ENGINE & DRIVETRAIN
Lynwood Daughtrey did the motor at Precision Engines in Salem, Virginia. Rather than crank an expensive 700hp 540 around town, Russell felt something with smaller lungs, like a 530hp 396, would radiate plenty of asphalt-disturbing guff. Lynwood did a 0.030-inch cleanup bore but left the stock stroke for a cumulative 402 ci. Then he decked and align-bored the block and balanced the rotating assembly. The cleaned-up forged crankshaft supports GM rods and 12:1 Keith Black pistons and pins. A Cloyes Double Roller timing set connects crank with cam, in this case a Comp solid flat-tappet grind (252/259 degrees duration at 0.050 inch, 0.612 inch lift both valves). Manley pushrods work with Comp roller rocker arms, Comp springs, and 2.19/1.88-inch valves. Before Lynwood attached the GM square-port iron heads, he performed some minor porting work and gave the pockets a three-angle valve job. He put the Moroso 7-quart oil pan on with a matching windage tray and crankshaft scraper, flipped the fat-block over, and assembled the induction and fitted ancillary systems. A Weiand Team G single-plane manifold receives a Holley 950 HP carburetor, the MSD Digital 6 Plus is set on kill, and the total timing is a hefty 46 degrees. Bad humor exits quickly through the Jet-Hot-coated Hooker Super Comp headers with 21/8-inch primaries stuffing a 3-inch collector. Borla XR1 stainless steel mufflers are part of the 21/2-inch system. ARP fasteners and K&N products are used throughout. Russell comes out of the hole at 6,500. That means the drivetrain better be like a bullet. Russell and brother Matt narrowed the big Strange Engineering S60 axle 11 inches and hung it with ladder bars and coilover shock absorbers. A Detroit Locker fitted with hairy 5.13:1 gears spins Strange 35-spline axles. A Ram flywheel, pressure plate, and clutch intermediate the durable but friendly gearbox from Passon Performance (passonperformance.com), its reborn A833 four-speed. (Ol' pal Steve Collison loved this kind of car--if he were here today, you'd be needing the cops and a six-pack of Black Russians to pull him off it.) A Strange chromemoly driveshaft disrupts the third member.
BRAKES & WHEELS
Since it's not apt to undertake a road-race regimen anytime soon, the Camaro does just as well with Wilwood discs in front and rebuilt stock drums at the back. Rather than the usual Welds, Russell pepped up the sleek exterior with American Racing TrakStar hoops, 15x4 and 15x12. Mickey Thompson leads the charge with 26x7.50-15 Sportsman Fronts. The 31x16.50-15LT Hoosier Quick Time Pro drive tires are 30.9 inches tall and have a 13.0-inch-wide slick surface.