stroud chute was hung from the rear.

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four-digit horsepower cars run it.

Brightmare is bright indeed, sporting Ford’s Yellow GT paint, and Steve has made only some minor exterior changes, the most prominent of them being the custom ram-air inlet that’s cut through the hood for the centrifugal blower to breathe better. Not just any hood would do, though, and a stock replacement Steeda R hood was sourced for the project. The facelift is finished off by a 99-01 SVT Cobra bumper. You might also notice something missing from the back of the Stang.

That’s because the factory rear spoiler got the axe and a Motion Raceworks parachute mount and Stroud chute were added. Weld Racing RTS wheels reside on all four corners but aren’t the typical “big and little” style, instead Steve went a little wider in the front for drivability; after all, it does see plenty of street miles. 17x7s were used up front and 15x10s with 275/60 Mickey Thompson radials stick the car to the track out back, but we’ll talk more about sticking a 4-digit horsepower stick car on a radial tire a little later on.

The exciting part sits under the hood.

The space where the ole two-valve 4.6 liter once sat is now occupied by a much more efficient mill. The 4.6 was just not an economically viable option to make power, so

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The owner-built 5.0 boasts forged pistons and H-beam rods swung by the factory crank. Factory heads were massaged and a GT350 intake was added along with a dual pump based fuel system delivering copious amounts of E85. The centerpiece of the build is the Vortech YSi-B centrifugal supercharger.

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There’s a Coyote in the house!

275 Mickey T Radials just fit the factory setup.

Shrader opted for the Coyote five liter which offered greater potential for considerably less cash. Steve started with a second-generation stock block and built from there. The rotating

assembly consists of DSS forged pistons pinned to Manley H-beam rods swung by the factory crank. Coyote heads do pretty well unless it’s an allout application; for that reason, he

choose to have some port work done

by Modular Head Shop and leave the rest alone. A GT350 intake was added into the mix for higher revving power and fueling comes from a re-

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turn-style system attached to an ’03 Cobra tank, sporting two fuel pumps, all of which came from Fore Innovations.

95lb DeatschWerks injectors supply ample amounts of E-85 to the Coyote and Ford Racing’s control pack for the ever-so-popular swap made the

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install much more straightforward.

For adding power Shrader went boosted, but unlike many others he opted for a centrifugal supercharger over turbo and stuck with his good friends at Vortech.

For the most recent iteration

Inside the GT is mostly stock with the exception of the roll bar, shifter, belt, chute handle and Steve’s own rear seat delete kit.

of Brightmare’s power he went with their YSi-B, which is a massive straight cut gear-driven setup. He “pullied down” to a 2.85 pulley and picked up an Innovators West 10% overdrive crank pulley to reach the desired boost level. A Treadstone

three-core intercooler and that sick-looking ram air inlet help keep the big blower cool. A pair of 1 7/8” Kooks swap headers flow through a custom 3-inch exhaust and dumped Magnaflow mufflers.

The remainder of the driveline certainly isn’t facto-

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Steve Shrader’s 1999 Brightmare GT Mustang ry, but it isn’t as crazy as one might think. Brightnmare uses a Tremec T-56 Magnum trans with no internal modifications. Power connects through a McLeod RXT with a billet steel flywheel and a firewall adjuster and quadrant were also used. The Ford 8.8 rearend sports a set of Moser 31 spline axles, an Eaton Tru-Trac and a 4.10 gear set. A CHE axle brace and PST steel driveshaft provide extra strength on those 1000whp stick shifted launches.

The suspension is a well thought out stock style setup. Steve choose an www.rpmmag.com

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A Moroso battery box is the only thing to occupy the trunk space and the beefed up 8.8 rear diff sports a CHE axle brace to reinforce the setup for those 1000whp stick shifted launches.

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Steve Shrader’s 1999 Mustang GT Street/Strip Car

Body & Paint:

All original paint, rear spoiler delete, Motion Raceworks parachute mount, Stroud chute. 99-01 Cobra front bumper, Steeda R Hood modified for blower ram air inlet.

Chassis & Suspension/Modifications:

Front: Tokico 5-way adjustable coilover struts, UPR K-member and A-arms and springs. Maximum Motorsports caster/camber plates, Steeda bump steer kit.

Rear: Viking Crusader double adjustable shocks, Steeda lowering springs, UPR upper/lower control arms, Racecraft anti-roll bar.

Engine:

Gen2 Coyote swap, 302ci, built by owner. Forged Manley H-beam rods, DSS forged pistons, stock GT crank. Stock heads ported by Modular Head Shop, stock cams.

Induction & Fuel Delivery:

GT350 intake manifold with stock Gen2 Coyote throttle body, 95 lb DW injectors, Fore fuel rails, return fuel system, 03 Cobra fuel tank with dual TI fuel pumps.

Exhaust:

Kooks long tube headers, custom 3” exhaust, Magnaflow mufflers.

Electronics:

Ford Racing Control pack, Line Lock. N2MB 2-step.

Power Adder:

Vortech YSi-B with a 2.85” pulley, 3 core Treadstone intercooler, ram air inlet to the YSI through hole in hood. 10% overdrive Innovators West crank pulley.

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Transmission:

T56 Magnum out of the box, no internal modifications. McLeod RXT with billet steel flywheel. UPR firewall adjuster and quadrant, stock Ford clutch cable.

Rear End:

8.8 rear with 4.10 gear, CHE Extreme axle brace, Moser 31 spline axles, Eaton Detroit TrueTrac diff. PST steel driveshaft.

