Tubbed 2014 summer full by TUBBED

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The Original Air Suspension Company...Since1996 Air Ride Technologies president Bret Voelkelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1970 Mustang launched the company in 1996. Now as RideTech, we manufacture a complete line of premium coil-overs, control arms, and suspension systems

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE

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DEPARTMENTS On the Throttle

8 10

Out of the Groove

Racer’s Library

First Round PCK

ProRender

ProNography

DAYTON SCRAPER

Back in the Day

Tubbed Life

Gary Buckles’ smooth Camaro still defines cool after over two decades by Toby Brooks

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COVER CAR

Members’ Rides

116

CONNECT www.tubbedmagazine.com | 806.781.8482

50 |

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FEATURE CAR

LABEL SHAKER

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Rich & Kathy Bryant’s cool twin turbo ’65 Chevelle is anything but your typical old pro streeter by James William

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68 | STAFF

FEATURE CAR

SERIOUSLY?!?!

PUBLICATION

Look again. Robert Carrasca’s insane big block Chevy has a super cool ’87 Chevy Sprint on it. by Toby Brooks

ART

88 |

Toby & Christi Brooks....................................Publishers John Bechtel................................................Contributor Matt & Debbie Hay......................................Contributors Brian Stupski................................................Contributor James William..............................................Contributor

Toby Brooks.................................................Art Director John Baechtel..........................................Photographer John Jackson...........................................Photographer Chris Kays................................................Photographer Ceasar Maragni........................................Photographer

EVENTS

CLASS REUNION

Legends, has-beens, new blood, and remarkably fewer Illinois State Troopers converge on the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds for an encore performace of the new and improved Street Machine Nationals. by James William

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TUBBED represents a new era in automotive print magazines. We are actively growing the brand and eager to help promote business that support the incurable condition of pro street in the blood. Contact Toby at 806-781-8482 today to find out just how affordable new media can be!

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PROJECT BUILD

THE SECOND COMING OF PRO STREET Stinking Craigslist bites me in the rear quarter panels again. by Toby Brooks

ON THE COVER

Okay, okay, so maybe it is a little cliché to put a Camaro on the cover of a pro street magazine. Arguably more Camaros have been tubbed than any other car in history. Even more importantly, Gary Buckles’ timeless ’71 is about as slick and tasty of an example as we’ve ever seen. Photos for this incredible feature were shot and provided courtesy of John Jackson and NotStock Photography. We hope you enjoy, and it isn’t totally cliché—it isn’t even red. TUBBED Magazine is published quarterly by Chaplain Publishing, a division of NiTROhype Creative, 3104 CR 7520, Lubbock, Texas, 79423, phone 806.781.8482. Contents may not be reproduced without consent of the copyright owner. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means electronically or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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TUBBED Magazine is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, articles, photographs, or artwork. To submit information, photos, or stories or for advertising inquiries please contact TUBBED Magazine at 806.781.8482, via email at admin@tubbedmagazine.com, or via the TUBBED Magazine website at www.tubbedmagazine.com.

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Throttle

ON THE TOBY

BROOKS

ALL BECAUSE OF A DRAG RACE.

BARN FIND This photo, circa 1980-something, shows my dad replacing the quarters on our old ’72 Nova from within the dark and dank confines of our shop/ barn. I wish I would have paid more attention, but I was too busy installing the fake braided hoses and anodized valve covers. Sharon Brooks photo

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our eyes are now trained on the first editorial in the first full issue of TUBBED Magazine. I’d be lying to you if I said this has been anything short of a crazy three-plus year whirlwind to get me to this point. You’ll get to read all about it in coming issues, but rest assured that life as I know it is dramatically different today than it was just five short years ago. All because of a drag race. Like many of you, I grew up in the 1980s. I spent my summer months riding my three-wheeler and daydreaming about two things: girls and cars. My regular reading progressed from Dirt Wheels to CarToons and finally to Hot Rod and Car Craft with an occasional Super Chevy and Popular Hot Rodding thrown in for good measure. In my world, heroes seemed to be in short supply in the ’80s; however, I always had at least one. My dad is the hardest working guy I have ever met. With little formal education and next to no support from home, he managed to bootstrap himself into a skilled mechanic who could fix pretty much anything that consisted of parts. Although he spent most of his days wrenching on huge earthmovers— dozers, haul trucks, draglines, and the like—at a coal mine in Southern Illinois, he spent his scant free time working on street machines at home. In the first mini-issue of TUBBED, I wrote about the first Pro Street car

my dad ever owned—a silky-smooth ’66 Nova with a narrowed 12-bolt and a warmed-over small block. It wasn’t radical or blown or adorned with a ton of unnecessary race-gear. But it was cool. Over time, I helped my dad restore a 1972 Nova SS street machine and build a ’67 Nova Pro Streeter with a B&M MegaBlown small block and twin Holley four-barrels. As college approached, he helped me build nearly a half dozen sport trucks, too. Time spent turning wrenches together is therapeutic. It can forge a bond between father and son in a way few other things can. And in addition to attending the Street Machine Nationals each summer in Du Quoin, there was one other thing we enjoyed: NHRA drag racing. Garlits and Amato. The Snake and the Mongoose. Cha Cha and Kalitta. The Professor and Glidden. The list could go on for days. So did the wait. In a pre-internet era, it would take weeks to see old coverage on TNN, often sandwiched between episodes of World of Outlaws and swamp buggy races. Am I the only one who remembers the impending doom awaiting backwoods Floridians who spent too long in the ’Sippi Pit? The smooth baritone of Steve Evans and the capable color of Brock Yates called the action on each week’s episode of American Sports Cavalcade. We loved the drags the most by far. It was all the stuff my dad had been teaching me about cranks and rods, intakes and headers, and tires and wheels taken to their unabashed and glorious extremes. And I loved it. I watched as often as I could. While

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LIFE’S A DRAG After years of watching NHRA events on television, my dad and I first attended an event in person together in 2009. We were hooked. Here, my son Taye, mom Sharon, and dad Jim take in the 2010 Midwest Nationals in St. Louis. Now that I live in Texas, my daughter Brynnan and wife Christi join Taye and I to attend the Dallas event every year.

my friends spouted off statistics about the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Bears, I could tell you how Bruce Allen and the Chevys had been faring against Glidden and the Fords. Although we never made it to a national event in person, it was something my dad and I could share. As time went on, we grew apart both geographically and ideologically. As an arrogant college kid, I thought I knew everything. I’m not proud of the fact that over time, my contact with Dad dwindled. Things never got ugly, mind you. It just wasn’t the same. He was still working. I was spending another nine years in college pursuing college and career all over the country. It seemed like we just had nothing in common. Determined to do something about it, I considered ways of reconnecting with Dad. We probably hadn’t voted for the same guy in an election in the past decade. He was union and I was company. I had stooped so low as to spend my three-hour daily commute in a Honda Civic (it was at least a 200hp Si model, but still…). What in the world could we do? And then it hit me: a drag race. I went to the NHRA website and started checking the schedule. It looked like there was a race coming up in a few weeks in Indy—a relatively short three-hour drive from my parents’ house. I phoned Dad to ask if he wanted to go. He said he was game, so I ordered up two tickets. We arrived on Sunday to the 2009 U.S. Nationals not really knowing what to expect. My dad had followed the sport semi-regularly after I had

left home, but I hadn’t. Antron Brown had just swept the Western Swing—a feat only accomplished seven other times in NHRA history—but I couldn’t have told you what class he raced in. Heck, I couldn’t have picked him out of a lineup. I had never heard of the guy. We settled into our seats in the bleachers just as the nitro funny cars were gearing up for their third qualifying session of the weekend. Two crews from teams I didn’t recognize went through their final routines before priming the injectors and prodding 8,000 angry horses awake from their brief slumber. The unexpected concussion of the initial start-up punched me in the face as if to say, ‘This ain’t television anymore, junior.’ A modest breeze brought the sharp, hot odor of a quartet of fat roasted Goodyears to our nostrils just about the time the spent nitromethane hit our sclera, causing us both to immediately well with tears. The manly answer is that nitro fumes are caustic and cause the eyes to water, but in retrospect they might as well have been tears of joy. Just like that, a man and his boy sat shoulder to shoulder, enjoying what could have been one of the last things on Earth they still had in common. And it was AWESOME. Incredible weekend of reconnecting with my old man aside, the experience did something else, too. It changed me. I became a fan of NHRA drag racing again overnight.

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My own family and I watched the races on ESPN and I could talk results with my parents on Mondays (turns out my mom was at least as big a fan as my dad). The whole thing got me curious, too. If I could re-live my childhood memories sharing drag racing with Dad, maybe we could go to a big car show, too. Sure, the Street Machine Nationals were no longer in Du Quoin, but maybe we could go somewhere else. After doing a little digging, the idea to write my book, Sensory Overload, was born. Fast-forward to 2014 and things with my dad are as good as they have ever been. We’ve agreed not to talk politics anymore, but we can talk cars any time. The Street Machine Nationals are not only back in Du Quoin, but there are talks of a multi-year deal on the horizon. I have started working with RPM Magazine, launched TUBBED, and the NPSA. On top of that, I am in the process of building the wildest late-model Mustang the world has ever seen. I wouldn’t change a thing. My only regret was that it took so long. But I can honestly say that my life’s course changed sharply on that single beautiful August afternoon at Lucas Oil Raceway. Take it from me. Take your kid to a drag race. It just might change his or her life, too.

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Groove

OUT OF THE

CAR GUY (AND GAL) DENOMINATIONS

readers, fully understand what separates the various “denominations” of those who revere the auto with near-religious fervor. Here’s the best we could do, with obvious biases toward our beloved fat-tire crowd. These stereotypes may exist only in my mind, but don’t get mad...it is all in good fun! Enjoy!

OBJECTIVE:

TYPICAL TRADEMARK LOOK:

TYPICAL FAN/ BUILDER:

PREFERRED POWER:

INTERIOR:

TYPICAL ATTIRE/ PERSONAL LOOK:

Drag race performance with show car looks

Do-it-all road performance with show car looks

High-tech road race

Big-n-little tires, something bulging/poking through/ otherwise altering the hood in some way

Huge wheels with low profile tires, slammed stance

Ultra-low wagon-lik exhaust, g inspired g

40-something and up middle class. Grew up listening to hair metal

40-50-something middle to upper class. Prefers classic rock

20-someth up listenin

High cube, multi-power adder old-school Detroit muscle

Exotic and-or late-model domestic power with EFI

Anything cylinders i winding im

Modern luxury interior with AC, power windows, etc.

