Motor And Drivetrain
Contemporary Auto Machining in Huntington Beach, California, dispatched Yo to take care of those chores, the balancing, and assembled the bullet as well. A 0.030-inch clean-up bore made it a 355-incher. Yo put the short-block together with an Eagle 3.48-inch stroke crankshaft and included Eagle H-beams swinging SRP forged pistons ringed by Total Seal. In the interest of pump gas, he held the compression ratio to a conservative but still plump and healthy 10.5:1. He covered the bottom end with a stock oil pan that works with a Melling oil pump. To complete the short-block, he installed a buttery Isky hydraulic roller (0.600-inch lift and 235 degrees duration at 0.050-inch) and connected it to the crankshaft with a Cloyes double-roller chain. Thence to the cylinder heads, not some iron junk but way-out AFR 195 Eliminator aluminum castings holding 2.08- and 1.60-inch stainless steel valves. Isky pushrod guideplates, retainers, and locks host Comp 1.6:1 roller rockers and AFR valvesprings. Over the top of it all, an Edelbrock Victor Jr. intake mated with a Holley 770 Avenger carburetor and a K&N filter element. Spark jumps from an HEI distributor set at 36 degrees. A custom 3-inch exhaust system hosting Dynomax Super Turbo muffs processes unburned hydrocarbons via short-tube Hedman Elite headers. The motor's got snappy throttle response and is good for about 500 hp at a sensible rpm ceiling. For the Turbo 350 snatch, it was Steve Sharp out of Torrance. He put a Hughes 2,500-stall torque converter in front of it and plumbed for the B&M cooler. The big fake-out? The shifter stayed where it was, on the column, thus saving a shekel or two. Though probably not necessary for this particular application, venerable Cook's Machine in LA built a custom driveshaft for the project. The back end of it snuggles up to a rebuilt 12-bolt fitted with 3.31:1 gears and an Eaton differential.
Body And Paint
Since the car came with a 6-year-old paintjob done right, there was nothing else it needed save black SS stripes over that knockout red. Pat: "We don't know who painted it or what the name of the color is. All we did was color-sand it and buff it out. Looks like new, huh?"
Wheels And Brakes
Motivational resisted the big brake theory in total, going with the stock spindles and discs from a '70 Camaro. The rears are still drum and likely to stay that way because there's no need for anything more. The reason this car is likely to leave a lasting impression falls to the eye-pop blood red and those impossibly large Esajian PCH billets. The gang posted 20x8.5 and Toyo Proxes' 245/35s in front and 22x10 with 285/30s at the other end. Pat: "It drives nice and tight without any rattles or squeaks."
Chassis
No strengthening needed here, so the Motivational boys simply cleaned and painted the rails and planted 2-inch lowering springs all around (the rears stuffed with Hotchkis airbags) that are controlled by KYB adjustable shock absorbers. To finish it off, Motivational strung the Elco with Edelbrock adjustable upper arms and replaced the original lower channel with Edelbrock pieces. The spindles are stock and fitted with disc brakes.
Interior
Again, no funny business, just a little bit of labor. A custom-built stereo box holds 6x9 Pioneer honkers that process input from a Custom Auto Sound stereo head. Pure black SS interior covers or replaces the original stuff and that a steering wheel is out of a '74 Camaro SS. In September and October, when the streets become broilers, Vintage Air quenches the heat like a natural sponge teeming with cold water.