Brakes:

Mach 1 calipers/rotors front, stock GT rear brakes

Tires & Wheels:

Weld RTS, 15x10 rear, 17x7 front. M&H Racemaster tires front, M/T Radial Pro, 275/60/15 rear.

Interior:

6 pt roll bar with removable door bars, Shrader rear seat delete kit, RJS racing harnesses, parachute handle, T56 Magnum shifter,

ET & MPH – Race Only:

9.05 at 159 mph ¼ mile 5.90 at 122 mph 1/8 mile.

Best 60ft 1.30 at Bristol Dragway during SCT 2021.

Traps 160+ in roll racing events.

Thanks To:

“My girlfriend Amy for her amazing support. She’s by my side at every race. And thanks to Darren Hart for listening to me complain and for giving positive advice when I’m ready to push the car off a cliff sometimes. Thanks also to Brian at Vortech Superchargers for always supporting this little yellow car for whatever we decide to do with it.”

Steve Shrader and his girlfriend Amy with Brightmare.

aftermarket K-member and a-arms to cradle the Coyote up front and a pair of Tokico coilovers were used with Maximum Motorsports caster/ camper plates and a Steeda bump street kit. Stock rear upper and lower control arms were tossed in favor

of aftermarket units, while Steeda lowering springs slip over Viking Crusader shocks and an anti-roll bar from Racecraft keeps the GT from three-wheeling off the launch.

Clean and simple was a matter of choice inside the Mustang. Steve

uses a 6-point roll bar with removable door bars, and straps in with RJS harnesses. A Motion Raceworks parachute handle, standard T-56 shifter, and Steve’s very own rear seat delete finish off the interior modifications. The rest is completely facto-

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ry.

Now let’s revisit how this stick car hooks on the radial tire. Shrader has spent a considerable amount of time getting Brightmare running the way it does now. “It took many years of failures and mental anguish with various parts to finally get this setup to work properly,” he said. The Stang clicks off 1.30 sixty-foot times and goes 5.90 in the eighth, then pours on the steam to 9.05 at 159mph in the quarter.

90% of stick-shifted cars run slicks for a good reason – they tend to give a little more when coming off the 2-step at high RPM. Many times parts still break though, and generally stick cars hate radials unless they’re running a “slipper” style clutch that softens the blow at the hit.

Steve went a different route and instead runs a standard “puck” style clutch and makes it work without breaking. A few factors are responsible for allowing this to work, but first and foremost is the linear power curve of the centrifugal blower that allows power to come in gradually.

Steve explains; “I use the natural linear boost

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This fully street legal Mustang was built to look like a “regular street car” from the outside but be able to kick ass and take names at the track. Be sure to read how Shrader controls the launches of his 1000hp stick car on radials to make consistent 1.30 60-foot times and low 9.0 runs without scattering parts.

curve of the Vortech to select what RPM to start with to get the boost I need at launch. One of the secrets to the launch is having the 2-step rpm set low, around 3500, where the Vortech makes only a few pounds of boost. I also set the 2-step switch on the clutch release pedal to engage high on the pedal, so that as you lift off the pedal the clutch engages and moves the car forward before the 2-step disengages and allows the boost to ramp in with RPM. With 1000 hp on tap, you still have to slip the clutch pedal pretty much all the way through first gear to avoid the tire spin, but it’s much less shock to the car than dumping the clutch at 6000 on slicks and hoping stuff doesn’t break.” Basically, Steve can get the car to sixty-foot with the best of them, without breaking, and then drive it home on a DOT-approved tire.

“The goal of this car is to have an understated exterior that says “street car”, but to be able to visit a track and compete with full blown race cars,” added Sharder. So not only is the Brightmare Mustang a big part of Steve Shrader’s life, but having a cool stick-shifted fully street legal car that car runs bottom 9s as a rolling business card is pretty cool, too!

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G

iving something with special meaning to our loved ones is a tradition in America, and chances are that most people reading this have something in their house that has been passed down from their family over the years. For Chris Whitaker, it’s his 1971 Chevrolet Nova that his mother and father brought home in 1981 and then passed on to Chris as his first car. How cool is that!

Chris was first drawn to cars and horsepower by helping his father in the shop.

As he grew up he would nurture that interest through accompanying him to the track and Super Chevy shows, and once he was old enough to get his license, and the Nova, you can bet that he hit the streets and soon after developed a thirst for drag racing at the strip. During his years in school, Whitaker spent quite a bit of time in the mechanics and auto body classes where he got to work on his own car, and, while he’s owned and modified many vehicles over the years, the Nova has always been his first love.

By 1999 Chris decided it was time for the Nova to receive a makeover, and for the next several years the car was heavily modified and updated to go faster and outfitted with a host of safety items too.

“After a long road and several cars in between, the Nova was back together minitubbed, caged and racing by 2007. The quest was always to go faster and we had the car back apart for a cage update and its second mini-tub in 2015,” Whitaker explained.

Body wise, the car is mostly the original GM steel – the rear quarters were replaced due to the usual wheel well rust and of course the hood is an aftermarket piece. The DuPont Chromabase Liquorish black paint has seen better days, but

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The Nova’s body is mostly original steel aside from quarter panel work and the fiberglass cowl hood.

The DuPont Chromabase Liquorice Black paint is 21 years old, so although it has seen better days, it does the job.

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Take notes on this fairly simple budget big block build as it propels almost 3,500 pounds of American muscle to low 5-second ETs in the 1/8th! The Mark IV block is bored and stuffed with a stroker SCAT crankshaft, H-beam rods and JE dome pistons. Promaxx heads with Harland Sharp rockers along with a ported Victor Jr intake and tricked out Dominator 1050 top things off.