Multi-colo lots of LE tech gadge

Polo or button down shirt with khakis

Beiber ha cargo shor

Minimalistic race-inspired interior, typically with roll cage

Old drag racing or ’80s hair metal concert t-shirt and jeans

RANDOM PRO STREET FACT: Adjusted for inflation, Rick Dobbertin’s Pontiac J-2000 (built in 1986) represented an investment of $615,000 in labor and over $82,000 in parts.

ne Tu

o Pr

in g

e here at TUBBED are lovers of all things automotive. That said, there is no denying the fact that we car guys and gals are some clique-ish folk. This being our first issue and all, we thought it might be educational (and fun) to try to help you, our

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RANDOM EYE CANDY Ron Bookman’s wicked pro street ‘Dart Vader’ graced the July cover of RPM Magazine. Check it out when you stop drooling.

Dr ag

Louis Fronkier photo courtesy of RPM Magazine

h import power with handling

Go hard. Go fast. Get there first.

Scab crap together and pretend you’re cool for doing it

profile tires, log ke ride, fart can garish corporategraphics

Speed by any means necessary, preferably with garish corporate graphics (otherwise you’re paying for the weekend out of your own pocket!)

Garage-sale-garbage-meets-junkyardfunction. Rat rodder lingo for “horrible, you-should-be-ashamed-ofit-paint-finish” is “patina.”

hing college kid. Grew ng to boy bands

50-something+ middle class. Grew up in the ’60s listening to whatever was on way back then.

Reality television and/or forum junkie who mistakes “putting things together” for creativity and craftsmanship. Probably likes listening to Disturbed.

more than four is a waste. High mport power

Bigger. More. Billet. Expensive. Build, race, break, repeat.

132 horsepower 350 Chevy with 237,000 miles that burns more oil than a two stroke chainsaw

ored race harnesses, ED lighting and highets

Seat. Steering wheel. Pedals. Chute handle. Anything else is just unnecessary weight.

Mandatory traffic sign-covering-rustedhole in floorboard. No two items alike. Always mere millimeters away from an impending electrical fire.

air with Hurley t-shirt, rts, and flip flops

Greasy t-shirt, half-on-half-off fire suit, and dirty fingernails

Affliction or Tapout t-shirt with trademark Gas Monkey goatee

RANDOM PRO STREET FACT: Major street machine magazines once collected photos and features for up to 70% of their year’s feature cars at the Street Machine Nationals.

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RACER’S JOHN

Library

BAECHTEL

SENSORY OVERLOAD: Hot Cars, Cool Builders, and Wild Times at the Street Machine Nationals

oby Brooks’ new book about the history of the Street Machine Nationals reveals the intimate background of a simple car show that blossomed into a full-blown cultural phenomenon; spawning the still popular Pro Street movement and multiple generations of dedicated gearhead followers. With endless research and considerable insight, Brooks’ investigative skills probe the inner workings of America’s favorite car show; a wildly popular event event whose loyal fans followed year after year as it was thrown out of city after city for the inexcusably rowdy behavior of a few participants and legions of locals who seized the opportunity to run amuck and ruin everyone’s fun. Effectively “The people’s car show,” the Street Nats presented an unprecedented venue for the “little guy” to shine and drive his personal automotive statement amongst his peers. Heroes and surprisingly competent car builders emerged. Everyone was welcome and everyone was treated well. Basic bolt-on machines shared the stage with glittering Pro Street supercars, some

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built by enterprising teenagers who would go on to become some of the nation’s top car builders. Brooks dissects the management and political turmoil that ultimately saw Petersen Publishing and Car Craft Magazine turn over management and control to the Special Events show management company while retaining exclusive rights to show coverage in the magazines. Competently managed by publisher Harry Hibler, the CC staff and outsourced assistants, the show’s liability issues ultimately became too much for Petersen’s narrowly focused attorney who urged it’s dismissal. After the exchange, Special Events grew the show to phenomenal proportions and stabilized its location at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in DuQuoin where it seemingly flourished except for the inevitable rowdiness of local punks and the sinister specter of a self-centered Petersen executive VP who conspired to sabotage the show and steal it back under his own control. Much to his credit, Brooks reveals how Special Events was blindsided by John Dianna who withdrew the magazine’s negotiated support and formed all new shows and cruises that never came close to matching the power and prestige of the Street Machine Nationals. Considerable stink accompanied the political subterfuge surrounding these actions as the company that founded the Street Nats sought to undermine them for profit and personal glory. Cooler heads prevailed and the charlatan VP was ultimately dismissed, but not before considerable damage had been wrought. Special Events

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THE REAL LEGENDS Our own John Baechtel was recently awarded one of seven prestigious “Nationals Champions” awards honoring the lifetime achievements of those individuals who helped make the Street Machine Nationals the finest car show in all the land over the course of portions of four decades. Seen here with fellow Nationals Champion, longtime Car Craft staffer, and all-around great guy Jeff Smith (left), John proudly displays the award given by the good folks at Family Events at this year’s SM Nats. Special thanks to Matthew Louck and crew for helping to pull the entire ceremony together. Rumor has it the pair put the golf cart seen in the background through its paces in the back 40 at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds just for old time’s sake.

Toby Brooks photo using John Baechtel’s camera :)

shifted gears, changing their name to Family Events and throwing themselves into promoting and rebranding the event. No company was better equipped to handle this task and the event quickly regained its legendary stature. Economic instability and damage inflicted by local thugs and nonbelievers who continued to tar the event’s good name at every venue ultimately led to its demise. Loyal fans were devastated. Brooks chronicles these times and the subsequent 2013 resurrection with writing skills that make this writer feel hopelessly inadequate. He devotes most of the book to the legendary car builders who surfaced and flourished under the Street Nats umbrella. That would include humble superstars like Scott Sullivan, Rick Dobbertin, Matt and Debbie Hay, Rocky Robertson, Rich Gebhardt, Mark Grimes, Troy Trepanier, Al Hinds, Bret Voelkel and the thousands of car builders who spent their winter months tirelessly laboring over their machines with a singular goal in mind: to show up and show off at the Street Machine Nationals. Personal interviews and back stories of prominent builders fill the book along with a center section packed with photos revealing the flavor and spirit of the event. Even with 268 pages there isn’t much room for everyone who contributed to or gained stardom local or otherwise. Still, the author manages to credit all the right people and recognized the legion of attendees whose cars form the core of the mother of all car shows. Anyone who grew up with the Street Nats will appreciate this

book. It should be required reading for all car enthusiasts. While it focuses on the event and its superstars, it also elevates the relevance of ordinary Joes whose economic circumstances limit the extent of modifications to their personal street machine. Thus a shiny Mustang or Challenger with little more than a zoomy set of wheels and a Holley four barrel can park right next to the baddest car on the fairgrounds and they all interact like the greatest of friends; a fraternity of car crafters hell bent on sharing and enjoying their cars. The title “Sensory Overload” is clearly appropriate. Anyone attending a Street Nats event is immediately overwhelmed by a sea of outrageous street machines as far as the eye can see. Street car heaven if you will and everyone’s a player. Great book. Get it, own it, treasure it. It’s one of a kind, just like your personal street machine. See you at the Nats. Paperback: 268 pages Publisher: Chaplain Publishing (2013) Language: English ISBN: 97809883532-2-0 Available: http://www. streetmachinereunion.com/sensoryoverload

John Baechtel is former editor of both Hot Rod and Car Craft magazines and currently owns and operates Landspeed Media Group. His newest site, Hot Rod Engine Tech (www. hotrodenginetech.com) is a fantastic source of information for any high performance engine builder. He is a regular contributor to TUBBED Magazine. Check him out at www.johnbaechtel.com or contact him at http://hotrodenginetech.com/contact/.

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FIRST ROUND DARE TO BE... JUST LIKE THE OTHER GUY

was young when Pro Street hit. In fact, I was in grammar school the year that Scott Sullivan turned out his blue ’67 Nova, and as cool as that car remains, I was even younger when I caught my first glance at a tubbed car. While the nerd in me recalls 1977 as being the year of Star Wars, the gearhead in me still has flashbacks of sitting at the barbershop, and seeing Steve Lisk’s ’71 Challenger in an issue of Hot Rod Magazine. That car put a crease in my brain, and inspired a dream to one day cruise a Hemi-powered Challenger on Woodward (a dream realized last Summer). Some kids wanted to have an X-wing or the Millennium Falcon; I wanted that red Dodge. I bring that up simply to underscore the effect that tubbed vehicles in general have had, and continue to have on me. There’s something that lies far beyond the cool factor of stuffing a pair of huge meats under a car and a built engine between the fenders…It’s a creative challenge to craft a vehicle that certainly pays homage to the Pro Stock look, but to make a statement. A statement as old as hot rodding itself. You can hear that statement translated in any number of ways, but it boils down to the same thing every time: “Dig Me.” Pro Street never was a style for the timid, or the guys who were looking to blend in. It seemed to attract the guys who were near that fringe; the guys who saw the muscle car era fade, the Street Freak fad come and go, and certainly weren’t into the whole “sporty car” thing. Pro Street would fill the roster with fun, slightly nutty and inventive guys who understood what it took to stand out, and they were the guys you’d want hanging

around in your garage. These guys were KISS in a field of The Eagles and Bad Company. In hindsight, the whole damned thing was destined to play out as it did. By the mid-1980s, the look had caught on, and, as if overnight, that bad-ass car with the blower was no longer the hit of the cruise. Tubbed cars took their place at the top of the food chain, and within a few years, anything was fair game for the treatment. No longer was that TriFive Chevy within the blower the king of the cruise night. Tubbed cars were clawing their way to the top of the food chain. As is the case with car guys, one-upmanship became the order of the day, and soon, there was a sea of tubbed rides, running the gamut from full tube chassis cars to street rods to station wagons. As an artist, designer, and engineering aficionado, a tubbed car will always hold a high level of fascination for me. Not a day goes by that I don’t build my dream Pro Streeter in my head, plotting the subtle details, planning the paint, and seeking ways to make the car not only a visual festival of bad-assery, but a comfortable ride, capable of pulling its own weight from venue to venue. A unique, fun car that pays homage to its roots, yet thumbs its nose at the sea of cookiecutter, catalog-built so-called “ProTouring” cars that feature little more than the flavor of the day “cool” parts. Looking back on that creative challenge I had mentioned earlier, I ask you to consider the engineering and finesse it required to make a tubbed, fat-tired car live on a public road, and handle and ride in a manner that makes you WANT to drive it. Yeah, it’s a lot more work than bolting in a prefabbed suspension system (not denouncing

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PCK

BRIAN

STUPSKI

PROBLEM CHILD CUSTOMS STUDIO

that at all…we live in a wondrous time! Imagine trying to explain to a younger you that one day you’d be able to purchase a full performance chassis, or a repop Mustang body, or an 1100-HP engine from a catalog!), or banging out another same-old, same-old Camaro on 18s and 19s with an identical parts list as the eleven others you’ll park alongside at the next show, but give a moment to consider how cool that would be! You’d be met with one engineering challenge after the next, but the payoff would be tremendous. And that is why we strive so hard to build something that yells “DIG ME!” That feeling of accomplishment, and the sheer joy of learning or discovering something new, and hopefully making it work! As we witness the renewed energy surrounding Pro Street, and tubbed cars in general, I can’t help but feel a sense of responsibility as a hot rod designer to walk that line between nostalgia-fueled excitement and a level-headed, engineered approach. If we keep a steady eye on where we’ve been, we can avoid the pitfalls we’re certain to find as we lay a few wide strips of rubber down this new path. I challenge you then to go forth, and dare to build something unique and exciting for YOU, not for the trendy crowd or the judges books, and to make it fun, all with the hope of inspiring the next kid who stumbles across your car and has his mind wrinkled like the sidewall on those Sportsmans you’ll stuff under the rear.

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Render

PRO

BRIAN

STUPSKI

PROBLEM CHILD CUSTOMS STUDIO

IMPALED Brian Stupski owns and operates Problem Child Kustoms Studios in the dry-heat state of Arizona. In addition to being a suoer cool guy and a personal friend, he is one of the most sought-after automotive graphic artists in the world. Brian created this particular rendering for a street/race Impala bubbletop project. The incredible slammed stance, requisite fat rear tires, full roll cage, custom touches galore, and a hide-a-way rear wing, just for kicks make it one cool cruise missle. Quick, somebody build it!

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Nography

PRO

DO YOU REMEMBER YOUR FIRST? I do. And man, was she ever beautiful. I was eight years old when my dad came home with the first pro street car I had ever actually seen in person. Oh sure, I had seen plenty of fat-tired cars before in magazines and on television, but I had never actually seen one in the flesh. I knew what the look was all about. But when my pops rolled up in that pristine 1966 Chevy II with the widest Cragar Super Tricks and fattest Mickey Thompsons I had ever pointed my retinas at, I was immediately, totally, and completely in love. It was an infatuation that has been with me ever since.

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Nography

PRO

By all my adolescent recollections, the car was superbly well done. In addition to the narrowed 12-bolt and ladder bar backhalf, it featured a clean small block and a flawless metallic blue paint job. It even had a shaved fuel filler cap with a fake one airbrushed in its place. In retrospect, the stance and overall look was unmistakably influenced by Scott Sullivanâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a guy who would soon become a childhood

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hero of mine. Granted, the car lacked the blown big block that had helped Scott achieve near rockstar status at the 1979 Street Machine Nationals, but still, it was a period perfect representation of what pro street was all about. The car had no back seat, but I remember sitting in the carpeted floorboards for summer Saturday trips to the Dairy Queen. The combination of the monstrous 3-inch

When my pops rolled up in that pristine 1966 Chevy II, I was immediately, totally, and completely in love.

exhaust, 5:14 posi, and clunking rear suspension made for a roaring fun ride. Add in dad’s periodic stabs of the throttle to “clear the cobwebs” and I was in blissful pre-pubescent gearhead heaven. Dad would later sell the car only to regret it. What fat-tired builds or purchases have you made only to later wish you hadn’t? Let us know at admin@tubbedmagazine.com.

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Nography

PRO

DEM BONES Todd Clarkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trick Camaro sported some of the coolest graphics known to man, expertly applied by pro street legend Scott Sullivan. It also rocked a street rod-style bone leather interior installed by legendary street rod stitcher to the stars Larry Sneed, who also happens to be Clarkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s father-in-law. The street rod-meets-pro street crossover wowed the crowd in Du Quoin first in 1993. It is now owned by NPSA member Thilo Frisch from Michigan and is not for sale.

Todd Clark photos provided

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Nography

PRO

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RETURN FLIGHT Pro street legends Matt and Debbie Hay contracted the fat tire bug in a big way back at Du Quoin at the 2013 Street Machine Nationals. Not only did the likeable pair track down their legendary pro street Thunderbird, they painstakingly restored it just in time for the 2014 Nats. Rumor has it that the pair may be planning another build after taking a victory lap in the hot pink Ford. It looked as incredible as ever. Look for a full feature in the September issue of RPM Magazine.

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BACK IN MATT & DEBBIE

Day

THE

HAY

WHEN HARRY HOPPED IN

PERIOD PERFECT STREET MACHINE Pro street’s First Couple steadily built up this 1966 Mustang just as the trend was gaining momentum in the late 70s. Deb once took out a loan to help Matt score an incredible deal on some parts. The couple wasn’t even married yet. We’d say she’s a keeper, Matt! Matt & Debbie Hay photo provided

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ne of my favorite tales from back in the day occurred at the 1979 Street Machine Nationals in Indianapolis with Harry Hibler. Back in those days, when you got your registration materials, they gave you a little cardboard hang tag that you would affix to your rearview mirror. The tag was removable so that if the officials or the police caught you doing burnouts or just generally causing trouble, they’d pull your tag and eject you from the event. Without the credential, the troublemakers would be thrown out in the hopes of maintaining some semblance of order among the chaos. We were at the hotel on Shadeland Avenue in Indy on Friday night. Everyone would gather near the streets to watch the burnouts, drag racing, and other happenings. A bunch of us were sitting in the parking lot and we would line the street in lawn chairs to watch the action. My car (a 1966 Mustang) was sitting fairly close to the entrance and we thought we might take it for a cruise down the road. I fired it up and about that time there were some wicked cars doing some massive burnouts and going on down the road. Before Deb had a chance to get in the car, Harry Hibler (former Hot Rod Magazine publisher and godfather of the Street Machine Nationals) runs and jumps in the passenger seat of my car and says,

“Let’s go get that son-of-a-b____!” So I just punch it and Harry says, “No, no…you can’t do that!” Now this guy is already like three miles down the road, mind you. “No, no, take it easy!” Harry said. Now I had slicks on the car at the time, so I go cruising down at a pretty good speed. The whole time I am thinking that while I’m having a pretty good time, this is pretty crazy. I don’t want to be dropping Harry Hibler off if he’s gonna yank the guy’s tag off. This guy isn’t going to see Harry… he’s going to see me and my car. I’m thinking the guy is going to either come after me, my car, or both. We caught up with the guy, Harry jumped out and pulled his tag, and we headed back. I didn’t know Harry very well at the time, but it was still pretty surprising. Just to be safe, we ended up putting my car on watch around the clock just to make sure some burnout exhibitionist who had his credential yanked by some guy riding shotgun in my car didn’t show up in the hotel parking lot looking to enact some revenge. Matt and Debbie Hay are pro street legends who have built a number of high-profile award-winning and show stopping cars, including a wild alcohol injected blown Oldsmobile and their iconic double-blown pink Thunderbird that was crafted into a highly successful Revell scale model kit. The pair recently restored the T-bird and redebuted it at the 2014 Street Machine Nationals. They live in Chandler, Ariz. and are currently planning another game-changing late-model pro street build.

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PRO STREET MANIFESTO

e’ve been lied to. For years we’ve been told that pro street was dead. Pro street was impractical. Pro street was SO

’80s. And we bought the lie. We were all taught that pro touring had captured the throne. People were sick and tired of the fairgrounds cruisers that could barely move under their own power or haul around their multiple power adders under the weight of all that chrome and unnecessary nylon window netting. Some say Scott Sullivan, widely regarded as the father of pro street with his iconic blown and tubbed ’67 Nova, ironically also spelled the end of pro street as we knew it with his Cheez Whiz Shoebox that drove across country with Car Craft’s Jeff Smith in tow chronicling the whole awesome tale. Even though the ’55 was undoubtedly pro street, it seemed to have kicked off a revolt in the street machining world. People wanted more creature comforts in their rides. As Hot Rod Magazine so deftly noted in their description of Scott’s car in their Top 100 Rods of all time list, people were sick of polishing their cars all day and wanted, like Scott, to actually drive them. In just a decade, we went from all three of the major custom car magazines Hot Rod, Car Craft, and Popular Hot Rodding seeming to compete with one another over which pro street builds would be featured in their pages in the mid ’80s to nary a single tubbed car featured in any by the mid ’90s. Pro street had gone the way of bell bottom jeans and butterfly collars. Or at least that’s what we were told. Secretly, clandestinely, street machiners and hot rodders

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the world over still liked the style. But to own up to that fact and admit it, let alone build one, would be like jamming out to a Milli Vanilli cassette blasting on your Jensen 6x9s while rocking your acid washed jean jacket. It just wasn’t cool anymore. Or was it? As pro street’s proud papa Sullivan contended, “While pro touring is all the current rage, pro street cars will always be popular. Here’s why…correctly done, NOTHING looks more evil or badass.” I dare you to take a look at some of the iconic cars of the era and not admit they still remain, 20+ years later, the epitome of street coolness (look at this issue’s cover car, for instance). And while some forgettable trends have certainly dated a handful of those cars, such is the risk you run and the price you pay to be considered “today’s big thing.” So why would a guy who hasn’t turned a wrench on a pro street car in nearly two decades (yours truly) suddenly make it his personal goal to establish a magazine celebrating the pro street heroes and cars of yesterday, today and tomorrow? That’s a great question whose answer started nearly four years ago during some random downtime web surfing. I happened upon a now legendary thread on Yellowbullet. com. The title was simple...