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An Induction Solutions Sledgehammer plate system handles the spray while Magnafuel controls the fuelling duties. for being 21 years old it’s holding its own.

Chassis wise, a roll cage found its way into the interior and has received several updates over the years, eventually getting to the current 8.50 certification. The frame rails remain stock front to rear other than the back rails getting notched for tire clearance. Yep, that’s right, no fancy aftermarket front subframes or rear back-half on this Nova, instead Chris opted to stay as stock as possible in that department. In fact, the car still

runs on stock-style front and rear suspension. Up front stayed mostly stock, aside from Moroso Trick springs with Afco double adjustable shocks, and out back the leaf sprung suspension remains, but with a few additions. Split mono leaf springs are held in place by Caltrac bars, a TRZ anti-roll bar, and a pair of single adjustable shocks.

The Chevy rides on a set of big and littles, appropriate for American muscle. Out front, Chris went with a set of Weld Racing V-series 15x3.5, while www.rpmmag.com

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Inside the Nova is a throwback to the nineties…that’s because it was redone in 1999! The clean interior boasts Tweed upholstered seats mixed with the factory door panels and factory dash filled with aftermarket gauges. Note how the cage was worked around the stock interior and the back seat is notched for the min tub.

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15x10 Billet Specialties Comp 5s occupy the wheelwell space in the rear. Mickey Thompson rubber rides at all four corners and Aerospace brakes provide stopping power up front while Wilwood takes care of rear braking duties.

The Nova was equipped with a small block from the factory, but after spending some time modifying various mouse motors, Chris wanted something with more potential, and moved to the big block platform after a broken lifter expired in the latest small block. It was time for Whitaker to enter the wonderful world of big block Chevy power, and from there he would never look back. A Mark IV 454 block grew to 489ci with some over-bore and stroke. The rotating assembly is comprised of a Scat crankshaft, H-beam stroker rods, and domed JE overbore pistons.

Kings bearings and Total Seal rings handle all of the sealing while a custom grind nitrous cam by Chris Straub completes the short block. Pro Maxx heads built and flowed by Scott Foxwell were studded in place and boast 3/8 hardened pushrods, Harland Sharp roller rockers and Jomar stud girdles. The Edlebrock Victor Jr intake manifold was also ported by Scott, and since Chris is an old-school kind of guy, he stayed with a carbureted setup, having his Dominator 1050 cfm custom

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The Nova interior screams retro street car...

The trunk area reflects extensive chassis work completed to enable the car to retain its factory frame and still launch, hook and keep Chris safe. A fuel cell, nitrous bottle and battery box reside here.

built by Mark Whitener of Lighting Racing.

Most big block guys have one power adder in mind, nitrous – everybody knows that big blocks just love the juice! Chris uses an Induction Solutions Sledgehammer plate capable of supporting one or more sizeable hits of nitrous. Fueling support and regulation comes from Magnaflow, and Jeff Guy custom-built a set of headers specifically for this build.

Taming the big

block is a stock-cased Glide with JW bellhousing, trans-brake, a PTC custom-built torque converter, and Chris shifts through a B&M Pro Stick shifter.

A beefy shortened and braced Ford 9-inch rearend replaces the original weaker GM unit and a Moser center section, Moser axles and 4.11 gears fill it.

Refinished 20 years ago, the Nova interior screams retro street car with black tweed covered stock type

A unique feature is the fuel gauge on the outside of the car, hidden in the cowl hood. In the eighties and nineties this was the go-to before the fuel gauge isolator came into the industry.

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Chris Whitaker’s 1971 Street/Strip Chevy Nova Body & Paint:

Quarter panel rust repairs but the rest of the car is factory GM steel, except for Harwood fiberglass hood. It`s color is DuPont Chromabase Liquorish black and paint is 21 years old.

Chassis & Suspension:

Stock type suspension, stock frame rails front to rear. The rear frame rails have been notched for tire clearance. It has an 8.50 cert cage installed to fit around the stock interior. Rear suspension is Caltrac bars with split mono leaf springs, TRZ anti roll bar, SA shocks. Front is stock with Moroso trick springs and Afco DA shocks. Custom grind nitrous cam by Chris Struab and custom built stainless headers by Jeff Guy.

Engine:

1990 model Mark IV 454 block, bored and stroked to 489 cubic inches. Rotating Assembly consists of SCAT crankshaft and H-beam rods, JE dome pistons, King bearings and Total Seal rings.

Cylinder Heads:

Promaxx cylinder heads built and flowed by Scott Foxwell. 3/8 pushrods, Harland Sharp roller rocker and Jomar stud girdles.

Induction & Fuel Delivery:

1050 Dominator custom built by Mark Whitener at Lightning Racing Carburetors. Edelbrock Victor JR intake, cleaned up and port matched by Scott Foxwell. Magnafuel fuel pump and regulator.

Power Adder:

Transmission:

Stock case Glide with JW bellhousing and trans brake. PTC custom built torque converter.

Rearend:

Factory 9-inch housing cut down and braced. Moser Center section, 4.11 gears with spool and Moser axles.

Brakes:

Wilwood Dynalite rear and Aerospace fronts.

Tires & Wheels:

Fronts are 15 x3.5 Weld V-Series, rears are 15x10 Billet Specialties Comp 5.

Interior:

The interior was all replaced and redone when the car was restored 20 years ago. Black tweed covered stock type seats, with the back seat notched and trimmed to fit over tubs. Stock dash and door panels. Grant steering wheel with quick release, B&M Pro Stick shifter that’s been in the car since 1994, Autometer tach and gauges in custom built dash panel.