CODE RED Mick Bodigon’s radical red Nova is hardcore pro street. You can see a full feature on this car in the August issue of RPM Magazine. Steven Wiggins photo

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COMEBACKER Kim Gough’s incredible Caprice wagon is an awesome tale of innovation and perseverance. You’ll be able to read all about it in the next issue of Tubbed Magazine.

Toby Brooks photos

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“I miss the good ol’ STREET MACHINE NATIONALS!” A user by the name of Superprojoe (Illinois Street Racers President Joe Carter) just happened to lament the loss of the once-king of all car shows, the Du Quoin Street Machine Nationals, held annually in June from 1986-1998 in tiny but picturesque Du Quoin, Illinois. Joe’s five-line post was initially placed in early December, 2009. Like the show itself, the thread started simply enough, but what followed was nothing short of remarkable. Within three days the thread was up to 183 posts. Within a week it was up to 475 posts. By the time I stumbled upon it, it was about ten months old and had over 1800 posts. At last check it is still going strong with over 3600 posts over the course of nearly three years, making it one of the most popular threads in the history of Yellowbullet. Perhaps what is so addictive about the thread is that folks regularly contribute stories and pictures of their experience at the show, making it a constantly changing source of information that, even if you don’t know the author, oftentimes sparks a similar memory in the dusty recesses of your own mind. It was a simpler time. And it was fun. Not content to simply read about the old show, I had to learn more. My dad had taken me to the first Du Quoin show in 1986, where an impressionable 11 yearold got his first glimpse of the custom car scene and the hook was set. I loved the show. I loved the fun times. But most of all, I loved the cars. The Yellowbullet thread brought all those old memories to the surface. It was awesome. Soon after, the book that continues in progress, Sensory Overload: Hot Cars,

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Cool Builders, and Wild Times at the Street Machine Nationals, was birthed in my brain. Work on the book included interviewing all my childhood heroes—folks like Scott Sullivan, Rocky Robertson, Matt and Debbie Hay, Rick Dobbertin, and Mark Grimes to name a few—and both assembling and pouring over nearly two decades worth of Car Craft, Hot Rod, and Popular Hot Rodding archives pieced together from hours of eBay searches. I had plastered the walls of my room with those same pages as a kid. It was reliving my childhood for the sake of the project and I was loving it. Also about that time, Southern Illinois car crafter James Smith started a Facebook fan page entitled “Bring the Street Machine Nationals back to Du Quoin, IL.” Like the Yellowbullet thread, interest in the page was remarkable. Within a few months, Smith’s page, started on a whim, had over 3000 “likes.” Local media took notice and talk of approaching Family Events Corp., the show’s longtime promoter, began to grow. I had been fortunate enough to secure an interview with Family Events founder Bruce Hubley as a part of my work on the book. I had also already spoken with Du Quoin officials who seemed genuinely interested in bringing the show back. Perhaps sticking my nose where it didn’t belong, I asked Bruce what it would take to get the show back to where I felt was its rightful place. To attempt to make a long story short, he suggested we meet at the last stop of the Hot Rod Power Tour in June in relatively nearby Arlington, Tex. Unfortunately, no Car Craft staffers were present, so Bruce suggested we meet up again in July at the modernday version of the show, the Car Craft Summer Nationals in

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We’ve been lied to, friends. It is high time we dust off the trick rides or trick rides-to-be sitting idle in our garages and start tubbing them again! Be proud of our heritage and encouraged by the possibilities that didn’t exist for others back in the day.

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Minneapolis, Minn. to talk it over and perhaps ask Car Craft staffers regarding their interest. So I bought my plane ticket and headed for the Twin Cities. While my meeting with Bruce was great and ultimately the Street Machine Nationals did return to Du Quoin in 2013, what was so eye-opening for me was the Summer Nationals show itself. I had enjoyed the Power Tour stop in Arlington in 2012 and there were certainly some gorgeous cars on-site. However, I secretly lamented that I saw exactly ONE tubbed car on the grounds. Even worse, it was sporting some ultra-wide low profile tires on 20s in the spaces where a pair of MT Sportsmans had most certainly once resided. It just wasn’t the same. It was an incredible car, but I was pretty bummed that I had grown so out of touch with the pulse of street machining. Pro touring builds are great. I love the whole idea of building a custom car you can actually drive. However, the whole pro touring scene seems, to me at least, to have forgotten its roots. What was once a revolt against impractical pro street cars you couldn’t drive or that couldn’t perform has turned into ultra high dollar cars that no one in their right mind would try to drive simply because they are so trick and expensive. Interested in a state-of-the art pro touring ride worthy of magazine notice? Bring your check book. A builder at a prominent shop told me one of their recent high end turn-key builds came with a price tag of…wait for it…nearly a HALF MILLION DOLLARS. Think the owner of that car plans to autocross it anytime soon? Me either. So I decided to see what was up at a spin-off of the old Du Quoin show, the Car Craft Summer Nationals, held annually in Minneapolis/St. Paul. In all honesty, I headed to Minnesota not expecting much. In fact, I brought |

my camera and as I prepared to enter the fairgrounds I silently thought to myself, “I’m going to take a picture of every tubbed car on the grounds today.” In my heart I knew it wouldn’t take long, but I wanted to document the few dinosaurs that remained, lurching around the fairgrounds with that unmistakable blower whine and WHOOMP….WHOOMP… WHOOMP. They’re endangered species, after all. They deserve to be captured in their natural environment before they vanish for good, right? So I thought. I could not have been prepared for what I saw next. My camera’s memory card couldn’t hold all the pics I wanted to take. Sure, there were some clapped out race cars with license plates on site, slicks and all. However, some other really cool cars—some new builds, some old—were there, too. Billy Wooten’s red Monza, still sporting a ginormous scoop way above the roofline, won an Editor’s Choice award on Saturday. A slime green Chevelle wagon with a blown and injected big block was there. And although every magazine still published had led me to believe you needed a turbo’d LS engine and huge brakes to be relevant and cool today, it hit me: PRO STREET IS STILL COOL. We’ve been lied to, friends. It is high time we dust off the trick rides or trick rides-to-be sitting idle in our garages and start tubbing them again! Be proud of our heritage and encouraged by the possibilities that didn’t exist for others back in the day. The thing is, that iconic styling, coupled with modern technology like air suspensions, modern powerplants and accessories, and high tech materials is the perfect storm. The time has never been better to build a custom car, and no custom car is really complete without a big set of steamrollers in the back. It’s time to get tubbed.

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ary Buckles didn’t set out to define or defy any trends in 1993 when he built his now-legendary 1971 Camaro pro streeter. He wasn’t aiming to be a legend of pro street and it was never his intention to achieve a near-cult following on the internet some 20 years later (heck, there really WASN’T much of an internet in 1993, anyhow). What he DID intend to accomplish was to build a silky-smooth, supercool cruiser with excellent street manners and real-world drivability in a package so subtle and sleek that the average show-goer could spend hours staring without catching every trick and tweak. We’d say mission accomplished on all objectives, both intentional and otherwise. The Dayton, Ohio resident (technically Miamisburg) and longtime Dayton/American Wheel sales and logistics guru first debuted the car in 1993 when he drove it to several shows, including the Street Machine Nationals in Du Quoin, Illinois. With no garish graphics, no loping and surging big block, and no blower-pierced hood, it was a stark contrast to the prevalent flavors of the day. However, to say the bad blue Bowtie has effectively stood the test of time is a gross understatement. “When we started building the car, I really had no idea what people would think—let alone how it would still be so popular 20 years later,” Buckles said. The car was featured prominently at the return of the Street Machine Nationals in Du Quoin in 2013, the first show back at the facility since 1998, where it drew drop-jawed looks all weekend even though it is essentially unchanged from the day Buckles debuted it some two decades prior. Save for several thousand miles, that is.

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“When we started building the car, I really had no idea what people would think—let alone how it would still be so popular 20 years later.” -Gary Buckles

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FIT TO BE TPI’d The 350 small block was pulled from an ’89 Corvette and treated to a meticulous smoothing and detailing by Jack Dunlap prior to being placed between the frame rails of the car. Besides the Summit SLP runners and a K&N filter, the engine is otherwise stock. The trick front-flip hood is motorized by a pair of stock GM power window actuators.

ALL NEW LOWS In a pre-airbag era, Buckles’ only option for the stance he wanted with practical drivability was a hydraulic setup with a pair of 6-inch cylinders mounted up front. The unique fabricated single-tube style exhaust manifolds add a cool look, especially with the contrasting Jet-Hot ceramic coating.

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And who could blame him, really? Although Buckles contributed countless hours and creative input on the build, he credits Chris Tietges of Tietges Hot Rod Garage with much of the execution. Tietges first attacked the second gen’s suspension by installing a 2x4-inch backhalf with a handcrafted stainless four-link with custom antiroll and panhard bars and a narrowed Ford 9-inch rear. The setup rides on American coilovers and employs Ford rear drum brakes. Up front, the wickedly low stance might look cool at shows, but was impractical for the regular street duty Buckles had in mind. An adjustable suspension seemed the way to go. However, Bret Voelkel and Ride Tech had not yet revolutionized street machining with air bags way back in 1993. As a result, Tietges leaned on lowrider technology and installed a pair of 6-inch hydraulic cylinders up front to get the job done. A 4-inch drop featuring a 2-inch shave to the crossmember and a pair of custom fabricated A-arms further accentuated the slam, while a pair of chromed Pete & Jake’s shocks helped smooth the ride. Factory GM discs were retained for stopping chores up front. Rolling stock for the cool cruiser consists of massive 33x21.5-15inch Mickey Thompson Sportsman rears mounted to 15x14 Boyd’s Deuce wheels and comparatively tiny P205/60R-15 BFGoodrich tires mounted to 15x6-inch Deuce billets up front. The custom sheetmetal is a study in overwhelming subtlety. Tietges coaxed and massaged nearly every panel inside and out with deft precision and artisan craftsmanship. Whether it is the 3-inch stretched nose, custom billet grille, shaved marker lamps, shaved door handles, smoothed drip rails, or custom flush-mounted 1985 Corvette taillights, the styling touches

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HAPPY COWS As the sheetmetal work continued, the build team decided it was far too nice to cover with carpet or leather, so the whole interior was smoothed and painted body color. In fact, the only upholstery of any soft can be found on the suede and leather Flofit seats and the Boydâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s billet steering wheel. Everything else is high gloss PPG Bahama Blue.

are literally everywhere. Nearly 50 gallons of mile-deep PPG Deltron Bahama Blue was used to flawlessly cover the laser-straight panels. (Okay, so maybe we exaggerated a tiny bit.) Other groundbreaking features include an electric actuator powered front-tilt hood. The entire panel was smoothed and painted top and bottom before being fitted with a trick 4-link style dual-axis hinge that allows it to tip up and out to display the warmedover small block. The engine and trans were pirated from an â&#x20AC;&#x2122;89 Corvette. The 350 features a smoothed and painted GM tuned port injection system with Summit SLP runners. The engine is stock but has been treated to masterful smoothing and detailing by Jack Dunlap. Most pieces have been slathered with copious amounts of the aforementioned PPG hue, but a few strategically placed polished or chromed

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CUT AND BUFF. INSIDE AND OUT. Besides the killer stance, the other aspect of the car that most folks remember right away is the smoothed and painted interior. Even the headliner was treated to the ultra-smooth PPG hue. The only graphic on the car is a super-cool Craftsman wrench painted by fellow pro street legend Bob Maynard. Maynard has been selected to shoot the graphics on TUBBEDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Project aPocalypSe Horse.

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pieces add visual appeal. A stock 700-R4 transmission provides steady performance and overdrive— particularly useful for Buckles’ long cruises to shows. The custom-fabricated headers are unique and add to the smooth look under the hood. Jet-Hot coated tubular log-style manifolds were created from 2 ¼-inch tubing that feed into a pair of glasspack mufflers. The car quietly purrs at idle. As cool as all those custom features might be, one look inside the car is all that it takes to see that this is no typical pro street Camaro. The entire interior has been welded, smoothed, and painted body color. “We really didn’t start off with the plan to paint the whole interior,” Buckles recalled. “(But) when Chris started doing all the sheetmetal work, it was all so perfect that it seemed like a shame to cover it up,” he said. Soon, mention of leaving it exposed and painting it body color turned serious. The rest, as they say, is history. The only fabric or stitching of any kind anywhere inside can be found neatly hugging the Flofit bucket seats or wrapping the Boyd’s Gullwing steering wheel. Everything else—and we mean EVERYTHING else—is smoothed and painted. The dash, door panels, floorboards, and even the headliner have all been treated to the custom touch. A dash full of Dakota Digital gauges in a trick billet bezel monitor operating conditions while a Vintage air AC system keeps occupants cool. An Alpine audio system has been stealthily hidden in and under the dash, as has the custom shift lever. A scant few pieces of billet street rod componentry like pedals and custom scalloped window cranks provide contrast against the rich sea of PPG blue. The lone graphic on the car, a Bob Maynard-applied Craftsman 9/16 wrench, is a cool touch applied to the slicked and smoothed 3 ½-inch channeled floorpan. A pro street legend himself, Maynard says out of all the www.facebook.com/tubbedmagazine

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DEUCES WILD The Boydâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s billet Deuce wheels may be considered retro now, but they were cuttingedge when Gary first mounted them on the car in 1993. So often, builders continually change and alter their rides; however, we are thrilled that Gary has kept his killer Camaro relatively unchanged since it debuted over 20 years ago. Why mess with perfection? The smoothed and painted narrowed Ford 9-inch rides on a 4-link setup and bears some evidence that this beauty is no trailer queen. It gets driven!

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graphics he has done in his career, he probably still gets comments and compliments about the unique tool he airbrushed on Buckles’ car way back in the day. With killer cool looks and a realworld drivability, Buckles’ Camaro was and is a breathtaking example of everything pro street was, is, and still can be. When combined with John Jackson’s other-worldly talents behind the lens, we couldn’t help but put Gary’s radical ride on the first ever cover of TUBBED. Dayton natives Wilbur and Orville Wright helped put their Ohio hometown on the map with their historic flight. But with an iconic car like Gary Buckles’ low-slung Camaro, Dayton also is home to historic mechanical creations of a decidedly lower altitude. Scrape on, Gary. Scrape on.

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or as much as we claim to be a family in street machining circles, there sure is a lot of infighting in our brood. Need proof? “Shiny car” guys hate rat rods. Rat rodders hate craftsmanship (too much? Am I showing my allegiances?). Pro touring folks hate pro streeters. Tubbed lovers hate “coners” (i.e.-autocrossers). It seems that for any particular style of custom auto, there are four or five other groups of naysayers pointing out the flaws, impracticalities, or both. So what happens when you take some of the key elements of pro touring, roll them together with some of the foundations of classic street machining, and throw in a pair of steamroller meats tucked up into some pro street tubs out back just for good measure? We aren’t sure what you call it, but whatever it is, Rich and Kathy Bryant’s 1965 Chevelle is it. And it is pretty cool. Truth be told, one of the only things keeping the classic silver Chevy from outright classification as a traditional pro streeter is probably the set of massive Schott Mod5 billet wheels. The 18x8-inch fronts are fitted with BF Goodrich G-Force T/As, while the genre-bending 15x20-inch rears are shod with new-school

31x18x20 Mickey Thompson Sportsman SR radials. “I’d consider my car pro street,” Bryant said. “The big wheels are different than the older style look, but to me, it is like anything—things change and evolve. This is just another example of that,” he added. While the rolling stock is certainly one of the things onlookers notice first, Bryant’s ride is far from just a classic car with a set of flashy wheels. The build started four years ago when the Bradley, Ill. resident had first acquired another—and far rougher—’65 Chevelle. Bryant had started to execute his plan to build a cool new-age pro street cruiser. However, once he got started, it became clear that the rotted remains of a once-proud Chevy was sorely lacking. “It didn’t take long for me to decide that the other car was just too rough, but it was pretty complete,” Bryant said. “I decided to start looking for another car. I found one on eBay and spotted another ’65 that was pretty solid. It had already been tubbed and caged and the body had been prepped and painted, but was just a roller. I bought it and started from there instead,” he added. “Starting from there” involved a total buildup featuring a whole host of cool modifications—mostly

TASTEFULLY DONE Byant doesn’t rely on a huge power adder poking through the hood or crazy multi-hued graphics to get your attention, but when we saw (and heard) the car cruise by we just HAD to get a closer look.

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BIG OLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; RIMS The highly polished Schott Mod5 wheels have been wrapped in Mickey Thompson Sportsman SR radials in back and BFGs up front. The fat rears are 15 inches wide and 20 inches in diameter, while the fronts are 18x8s. Some purists may bristle at the large diameter wheel/low profile tire look, but Bryant says he thinks it is the natural evolution of the modern pro street look. The narrowed Chevy 12-bolt features an Eaton posi and 4.88 gears.

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completed within the cozy confines of Bryant’s modest two and a half-car garage. Motorvation for the project comes from a fortified Patriot Performance 383ci small block Chevy. The DART 4-bolt main block has been fitted with an Eagle crank and I-beam rods and 9.21 forged pistons. A Howard’s hydraulic roller camshaft is

spun via a double roller timing chain and a set of roller rockers send the intake and exhaust commands along. DART straightplug heads and a port-matched air gap aluminum intake round out the top end of the powerplant. An MSD distributor handles sparking chores. The engine has been dressed with a pair

WHAT’S THAT WHISTLIN’? With no blower or scoop poking through the hood, subtle is the name of the game with Bryant’s silver bullet. If the cool headlampsturned-coldair-induction setup doesn’t give it a way, the distinctive sound of twin 60mm Turbonetics turbos let wouldbe challengers know this is no typical small block Chevy.

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of polished aluminum valve covers and an assortment of other tasteful dress-up pieces. Pro street cars are known for power adders, but most often that consists of a polished roots blower poking through the hood. Again sidestepping more traditional pro street convention, the car features an ultra-cool Stage-1 Wrenchrat twin turbo setup that throws around 7-8 pounds of boost through a QuickFuel blow-through carb setup. Bryant modified the inboard pair of the factory quad headlamp mounts to serve as dual cold air intakes for the Turbonetics turbosâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a functional and quite literally cool touch. The twin 60mm turbines are spun via exhaust gases routed through stainless headers and exit via either the driver-selected 3-inch dumps or Flowtech Warlock mufflers. Rounding out the mill is a host of high tech touches, including a Fast Racing dual sensor wideband air/fuel meter and a Snow Performance water/meth kit. All wiring was replaced using a Painless Products 12-circuit harness including a Phantom Products Touch and Go keyless ignition system. An Optima Red Top battery provides the juice more than 12 volts per serving. Fuel pressure is generated by an Aeromotive A1000 fuel pump. Meanwhile, a Be Cool aluminum radiator mated to

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a pair of electric fans help keep water temps under control regardless of cruise speeds. Backing the fortified Mouse is a Tremec TKO 600 trans. The 5-speed features a Keisler Perfect Fit kit and also sports a one-off owner-fabbed shift lever. Power is then transferred 60

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rearward to the narrowed Chevy 12-bolt that has been filled with an Eaton posi and 4.88 gears. Suspension pieces for the car have been hand-selected to help Bryant navigate the twisties as well as hook straight and true on the drag strip. Up front, a SpeedTech Road Assault

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suspension kit with tubular upper and lower control arms, a chrome moly sway bar, and custom tie rod sleeves all help minimize roll through the corners while a pair of QA1 GMP coil overs help smooth the ride. Out back, a custom ladder bar setup rides on a pair of RideTech single adjustable coilovers. Stopping duties are handled by a pair of Baer Track4 front discs and factory rear drums. Future plans call for Baer discs aft, as well. Inside, the well executed build currently features a no-nonsense interior. Bryant selected a pair of Bomz racing buckets and a pair of G-Force Latch & Link V-type

harnesses. A custom Classic Dash brushed aluminum insert has been fitted with a full complement of Auto Meter Pro Comp II gauges. A Grant Pro Stock steering wheel provides tactile driver interface, while a full cage fitted with swing-out sidebars rounds out the custom touches inside. Bryant has plans for a full street-rod style luxury plush interior in the near future. Outside, the car features a slick and simple silver paintjob. Custom body mods and touches are minimal but effective and include a cowl induction hood, shaved door handles, and stretched rear wheel openings. Inexplicably, last summer, a less-

TRUNK-TACULAR The neat and tidy trunk has been fully carpeted and now serves as home to the aluminum fuel cell, an Optima Red Top battery with a custom billet bracket, a Snow water/meth injection system, and a fire extinguisher.