ET & MPH:

With the only fiberglass being the hood, it weighs 3340 pounds with driver. Right now the car is on a conservative tune and I`m only spraying a little over half the nitrous the engine was built for. We are still working on dialing the suspension in before we put anymore power to it. It has been deep into the 5`s on its current tune.

Nitrous oxide - Induction Solutions Sledgehammer Plate.

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Even though cars have gone sixes in the quarter with them, it’s getting rare to see stock style leaf spring suspensions, but thanks to companies like Calvert, Moroso, Afco and TRZ (all parts used on this car), they work! seats, the stock dash and door panels and a grant steering wheel with quick release replacing the factory unit. An Auto Meter tach and gauges sit inside a custom dash panel. The back seat is notched and trimmed to fit the mini tubs and the cage was worked around the factory interior to 56

maintain street use and comfort.

At 3340 pounds with driver, the car runs solid given the simplicity and relatively low cost of the combination, “Right now the car is on a conservative tune and I`m only spraying a little over half the nitrous the engine was

september 2021 | RPM Magazine

The Nova launches and runs out well on the small tire using just half of the available nitrous. The trick from here is to slowly apply more and not blow the tires off at the hit.

Chris Whitaker with his memory making 1971 Nova.

built for,” said Whitaker. “We are still working on dialing the suspension in before we put any more power to it, but it has been deep into the 5-second zone on its current setup.”

It’s not uncommon to see Chris wheelie on a no-prep track, which is impressive to say the least, given the fact that this is a small tire nitrous big block combination. Hooking, as opposed to spinning off the launch is paramount, so the power has to be brought in gradually and getting to a max hit of nitrous with the massive torque of the big block is a slow steady process, but Whitaker has faith in their family efforts. They’ve built memories together with the Nova including 2 appearances on the TV show Pinks and running in multiple stock block shootouts, and more recently running no-prep events. “We have been building and changing things on this car for most of my life.

It seems like this car has just always been around. There was never an ‘I think I`m going to build the Nova moment’, it was just always there and what we were doing. The changes and updates seem to be never-ending and I have a shelf full of parts and a list of changes that are coming soon,” Chris added.

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A

s the saying goes, good things come to those who wait. Forrest Kennedy spent many years in school; both he and his wife Krystal agreed they’d live like students until he finished so that they could build an X275 car that they could both enjoy.

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Fast forward five years and this 1971 Chevrolet Camaro RS Z28 is practically their child.

Although the car took some time to acquire, it was no stranger to Forrest as he watched his dad race against it growing up back in the NMCA EZ Street days. In fact, the look and feel of the Camaro was so entrenched in

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his fond memories of those weekends at the track that he vowed to keep it as close to what he remembered as possible, while modernizing everything else and adding some serious power.

“I remember as a child standing at the fence watching the car that I now own race against dad’s butternut yellow 67 SS/RS that he and my mom dated in.

One of the biggest goals in building this car was to make it modern and competitive but keep its looks as close as possible to how I remember it as a child,” Kennedy said.

Aside from his dad’s influence, Forrest’s mom Scarlett loved drag racing too, and she is the reason for the Z28’s name “Scarlett Fever.” “I wish she were

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■ A 1971 Z28 RS split bumper Camaro is a rare piece and the Kennedy’s have gone to great lengths to retain as much of that classic Camaro style as possible, while still building the competitive race car they wanted. The car is simply stunning, still having the factory GM steel and glass intact.

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here to see what we are doing now,” Forrest lamented. Almost as if choosing this car was destiny for Forrest, although the bright red paint work and super clean body have stayed untouched the last 30 years, the former

owner of the car, Dean Brooks, did the body and paintwork, and ironically the paint code is called “Scarlett Red”.

The car itself is an original all-steel piece aside from the hood, and even the glass remains in place.

■ All the original detail and trim work on the car remains, but as you can see there are some hints of the build that are impossible hide. A 3rd gen Forced Inductions 88mm turbo lurks behind the grille while a Sunoco composite hood hides the LSX mill and a chute hangs off the rear. Oh, and the side exit exhaust is pretty hard to hide, too!

■ Was it irony or destiny that the car is named in memory of Forrest’s mom Scarlett, and that the name of the paint color used on the car 30 years ago was “Scarlett Red”.

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Brazzel Performance Fabrication installed the original certified cage and a Smith Racecraft front subframe was added. More recently, the ladder bar system was updated by Allan Pittman at AP Race Cars.

Most of the substantial changes were

made in the power department where it was out with the old and in with the new. Since Forrest and Krystal wanted a modern classic, what better way to achieve that than to go with the LSX platform. The new heart of the rare Camaro was created by Scott Sublet of PIG

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■ The PIG Motorsports-built 440 inch LS started with a Dart LS Next block stuffed with a Callies billet crank and billet aluminum rods with custom forged pistons. LSX DR 11-degree raised runner heads are equipped with Jesel billet steel rocker arms and a GM LSX DR intake is topped with a custom elbow and Holley throttle body. A Forced Inductions 88mm Gen 3 X275 turbo resides front and center.

Motorsports, and when there’s an issue or maintenance required, he gets a call. “Although the car is our child, we refer to this motor as Scott’s child because he is very meticulous about how it runs and how it is maintained,” Kennedy added.

No “junkyard” swap here; Forrest wanted nothing but the best for Scarlett, and there’s good reason for that; “In the late 90s we would struggle to be competitive in EZ Street for numerous reasons. I remember my dad telling me when I grew up to position myself to ‘spend until you win’. Although that is not possible and certainly doesn’t guarantee success, it

was a motivator for me to go to school.”

That schooling not only kept Forrest out of trouble, but also led him to a career that would enable him to buy the Camaro and make sure that it was built to be competitive.