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SIT DOWN AND STICK IT Gear changes are managed via a Tremec TKO 600 5-speed with an owner-built custom shifter. Racing buckets are from Bomz and have been outfitted with G-Force race harnesses. Swing out side bars make entry and exit a bit less challenging.

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than-intelligent show participant lost control doing an impromptu burnout and collided with Bryant’s classic Chevy. Friends Barry and Brian Colbert massaged the sheetmetal and repaired all the damage before re-spraying the car back the same high gloss silver. Although the car has not yet been flogged on the strip, Bryant is thrilled with its neck-snapping boost-induced power and the solid handling. We spotted Bryant cruising the Chevelle at the 2014 Street Machine Nationals where

the unmistakable sound of the twin hairdryers and the grille-mounted intakes immediately piqued our interest. On further inspection, we noted the suspension upgrades and low profile rolling stock. In addition to the Colbert brothers, Bryant is quick to credit wife Kathy for her support on the project. “She’s put up with this project for a long time and I can’t thank her enough,” he said. “Without her support I know there’s no way I could have done this and pursued my goals,” he concluded.

So that’s fine and good, but seriously…what is it? Pro street purists might argue that it is pro touring with tubs. Pro touring fans probably argue that the massive rear meats ruin the car’s ability to navigate traffic cones. We disagree on both counts. We say it is a trick creation lovingly crafted by its owner as a unique representation of his own vision and artistry. Label it what you may. We say it’s cool.

GET YOUR COPY TODAY! Order your copy of Toby Brooks’ incredible book, Sensory Overload: Cool Builders, Hot Cars, and Wild Times at the Street Machine Nationals. Almost 270 pages crammed full of pictures, stories, and memories of the greatest car show EVER! Just $22 with FREE SHIPPING!! Go to www. streetmachinereunion.com/sensory-overload and order your copy today!

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ere’s the scene: you’re standing around at a cruise night on a muggy Midwest summer’s evening or leisurely making your way around the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds at the Street Machine Nationals. You politely give several cars a thorough inspection, taking in the sights and the sounds and just enjoying the whole tranquil experience. And then you hear it. Keggidda keggidda keggidda keggidda FOOOMMMP! WHAAAAAAAAAA! The sound of more than a few angry big block horses being prodded by a high torque starter and grudgingly coming to life. The unmistakable mechanical whirr of an enormous roots supercharger’s rotors meshing in perfect rhythm continues as the as-yet unseen mill purrs along at a steady 2800 rpm as it begins to warm. It is as if

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each successive exhaust pulse manages to somehow find its way directly to your sternum, where it concusses your chest and labors your breath. It is beautiful and somehow a bit unpleasant all at the same time. It is the sound of oldfashioned horsepower. And it is LOUD. But where is it coming from? Did the show promoters book some big name NHRA funny car driver? Is there a top fuel dragster around the corner? You crane your neck in the direction of the auditory barrage to try and get a glimpse and then you see it… Robert Carrasca is about as talented with a welder as any man you’ll ever meet. He can lay dimes with his TIG with one eye closed. He can bend a perfect nitrous hard line setup for an 8-port fogger faster than you or I can take a leak. The Alexis, Ill. resident works as the foreman/ welder and fabricator at a wellrespected shop—Metalcrafters of Monmouth—and has been responsible for cranking out numerous award-winning, heavyhitting pro street creations. So why drop an insane big block Chevy with one of the wildest induction systems conceivable and quite possibly the narrowest fully suspended 12-bolt Chevy in the world into a teeny-tiny 1987 Chevy Sprint? Because he can. And you probably can’t. The project started over a decade ago. Carrasca acquired the car from a friend for the princely sum of $75 in 1992 and—on a dare—decided to

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tub it. An admitted fan of Rick Dobbertin, the over-the-top influence of ’80s pro street is clear in Carrasca’s work. It may have been during adolescent model building sessions of 1:24 scale cars like Dobbertin’s J-2000 where Carrasca honed his ideas. (Or maybe the fumes from the Testors model cement got to his gray matter a bit. Perhaps a little of both. Hard to say.) Undoubtedly the first thing you cannot help but notice is the insane induction system the car sports. It all started as a 454ci Chevy big block that has been bored 0.030 over before a set of Keith Black blower pistons swinging from H-beam rods was tapped into place. The engine also features a Crane roller cam spun on a custom gear drive and a Summers Brothers front-drive distributor. An Aeromotive cam-driven fuel pump keeps the copious flow of refined fossil fuel headed in the necessary direction, while other go-fast goodies include aluminum heads fitted with COMP roller rockers and Moroso fabricated valve covers. Ignition chores are adequately handled by an MSD box and a Mallory coil and distributor. Topping the whole thing off is that jaw-dropping induction system that draws a crowd anywhere it goes. A 14-71 billet case Blower Shop supercharger overdriven by 12% serves as a formidable base to the incredible Fabricated Tower of Power. However, it is what lives north of the blower that is most unique. At last year’s Street Machine Nats, Carrasca’s car sported a

BEST ENGINEERED From this view, the impressive craftsmanship of the upper plenum can be seen in all its glory. Take a look at the throttle linkage! The fact that one press of the pedal can actuate all six carbs is a fairly impressive feat in and of itself.

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RAT-I-CAL TOWER OF POWER Carrasca put together the wild induction system for one purpose and one purpose alone: to prove that it could be done. It may seem hard to believe, but the gorgeous and enormous billet 14-71 Blower Shop huffer is seemingly drawfed by the hand-fabricated adapter plenum and the halfdozen Webber 44 IDF carbs. The 12-port Nitrous Oxide Systems fogger system further adds to the overall effect. If placed end to end, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s probably enough hand-bent stainless plumbing to make more than a few laps around the carâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shockingly short 88-inch wheelbase. When Carrasca fires the angry Rat up at night, it throws blue flames nearly a foot from the open zoomie header exhaust and the sound is enough to wake the dead...and anger at least one old lady at a milk store in Southern Illinois.

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TEENY TINY 12-BOLT Combining an ultra-narrow body with giant Mickey Thompson rear treads is no easy task. The differential had to be shortened to just 27 inches flange to flange, leaving just enough room for a reworked suspension and a set of 13-inch long Moser axles.

pair of Holley Dominators and a polished scoop. Although the car was still wildly popular, Carrasca wanted something different. He whipped out his TIG welder and got to work, handcrafting the wild blower inlet carb flange that accommodates six—count ’em SIX—Weber 44 IDF carbs and a 12-port NOS nitrous fogger system. We dare you to hit the switch, Robert. The intricate linkage and plumbing took quite a bit of planning and execution, including a whole bucketful of heim ends and AN fittings in order for the whole glorious contraption to finally become functional. The end result is one of the wildest fuel delivery systems ever to reside on a pro street powerplant. Mated behind the potent big block is a 350 Turbo trans with a manual valve body and a 3800-stall converter. Future plans call for a stouter Turbo 400 to help protect the little Chevy from driveline injury. A stubby little 34-inch long driveshaft connects the trans to the rear end. That’s all that is needed for the 88-inch wheelbase car. Moving rearward, the previously mentioned narrowed Chevy 12-bolt has been pared down to a scant 27 inches of width from flange to flange. The 13-inch long Moser axles used to transmit power to the pavement can be transported in a shoebox—yet another nod to Carrasca’s heavy Dobbertin

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influences. However, unlike Dobbertin’s J-2000, Carrasca’s Sprint boasts a full suspension. A ladder bar setup spaced just eight inches apart utilizes the factory coils cut and mounted on the housing top with pro shocks mounted aft. Inboard coilovers up front battle in vain against the mass of the beefy big block. Rolling stock for the wild ride consists of a set of Weld polished aluminum Pro Star wheels and Mickey Thompson tires. Pizza cutter 15x3.5-inchers with front runner tires

spin up front while massive 33x21.515 Sportsman tires have been mounted to 15x14-inch wheels out back. Stopping duties are handled nicely by a 4-wheel disc brake setup. Moving inside, the Sprint features seats pirated from a 1988 Grand Am and host of aluminum and carbon fiber accents. A full complement of Autometer Phantom gauges help keep tabs on the vitals, while the owner-fabbed cage and a pair of G-Force harnesses help keep

COZY CONFINES The Sprint’s interior features a full cage and trans tunnel painted body color along with a number of custom touches. Seats are from a Pontiac Grand Am and have been fitted with G-Force harnesses. A Hurst shifter, Grant steering wheel, and an assortment of AutoMeter gauges rounds out the list of custom parts and pieces.

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NO ROOM FOR JUNK IN THIS TRUNK The Sprint may not be much larger than a golf cart, but it sure wouldn’t be useful as one with the trunk nearly filled wall to wall with wheel tubs. What little space remained has been equipped with a custom fuel cell and a 15-pound Nitrous Oxide Systems cylinder. There’s barely room for a single golf ball back here, let alone a full bag of clubs!

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occupants safe. Other features include a Grant GT steering wheel and a Hurst Pro Stick shifter. In the miniscule space between the tubs lives a Carrasca-built aluminum 10-gallon fuel cell. Carrasca also handled fabrication chores on the cool painted trans and driveshaft tunnel and carpeted wheel tubs. The unique paint on the car was sprayed 15 years ago with the help of Carrasca’s father John. The duo prepped the body before spraying the PPG custom purple basecoat. They then laid out the wild and vibrant House of Kolor white, neon pink, neon yellow, and neon green graphics. Good buddy, unofficial secretary, and talented body and paint man Josh Lester has helped with some repainting since the car first rolled from the booth. One last feature worth mentioning is the insane 2.5-inch open zoomie headers.