Rotating inside the Dart LS Next block is a Callies Ultra billet crank, billet aluminum rods and custom coated JE Racing pistons, with the final cubic inches working out to 440. A set of high-flowing LSX DR 11-degree raised runner heads with Jesel billet steel rocker arms cap off the short block and the intake manifold is also a GM LSX DR (Drag Racing) piece. www.rpmmag.com

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One look inside and there’s no mistaking that this is a Camaro

■ The rear area has been replaced with carbon fiber along with a few carbon panel inserts, the digital dash, shifter and custom covered race seats, but much of the factory interior remains.

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■ Placement of the electronics is on a raised panel on the passenger side and provides for easy access.

Note the trick glove box fastening that allows even more space to work when removed.

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Forrest’s end goal is to not only compete in, but be competitive in the X275 class, and that means running a class legal forced induction setup, and he chose turbocharging.

A Forced Inductions Gen 3 X275 88mm turbo provides boost and Jason Brazzel completed the associated piping and installation work. Being that the Z28 runs on Methanol, there’s no need for an intercooler setup and Billet Atomizer 850s supply the 440 LSX with Meth. A Holley Dominator system wired

in by Devin Vanderhoof of HCR Innovations controls the mill.

Forrest didn’t skimp out on the rest of the drivetrain or suspension either, choosing only the finest parts for the job. Byron Rabon of Cameron’s Torque Converters set him up with one of their converters and a two speed TH400 transmissions. Power runs through a Currie Enterprises fabricated 9-inch complete with gun drilled 40-spline axles and a 3.90 rear gear suspended by the aforewww.rpmmag.com

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mentioned AP Racecars updated ladder bar/coilover setup.

Another critical element in Forrest’s modernization is what Scarlett rolls on. Polished RC Components Torx reside on all four corners, with the polished finish

complementing the car’s red paint and original trim work. 17-inch front runners were used while 15s fill the rear wheelwells with Mickey Thompson rubber on all four corners. Forrest must run a 28-inch radial for his class and beadlocked

M/T 28x10.5 Pro Bracket Radials to the rears.

Maintaining that goal of “modernized classic,” much of the factory interior remains untouched.

Forrest retained the factory dash and door panels as well as the car-

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Putting the Z to work

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Forrest Kennedy’s Split Bumper Z28 Camaro

pet, however, carbon fiber now covers the rear area behind the Kirkey race seats. As expected, a Holley digital dash replaces the factory unit, and an M&M shifter sits on top of that bulletproof two-speed TH400. All safety shutoffs and fire suppression system controls are located between the driver and passenger seat, just in case.

As well as No Time “All Steel All Glass” class races, Forrest will also run an occasional outlaw street car event because, after all, it does have legal tags. At this point, he’s been in the 4.50s and the 160mph range in the 1/8th-mile, not bad for a streetcar, but he’s just getting started and looking forward to running in X275 as he becomes more competitive.

Forrest is an admitted newcomer when it comes to having a car of this caliber, but that’s ok with him, he has an excellent family and support sys-

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Forrest and Krystal Kennedy’s 1971 RS/Z28 Camaro small tire drag car Body & Paint:

Car was painted by the previous owner, Dean Brooks, about 30 years ago. Paint work to front clip after a fender bender at Darlington last year was completed by Mike Taylor in Kinston, NC. Ironically, the paint code for the car is “Scarlett Red”.

Chassis:

1971 RS/Z28 split bumper with Smith Racecraft front subframe. The cage and turbo system for the car were built by Brazzel Performance Fabrication (BPF). Recently, the ladder bar system was updated by Allan Pittman at AP race cars.

Transmission:

Cameron’s Torque Converter Services 2 speed turbo 400.

Electronics:

The engine is all controlled by a Holley Dominator system that was wired by Devin Vanderhoof with HCR Innovations.

MSD coils.

Rear:

Currie Enterprises fabricated 9 inch with gun drilled 40 spline axles and a 3.90 gear ratio.

Suspension:

Wheels/Tires:

Engine:

Interior:

Stock style front suspension with Smith Racecraft control arms, rack and pinion, etc. Ladder bar rear suspension. Menscer Shocks, TBM Brakes on all four corners.

440 inch LS next block with LSX-DR 11-degree raised runner heads with Jesel billet steel rocker arms. The engine was built and is maintained by Scott Sublet with PIG motorsports. Callies Ultra billet crank and billet aluminum rods. Billet Atomizer 850 injectors along with a GM LSX DR intake.

Power Adder:

Forced Inductions Gen 3 x275 turbo (88mm).

RC Components Torx with Mickey Thompson tires all around.

Generally run a 28x10.5 Pro Bracket Radial because that tire seems to be more forgiving on marginal surfaces.

Kept as much of the factory interior as possible. It has a factory dash, door panels, and carpet. It has two race seats and the area behind the seats is carbon fiber. M&M shifter and all of the engine parameters are monitored via a Holley dash.

ET/MPH:

4.50s at low 160mph so far, more to come!

Wins/Milestones:

We got my first ever win recently at Woodstock 2021 in the All Steel All Glass category.

Special Thanks: There are so many people who help me with this car, I am almost afraid to try to name them all. Here is a short rundown: Krystal Kennedy (my wife)– Krys loves this car and drag racing just as much as me, we are a team in everything we do! How many people can say their wife helps take their race car apart and put it together on a regular basis?

Bruce Kennedy (my dad) – for helping me in any way possible and getting me into the sport of drag racing to start with. I grew up watching dad race. He is at all my races and we race his car together locally!

Devin Vanderhoof – Holley EFI/tuning…

Devin is my mentor in drag racing (I lack experience). He tunes the car but in reality he is much more than that. I called Devin about 2 years ago as he was recommended to me by a mutual friend to wire the car. Little did I know he would become one of my very best friends and someone I talk to nearly every day.

Scott Sublet – Scott provides me with more horsepower than I can use and does an inspec-

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tion on the car from front to back each time it is loaded to go to a race track. I wouldn’t be racing if it wasn’t for Scott. Whenever the car is apart Scott puts the engine together, puts the car together, starts the car and inspects everything. After he gives it his stamp of approval his favorite line is “the motor is fine, don’t call me unless it kicks the rods out.”

Jason Brazzel – Jason does tons of fabrication and work on this car along with dealing with all my nagging. When he doesn’t do things to suit my timeline I call his wife and tattle.

Allan Pittman – For being one of the best chassis guys in the business and dealing with me and all my random projects.

John Dougthery with LS Nasty – John does a lot for me behind the scenes particularly with getting parts and media exposure, check us out on the LS Nasty youtube page.

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Landon Schertzinger – Landon’s Performance Diesel. Landon is a childhood friend who supports this team in many ways…the sponsor who always calls asking if I need money, who does that? I appreciate everything he does.

Byron Rabon – Cameron’s Torque Converter Services for building the best converters in drag racing and being an awesome friend.

Kenny and Heidi Barker – Kenny and Heidi come to every race and even come to my house and work on this car while I’m at work.

They never expect anything in return and are a very important part of this team!

Les and Melissa Gray, Josh Holloman, Travis McCormack, Terrell Cherry (polishing), Ron Rhodes, Corey Stamper (Spooled Media).

■ From left to right: Krystal Kennedy, Forrest Kennedy, Bruce Kennedy, Heidi Barker, Kenny Parker, Travis McCormack and Bubs Barker.

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tem willing to help as needed.

“I am a prime example of how sitting in a classroom forever does not yield you life skills,” added Kennedy. “When I purchased this car I had no idea how to load it or strap it down on a trailer. Needless to say I have learned a lot in my few

years racing but I have a very long way to go.” With such a positive outlook towards his goals, there’s no doubt that we’ll see Forrest, Krystal and Scarlett Fever in the winner’s circle of an X275 event soon enough.

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It’s not uncommon to see the wheelie bars set high on Don Erwin’s “One Trick Pony” 1965 Mustang Fastback. After all, he didn’t earn the nickname “Showtime” for rolling with the crowd.

A veteran car guy and drag racer, Erwin has owned this car since 1984 and has become quite well known at the tracks he runs, if not for his wheelstands and prowess behind the wheel (of any of his 3 cars), then surely because of the incredible paint scheme on this Mustang – half of it is red and white, and the other half is white and red.

Wait a minute, isn’t that the same color combo? Ah, but it is absolutely not. In probably what is one of the more original looks we’ve seen, Erwin opted to reverse the dominant color from one side of the car to the other, and here’s the rub – even though you know that one side of

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The unique and very cool color scheme for the Mustang was not only the brainchild of owner Don Erwin, but he did the work, too! It’s amazing how our brains work….when you look at each side of the car separately it looks like a different car.

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The latest iteration of the Fastback’s power is a stout 9.5 deck 351W based small block with Yate heads that is stroked to 393 inches. A monster F3 ProCharger centrifugal supercharger sits low up front, in fact the placement necessitated minor surgery to the original front crossmember.

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the car is the opposite, try watching a run from one side and then the other. Your brain’s first response is to think it’s a different car! Then reality kicks in a split second later and the cool factor really sets in.

Self-employed with his own auto repair business, it didn’t take Don long to start modifying the car the way he wanted it. Going through various combinations over the years, he would eventually be hitting the drag strip with a stick-shifted wheel-standing naturally aspirated 351W based combination in 2015. It wasn’t as though Erwin was new to the strip, though, as he has been drag racing since 1973.

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You might say that Don has his game on when it comes to racing...

In fact, he is 10-time track Champion at Ozark International Raceway Park, held the track record for ET and MPH off and on for 10 years in the True Ten 5 class and was inducted into the Southwest Drag Racing Hall of Fame in 2016.

So you might say that Don has his game on when it comes to racing.

Wanting “more” for the Fastback, Erwin would step up to a monstrous 632 big block, but that still wouldn’t quench his thirst for power. More recently, with the continuing itch to go quicker and faster, he went

It’s pretty much all racecar inside the Fastback, with very little original equipment left aside from the dash pad. Red cage bars snake throughout the interior and the original floor and custom tin work is covered in bright red carpet. A digital display is inset in the dash face and electronics are neatly laid out near the passenger kick panel with a full 2 row switch array mounted within easy reach above the driver.

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all-in to capitalize on the Mustang’s appealing looks with a hardcore big power small block boosted combination that would take the Fastback to a whole new level.

Chassis wise, the car has been backhalved while keeping the front frame relatively intact, and if you look closely you can make out the original front frame sections amid the sea of chassis bars. Along with that, the car retained its body tub, firewall, doorjambs and even the stock floor to the rear of the doors, so it really is a true 1965 Mustang, which is becoming a scarce sight these days. Erwin credits Mark Werdehusen of TYDO Race Cars for all of the chassis and cage work along with wiring and plumbing

the car.

So what’s the story on the paint?

As it turns out not only did Don come up with the unique paint design for the car, but he also did the paint work himself. Have a closer look; it really is remarkable how the Mustang looks like a different car from one side to the other.