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The unique exhaust treatment leaves a lasting impression on onlookers when the big Rat comes to life. At night, things get even crazier, as teninch long blue plumes pulse from each of the eight ports. Subtle it ain’t. Carrasca is quick to credit father John, friends Kim Gough and Jason Allen at Metalcrafters, Josh Lester of Rocket Restorations, and Ron Spicher who helped with some machine work on the car. Perhaps most importantly, wife Dai and the rest of his family have been critical supporters as he worked on the project through the years. Carrasca recently received a Legends’ Choice award with the car at the 2014 Street Machine Nationals and he has his sights set on a similarly-insane Nash Metropolitan build that has been rolling around his brain for a while. He also isn’t completely satisfied with the Sprint just yet and has a few more ideas up his sleeve before calling it done. So yeah, it is wild and it is crazy. It’s supposed to be. Seriously.

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MALI-BLUE Mark and Diana Grimes made the trek from their home in Omaha, Neb. to show their awesome pro street Malibu. Rumor has it Mark is working on a new fat tire build, but heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s being pretty tight lipped about what it is and when we might expect to see it. Câ&#x20AC;&#x2122;mon Mark...spill it!

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e’ll be honest: we didn’t know what to expect out of the 2014 Street Machine Nationals. We were thrilled that the Prodigal Car Show had made a triumphant return to the venerable Du Quoin State Fairgrounds in 2013 after an excruciating 15-year hiatus. With 2,793 participants, 24,557 spectators, and roughly 4,000+ Illinois State Troopers (give or take) for the first show back last year, fans, builders, locals, and many others were curious how the sophomore installment of this “New and Improved” Nats might go over for 2014. Those that braved the all-weekend-long threat of rain were not disappointed.

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By weekend’s end, 2,801 participants and 24,593 spectators had passed through the DSF gates. They were treated to a greatly expanded Manufacturer’s Midway, the new COMP Cams Engine Builder Challenge, the new Legends’ Choice Awards, an expanded kids play area, and a host of other improvements. Couple that with Du Quoin’s lifted cruising ban and a police presence that would be better characterized as collegial rather than confrontational and the 2014 edition should go down in the books as a solid building year. The show’s promoter, Indianapolisbased Family Events is already finalizing plans to sign a three-year commitment with the Fairgrounds. Family Events’ representative Matthew Louck was pleased. “This facility is an absolutely fantastic spot for a show like this and we are hopeful we will be able to finalize plans soon in order to be back for many years to come,” he said. Although growth was slight this year, there is plenty of room for growth as well as some lofty expectations that the event can regain its place as one of the premiere outdoor car shows in the country in the coming years. Among the new builds on hand, Tim Arkebauer’s insane Pro Modstyled ’69 Camaro won Best of Show, while Flip Riley’s silkysmooth Pontiac Tempest garnered Legends’ Choice Grand Champion honors. Interwebs sensation Ed “The Baconator” Kirk’s suede red blown Chevy Shoebox was a crowd favorite, as was Kim Gough’s cool Purple People Hauler wagon. Look for features of all of the above in upcoming issues of RPM and/or TUBBED.

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LOTS ’O HORSES Ed Bedore brought Rick Dobbertin’s blown and twin turbo’d Nova last year, but this year the Oklahoma businessman and nowpro street collector brought his recently aquired twin turbo Corvette originally built by pro street legend Rod Saboury. The car pushes 2,000+ horsepower out of a Moranbuilt big block Chevy.

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BLOWERS GALORE! NPSA Founding Member Matt Hay helps set up a photo shoot next to his incredible 1988 double-blown Thunderbird. Kim Gough’s blown and injected wagon won a Legends’ Choice award, while newcomer Tim Arkebauer’s PSIblown ’69 took Best of Show honors.

Lots of Legends were on hand to drop jaws and jog memory banks, too. Scott Sullivan brought his cool Henry J and Matt & Debbie Hay toted their freshly restored Thunderbird all the way from Arizona. Mark and Diana Grimes brought out their classic blown Malibu, and Bret Voelkel was back with his super cool blown and injected Mustang on air ride. Some Legends cars with new owners were on hand. Ed Bedore brought his newly-acquired Rod Saboury-built 2,000+ hp Corvette, capable of running in the sixes with cupholders. Troy Trepanier’s first pro street car, a raspberry 1966 Chevelle was pulled from a barn in time to hit the show, too. New owner Glenn Allen from Princeton, Ill. has plans for a full restore. Allen also owns Trepanier’s iconic “Bumongous,” which he brought last year. Other Legends were on hand with cars, too. Rick Dobbertin managed to find his first-ever project car, an IMSA-inspired Chevy Monza, and treat it to a mild restomod with new stance and Weld wheels. Bob Maynard brought out his cool satin black cruiser with talk of a new build on the horizon.

AIR RIDIN’ Ride Tech founder Bret Voelkel brought his familiar (but still awesome) 1970 Mustang.

BARN FIND Glenn Allen brought out Troy Trepanier’s first pro streeter, LAUNCH. Although Allen has plans to restore the car to its former glory and correct some modifications that have been performed by others over the years, it still looks darn good to us. Can’t wait to see it next year, Glenn!

SIMPLY AWESOME. AWESOMELY SIMPLE. As Scott Sullivan is prone to say, his little Henry J features no blowers, no gizmos, no doodads, and no nonsense. In typical Scott Sullivan fashion, the Dayton, Ohio native drove all the way down for the show. The car features more custom tricks than you can possibly imagine and sits ever so perfectly.

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HEY, THAT’S NOT TUBBED! No, this Monza isn’t tubbed. However, what it IS is rolling pro street history. The car was the first project car of none other than the King of Pro Street Rick Dobbertin. Before there was a Nova or a J-2000, there was this cool little Monza. Dobbertin aquired the car over the winter and updated it with new suspension and a set of more contemporary wheels in place of the 14-inch diameter units that were on it when he got it back.

New this year was the Nationals Champions awards, presented to the folks who worked behind the scenes over the span of three decades to help make the Nats so special. Honorees on hand included Harry Hibler, John Baechtel, and Jeff Smith who shared some tall tales from the stage and entertained the crowd. Other honorees who were unable to make the event included Jon Asher, Susan Davis, Doug Evans, and Bruce Hubley. A deserving honor for all seven, to be sure. Unlike decades past, the show’s crowd was remarkably well behaved all weekend. With camping now allowed on site, folks could literally live the Nats all weekend. Du Quoin was pulsing with excitement but it was a newer, calmer, and far more family friendly atmosphere. Gone are the days of seven-inch deep trash blanketing the Walmart parking lot. Thank goodness. NATIONALS CHAMPIONS Family Events took some time to honor seven legends in their own rights this year with a special Nats Lifetime Achievement award. TOP, Family Events announcer Joe Pagano looks on as Jeff Smith and Harry Hibler are honored. MIDDLE: Jeff Smith accepts his award. BOTTOM: John Baechtel.

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ROAD TRIPPERS Jeff Smith and Scott Sullivan: The ORIGINAL Power Tourers.

COTTEN PICKINâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; AWESOME Mike Cotten brought his cool blown square body down from the St. Louis area.

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WATER BOUND We managed to get Rocky Robertson off of his boat and the lake for a few moments to share some insights. Rumor has it the Illinois-based builder has plans to refresh his cool Buick for next year.

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LIME TIME Ralph Haga brought this cool little ’64 Nova this year. The Galva, Ill. resident is current owner of Troy Trepanier’s PRO BOX mint green Impala, but he updated the Nova over the winter after getting inspired at the 2013 show. Originally blinged out with lots of polish and chrome, the little Deuce was treated to a Sullivan-style tan engine after Haga saw Sullivan’s Cheese Whiz 55 Chevy last year. Did we mention that the show is a great place to get new ideas for your build?

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ON THE REAL...THAT DUDE IS STRANGE! Rodbuilder extraordinairre Tim Strange was on hand again this year, this time with his ultracool front-engined Corvair. Expect to see more from Tim in the future, as he will be doing all the paint and body work on TUBBED’s Project aPocalypSe Horse, while Pro Street Legend Bob Maynard will be doing the graphics.

With drizzle threatening all weekend, the weather probably kept countless potential attendees away. However, despite the storm clouds, the weather was actually darn-near perfect. If only they would have known that temps would be in the 80s most of the weekend and very little rain would actually fall, chances are that those numbers would be far greater. Take a look at the pics here and you can see that although we aren’t yet back to the cultural phenomenon of the 1980s and 1990s during the show’s heyday, all the elements are there to build the event back into one of the best. Make plans now to attend June 2628 in 2015 and bring your TUBBED ride! We’ll see you there!

FLIPPED OUT Flip Riley debuted this super-cool Pontiac Tempest and ended up walking away with the presigious (and new) Legends’ Choice Grand Champion award. The build quality on this car is off the charts. Full feature coming soon in RPM Magazine!

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Overload: Cool Builders, Hot Cars, and Wild Times at the Street Machine Nationals. Talking about the style and reminiscing about the past with the legendary builders who defined it for over a decade made me wax nostalgic and begin to silently wonder: Detroit has cranked out a number of very cool cars since the trend seemed to take its last breath in the late ’90s. How cool would it be to build a modern interpretation of the iconic pro street style? The hunt was on for a suitable start. Naturally, my first inclination was to go with a Chevy. I currently own a ’90 IROC that I just can’t bring myself

kay, full disclosure time. I have always been a GM guy. My first car was a ’72 Nova SS. My first truck was a dropped ’85 Silverado shortbed. The list goes on and on and all but one has been a GM products with the overwhelming majority sporting bowties. However, if you are paying any attention whatsoever, you can see that the wicked Steve Stanford-penned rendering to the right is clearly no Chevy. It is all Ford. So how’d we get here? I’m glad you asked. The idea to build a late model bodied car with all the classic pro street styling cues was birthed during the writing of my newest book, Sensory 102

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to cut up (not yet, at least). I’m a fan of the fifth generation Camaro and honestly if I would have found one first, that would probably be the build. But a pro street Camaro? It almost seemed a little TOO cliche. My wife wasn’t crazy about the idea, either.