Thanks to the chassis and suspension work, the Mustang sits low and mean. The custom rear chassis is complimented by a fabricated and heavily fortified “TYDO” Ford 9-inch with 3.89 gears that is suspended by a coilover 4-link setup with antiroll bar. Up front, tubular control arms with struts and rack and pinion steering were used, and for the most recent build, in order

WATCH IT RUN...CLICK HERE NOW!

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Down Erwin’s 1965 Mustang Fastback small tire drag car Chassis Type & Mods: Body:

Composite front end and doors, original doorjambs, firewall, and floor to the back of the doors. Paint completed by owner.

Chassis & Suspension /Modifications:

1965 original car that was back-halved and has stock front frame rails. Full cage. Front suspension is struts with tubular control arms and rack & pinion steering. Rear is custom 4-link coilover with anti-roll bar. Mark Werdehusen of TYDO Race Cars completed all of the chassis and cage work.

Engine:

SBF 351 Windsor, 9.5 deck, stroked to 393 inches.

Forged stroker rotating assembly. Yates heads Eldelbrock/Glidden intake and Mark Sullens

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blow-through dominator style E85 carb.

Power Adder:

F3 Procharger, SuperCharger Store overdrive.

Transmission:

Built Powerglide with a Neal Chance converter.

Rear Differential:

Fabricated 9-inch with 3.89 gears.

Tires & wheels:

Weld Racing stars with Mickey Thompson tires.

Strange brakes.

to make room for the massive ProCharger, a portion of the original front crossmember was sacrificed.

Exact details on the new power combination are slim – Don doesn’t want to give away too much – but we can tell you that it is a small block 9.5-inch deck Ford 351 Windsor based mill stroked to 393 cubic inches. A forged rotating assembly and top secret custom grind roller cam designed for boost were packed into the aftermarket block.

A set of the mighty Yates heads with all the goodies were studded in place and a matching Edelbrock/Glidden 2868 intake capped by a Mark Sullens blow-through E85 carb and Extreme Velocity Pro Series hat top things off. An F3 ProCharger with Supercharger Store overdrive takes care of adding boost to the package and a tricked out Powerglide with Neal Chance converter send power rearward.

Struts with tubular a-arms and rack & pinion steering were used up front with the factory frame sections and a custom 4-link/coilover setup suspends the TYDO fabricated 9-inch rearend in the rear of the Mustang. www.rpmmag.com

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Don Erwin with his “One Trick Pony” 1965 Fastback Mustang.

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Inside the car, there is very little original Mustang equipment left.

The floor, custom trans tunnel and rear tin work are carpeted in bright red, which is the theme throughout.

The cage is painted to match as is the original dash pad which is fitted with a digital display screen to transfer vital signs to the driver. A billet pistol grip Hurst shifter controls gear changes and Don resides in a color coordinated race seat.

As of this writing, the new combination has seen testing, however no full power or competitive passes have been made, but we’re sure when the Mustang does make a full hit that it will be in the usual Showtime Don Erwin fashion…pedal down, wheels up and hang on!

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This particular build involves a fiberglass body that has been beaten to death for almost 60 years, not to mention crashed at 160 mph...

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I

t’s slow going on the Red Bull rebuild, but good things do take time. In our last instalment, we were mounting electronics, the shifter and various other necessary components. We return this month with more progress but in a different area, the body. The Red Bull has been a race car since 1966, so we are sure it’s had some bumps and bruises along the way and one of the toughest hurdles on a chassis car build is getting the body mounted perfectly.

This particular build involves a fiberglass body that has been beaten to death for almost 60 years, not to mention crashed at 160 mph. When literally every piece of the body is broken or cracked, this giant puzzle not only has to be put back together, but some of the pieces must be created. One good thing about fiberglass work is that it’s hard to screw up past the point of no return. If you cut something too short or break a piece, all you have to do is add it back or repair the break. The parts that we’re working with have probably been added to This is a headlight cover that was damaged in the wreck. The first step to this repair is removing all of the broken fiberglass and clean up the outer damage.

Next, some type of structure has to be in place to form the new glass that will fill the hole from the back side.

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Two small repair pieces are pre-cut.

The inner area around the damage is cleaned and scratched so that the fiberglass can have a nice base to attach itself to.

After the glass has hardened, the mold can be removed, revealing a good base to add more fiberglass and body filler to make it look new again.

or repaired several times during their lifetime as part of a Corvette body, and we’re about to do it again.

Other than the new front end, donated by Keen Parts and Tom Keen, the rest of the body, like the rear section, convertible hard top and doors will be repaired and put back into place. One of the toughest things on this car is completing the fiberglass work to ensure all of the door gaps are correct and extending some of the fiberglass parts to fit and look the way I want them to – it is very time consuming. The Chassis Doctor actually mounted the Keen Parts front end and built the tree up front that supports and holds the front end on the chassis, however, as Jay (Chassis Doctor) didn’t have all the parts he needed to mount everything perfectly, he worked with what he had and made sure everything worked together as best as possible. There were a few changes made to the windshield frame, so unfortunately most of the Doctor’s front end mounting tabs had to be redone. The Chassis has also been stretched 4 inches so the fender had to have quite a bit added to get the right fitment.

Mounting the body can be really tricky; if the front and rear section of the body aren’t right, the doors ar-

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It’s a simple process really. Adding and subtracting. Fiberglass will be added then removed it fill in the pieces that were broken. First the door is prepared and cleaned.

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All of the broken glass is removed with a grinder. This will create several low spots on the face side of the door that will be addressed after a good base is layered onto the backside.

There were cracks on the inside as well that needed attention. They were cleaned and ground down and prepped the same way as the front.

Just like the headlight cover, there has to be some type of structure to keep the new fiberglass somewhat straight. A scrap piece of sea deck was used to form the new fiberglass being added. This may seem primitive, but it works!