I flirted with the idea of a Cadillac CTS-V coupe. We can all dream, right? It would have looked really cool. for sure. After all, Matt Hay was a Ford guy. Rocky Robertson was a Buick guy. Scott Sullivan, Rich Gebhardt, and Mark Grimes were all

primarily Chevy guys. However, none of them–or any other of my heroes– were Cadillac guys. Hmmmm…. interesting. Unfortunately, the $50,000 price tag meant affording one just to cut up was going to be next to impossible. And

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given the fact that I am just embarking on my trek to becoming a recognized name in pro street rather than already possessing a long resume of featured builds meant GM wasn’t going to just give me one. Not yet, at least. |

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A Facebook conversation with an editor of a nowdefunct major magazine a while back resulted in a comment I won’t soon forget. Prior to the interaction, my thought was that it would be really cool if someone would build a modern pro streeter. After the chat, I left certain that somehow, some way, that someone would be me. “The world will end before we feature a pro street car again,” he said incredulously. Seriously? A magazine whose pages were FILLED with pro streeters just a decade prior was now convinced it would take an apocalypse to make the trend worthy of feature coverage in their sacred pages again? Very well. I’d bring them the apocalypse. Scratch that. I’d bring them the aPocalypSe—the “P” and the “S” insolently standing tall to declare my citizenship in Pro Street Nation. The next few weeks were filled with periodic (my wife says “more accurately perpetual”) Craigslist hunts. My search for a suitable start began in my mind, thinking the perfect target would be a late model car with a clean title and some sort of driveline problem. That would ensure to cost of the car would be reasonable and the savings could be applied to the considerable expense it would take to finish a no-holdsbarred pro stock/pro mod styled crusier. Personally, I was hoping to find a fifth-gen Camaro. As I said, I’ve always been a Chevy guy and I am a big fan of the look of the new cars of Erica Enders, Jason Line, Mike Edwards, and others in NHRA

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HUMBLE BEGINNINGS We almost rented a U-Haul trailer to get it home. Thankfully this flatbed wrecker service was available instead.

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GOTTA START SOMEWHERE The rear quarters will be treated to a Tim Strange stretch job on the wheel openings and a shaved fuel filler door. 33x22-15-inch Mickey Thompson Sportsman SRs on 15x15-inch one-off Budniks will fill the space nicely.

OUCH The Ford factory block will make someone a fantastic boat anchor, as connecting rod number seven punched a quartersized hole as it ejected the block on the Mustangâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s last ride.

INSIDE THE HORSE The all-stock interior prior to gutting. Anything that can be sold will be in order to recoup some costs.

CLEANED OUT Everything except the factory dash and door panels were removed prior to delivery to Gebhardt s Pro Cars.

NO DOG IN THE HOUSE FOR NOW A Kaase Boss Nine will reside here someday, mounted aboard a Gebhart custom chassis on RideTech parts

SHADE TREE? WE WISH! With our new shop not yet complete, we had to pull the drivetrain in the driveway.

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READY TO ROLL Once we had it as cleared out as possible, we loaded the Mustang up for the long trip to Jacksonville, Ill.

NOSE JOB The crew at Gebhardt’s cut off the front doghouse to make room for the custom full tube chassis and VFN front clip. Below, the doors and complete interior have been removed.

Pro Stock competition. However, I knew I HAD to get my wife on board and I wanted the project to be something that the whole family could enjoy. Not convinced of the Camaro, my wife said we should start with a Mustang. I was nearly born into this world in the passenger seat of a 1970 Boss 302. My dad had been a Ford guy until that time. Although I often liked a number of Ford offerings, for one reason or another I always found myself buying GM. Given the fact the late-model Mustang body had been around longer than the Camaro, I thought my chances of finding a solid start would be better. I was right. The ad read “2006 Mustang GT Premium. 77,000 mile one owner. Not running. $5000 OBO must sell.” I contacted the owner and found that someone failed to properly reinstall the drain plug after an oil change. One escaped connecting rod later, the car he bought brand new six years prior from the local Ford dealer had ended up sulking under his carport in need of a new home. It had also been lightly hit on the passenger corner but the title was clean and clear. He was moving in a month and not only had no way to transport it but also nowhere to store it at his new apartment. I could smell the desperation in the post. He was moving and had nowhere to store the car. He couldn’t afford to fix it. It had all the makings of a screaming deal written all over it. 106

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DOUBLE BLOWN AND THEN SOME The twin supercharger system is mocked up on a loaner engine at the Supercharger Store. The serpentine system is from March Performance, while the damper is an Innovators West piece. A PRW aluminum water pump works with a Tuff Stuff Performance alternator, power steering pump, and AC compressor. Isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t it a beaut?

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There was just one problem. I couldn’t talk to him about it. Not yet, at least. My wife and I had discussed the possibility of a high-end pro street build on the way back from Du Quoin. Unfortunately for me, I had promised I wouldn’t call about anything until we had a chance to run the numbers, talk to some folks, and decide whether or not if this was really something we wanted to do. I had already texted the guy already to be sure the car was still available. What to do? I knew the clock was ticking on what I thought was an excellent deal

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on a great start to a legendary pro street build. However, I wasn’t going to go back on my word to my wife. Luckily for me, the owner had kept my number. When he had no luck selling it for a higher (albeit still pretty reasonable) price, he contacted me back. For the don’t-arrest-me, but-I-pretty-much-stole-it agreed upon price of $3200, we had our start. It was loaded on a truck and headed for our address within 48 hours. After we got the car home and unloaded, I started looking it over and planning and plotting the build. We still didn’t have a shop (the

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subject of another few posts, for sure), but it was coming. A phone call to a few friends and the build was really taking shape. The plan is for a full powder coated Rich-Gebhardt built tube chassis with S&W Racecars components and an S&W fabricated Ford differential and a strut front end. Unlike old-school pro streeters, the plan is to have a car that will be drivable on the street despite its slammed stance. Thanks to the awesome folks at Ride Tech, the Mustang will feature ShockWaves in the back and a trick air strut suspension in the front.

LOTS GOINâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ON HERE The fabricated intake has TRE 250# injectors on FAST billet fuel rails, an 8-port initial stage of NOS nitrous, and twin Accufab 90mm throttle bodies. It has been sent to Metalcrafters of Monmouth for some machining and milling in order to ensure a dependable seal for our double-blown application. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll also install a pair of Nitrous Pro Flow blow-off valves just to be safe.

STRIP SHOES We decided on 15x15 Billet Specialties SFI-certified double beadlocked rear wheels with 33x22-15 Godyear slicks out back with 17x4.5 fronts running Moroso DS-2 drag fronts. Given the likely performance of the car, SFIcertified wheels will be a necessity.

STREET STUFF The trick Budnik wheels are a one-off design that is intended to fuse classic billet wheel styling with modern drag race designs. Mac-Fab Performance beadlocks add saftey and wicked cool good looks. Mickey Thompson rubber ensusres the power hits the pavement.

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Paint will be handled by Tim Strange with Bob Maynard custom graphics. My wife and I just couldn’t decide on color, though. We talked about black, red, and green for paint colors, but all of those are available on new ‘Stangs. So what color to paint it? On the way home from work, I happened to hear “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons…a cool song with a ridiculously dumb video. As I listened to the chorus of “Welcome to the new age…” I thought to myself, ‘wow, this car kinda is intended to be the new age. Could be a cool theme.’

BEST LAID PLANS

With the car towed home, we began to plan. The whole family pitched in to help gut the factory sick pony. After two solid days, we had it stripped and ready to deliver to friend Rich Gebhardt for chassis fabrication. We commissioned legendary hot rod artist Steve Stanford to put our ideas on paper. The car would feature a full 4130 chrome moly Gebhardt-built tube chassis with a 5-inch stretched nose. A top-of-the-line Ride Tech suspension all the way around would provide the classic slammed stance while parked with the benefit of an adjustable and practical cruising ride height. A VFN fiberglass front clip would conceal a wild 1500+ horsepower Kaase Boss Nine engine. Initially we decided on an EFI calliope stack injection system and a 250+ direct port shot of nitrous. However, we have since changed those plans to a trick Supercharger Store gear drive and twin F2 Pro Chargers along with a 16-port two stage NOS nitrous system. The biggest (aft) and smallest (fore) Mickey Thompson Sportsmans, mounted to one-off Budnik wheels with Mac-Fab Beadlocks would put the power to the pavement. Air conditioning, full power options, and a slammin’ audio/video system would provide some creature comforts. Lots of new-tech touches like carbon fiber wheel tubs, one-off billet

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BUILDING BLOCK The starting point for the wild 529ci Kaase powerplant is a C&C Motorsports aluminum block that has been custom polished by Best Metal of Liliburn, Georgia.

COMFY CRUISINâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Seating consists of a pair of SCAT Pro Car Ralleye Smootbacks. We may even heat and cool them!

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EXHAUSTING INTAKE The sheetmetal intake manifold has been a real challenge. After waiting more than five months for delivery, when it arrived it was still in need of a significant amount of milling and machining. Robert Carrasca at Metalcrafters of Monmouth has worked tirelessly to whip the part into fighting shape and we are hopeful that it will work with the Kaase heads. Won’t know until we try though! DASHING Custom gauges will consist of a Dakota Digital VHX-1100 unit with LCD and analog displays.

FAB WORK CONTINUES Gebhardt’s is plugging away at the finished chassis. Here, GPC fabricator Steve Comstock preps the S&W Racecars housing for the 4-link brackets necessary to mount it in the chassis.

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and carbon fiber pieces, and ceramic coated Metalcrafters zoomie headers with custom Zoomie Slide Valves would prove it isn’t just an antiquated piece of history. A plush “street rod nice” interior would fit the build theme well, too. However, a wild I-love-the’80s Axalta magenta pearl paint job with a modern twist—cool zombie horse inspired graphics—would be a purposeful nod to tradition. By the time the whole project is complete, my hope is that the aPocalypSe Horse will lead the charge into a brave new future where fat-tired cars proudly roam fairgrounds, streets, and strips again. The best part is you’ll get to read and see the whole thing right here in the pages of TUBBED as we turn the vision into reality. Welcome to the new age. Embrace the aPocalypSe. |

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MEMBERS’ GEORGE

NOROVICH

WEST FRANKFORT, IL

ROBERT

FOWLER

DURHAM, NC

Want to see your car here next issue? Send us a few good pics along with your name and hometown to admin@tubbedmagazine.com. We can’t promise we will run them all but we will do our best. Also, you must be a member of the NPSA in order to be listed. 116

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ROGER

GOYETTE

SOMEWHERE IN FLORIDA

CHRIS

GOUX

SEYMORE, CT

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