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After about 30 min, we’ve got a good base to work with. en’t going to be right, so, I started at the rear body and placed it where I thought it should be and proceeded forward. Next, I had to make some small mounting adjustments to the doors and after some fiberglass repairs they fit perfectly. Last on the list were the front fenders. I added about 4 inches to both fenders where they mate up with the doors. I’ll get the door gaps pretty close and come back later when I do the body work and shape the gaps the way I want them. Once the rear section and doors were good, the fenders fell right into place and were secured down. The last and easiest piece to extend was the hood. I simply extended the shape of the hood in the back where it meets the windshield cowl and cut it in to fit. This was a real challenge for me because I’m not a fiberglass expert, but I ended up learning a lot with the help of Quality Fiberglass’s owner and operator “Hula”.

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Finished repair! This piece is ready for some body filler.

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T

here are a number of advantages to running coil-per-cylinder ignition systems, which is exactly why you see them on every new engine rolling off the assembly lines. With today’s advanced technology, the ignition timing can be controlled to match the fuel delivery in each cylinder to result in the best performance. Thanks to advanced drivetrain management capabilities in motorsports, these advantages are being pushed to the extreme.

To keep pace with the high voltage needs of racers, the team at MSD have always been pushing the ignition envelope with new products. One of their latest systems, the Smart Coil Big Wire Kit offers a number of different advantages that we’ll dwell on for a bit, (you’ll get our pun shortly.)

But first, let’s answer the two most common question about this new

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coil-per-cylinder performance ignition coil set: What exactly is a Smart Coil and how does increasing dwell time affect spark output?

To understand the intelligence level of coils, we need to review a coil’s function and explain dwell time. An ignition coil consists of two sets of windings placed around an iron core.

The primary winding is made up of

a thicker wire with fewer turns while the secondary set of windings is a finer wire wound very tightly. This is where you get the term “turns ratio”; the comparison of the secondary windings to the primary, such as 100:1 or 80:1.

Low voltage with higher current is carried through the primary windings which produces a magnetic field when the circuit is closed, but when opened (triggered) the magnetic field collapses inducing a very high voltage with lower current into the secondary windings. These windings are connected to the spark plug terminal of the coil which then leads this high voltage through the plug wire and across the electrode of the spark plug. Whether a standard ‘dumb’ coil, or ‘smart’ coil, they each share this common make up of a primary and secondary winding set along with an

Check out what a difference an increase in dwell can make:

As the dwell time is increased (X-axis), note the increase in spark energy output (Y-axis) compared to a competitors IGN-1A coil. At 5-milliseconds, the MSD coil puts out 132mJ compared to the other coil at 105mJ.

iron core.

Dwell time refers to the amount of time that a coil has to build the magnetic field through the primary windings. In the old days, setting the breaker points of a distributor allowed you to lengthen the amount of ‘charge’ time before the distributor triggered the next cylinder, (Which is why Accel and Mallory offered Dual Point distributors). With a standard inductive ignition system, the longer the dwell time, the higher output could be achieved. However, one must keep in mind that as engine rpm increases, the amount of time between each firing of the coil is reduced which adversely affects the amount of voltage the coil has time to create. And on an 8-cylinder engine with a single coil ignition, there wasn’t much time to charge between firings.

Thanks to coil-per-cylinder tech-

The dwell increase also affects the voltage output with the MSD coil coming out on top consistently. nology, an inductive coil has a lot more time (eight times more) to charge between firings compared to a single coil system. Plus, with MSD’s smart coil technology and Holley’s advanced EFI technology, you can control the dwell time of the coil to increase the spark output.

A Smart Coil has the same basic winding design to convert a low voltage to a high voltage (at the expense of current) but the addition of a PC board with an Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) will provide quick switching and efficiency. This is where the coil is deemed smart as

it can regulate its current while being able to handle higher voltage and energy. With these built-in features, MSD’s Smart coils are perfect for use with the advanced dwell control adjustments that can be made through Holley’s Dominator or Terminator X EFI controllers.

MSD’s new Smart Coil Big Wire Kit allows you to tune the dwell time of each coil to over five milliseconds.

That allows each coil to produce up to 190 milliJoules of spark energy along with a peak of 50,000 volts. The initial blast of voltage jumps the plug gap while the spark energy is what really

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ignites the fuel mixture to achieve full combustion of the fuel mixture (even with loads of boost or nitrous).

An important part of MSD’s Smart Coil Big Wire kit is that the harnesses supplied use a much heavier gauge wire to handle the increased current that each coil demands under hardcore performance use. The harnesses are labeled for use with GM and Ford

cylinder banks, as well as for universal installations. The harness is a direct connection with 7-pin connector for the ECU and plugs for each of the coils, commonly referred to as IGN1A coils. The coils are compatible with 12 or 16 volt systems and operate with a max of 17 volts. MSD’s coils feature elongated mounting holes so they will fit in place of popular LS en-

gine style coils.

If you’re running extremely high cylinder pressures, the Smart Coil Big Wire Kit could be the advantage you’ve been looking for. Being able to increase the dwell time gives each coil a considerable boost in output which can make the difference between a misfire or a power-producing combustion event and power stroke.

One of the most important parts to this kit is the beefy gauge wires. With the longer dwell time and increased current to the coils, the thicker wire ensures the coil gets a full dose of current and voltage.

MSD’s IGN-1A Coils feature a machine mounting pattern that allows them to easily be installed in place of common LS1-LS7 coils.

They also will bolt directly to Holley’s cast aluminum LS valve covers with 72mm spacing.

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