RCNMag.com SPRING 2019 DIY Dash Construction Smyth Conversion London Cobra Show Preview

ONCE AND FUTURE KING A throwback MkI GT40 modernized with the latest twin-turbo EcoBoost engine Page 38

Artistic mastery in a Factory Five ’33 Page 28 Meister Brauser Scarab • Limited Series of 20 • Built to Original Team Specs • FIA Certified

Street Legal High-Performance Scarab • All-Aluminum Body • Available Painted or Unpainted • SVRA Approved Option

Services Provided • Vintage Race and Classic Restoration and Repair Services • Aluminum Body Construction • Fabrication Services • Specialists in the Development and Construction of Limited Edition Alloy Body Recreations

Scarab LLC 5002 Hadley St. Overland Park, KS 66203

(913) 972-2189 • www.scarab-motorsports.com

Contents

38 OMING NEXT MONTH C

On the Cover ’s Cobra Conceived to honor Ford’s Le Mans winning GT40s of the 1960s and the 2016 GT, Supersized Super Seven the Superformance Future GT Forty pairs a 600 hp EcoBoost V6 with the classic Ken Miles Edition GT40 MkI design. Photo by Drew Phillips. Inset photo by Mike Peters Photography ERA Cobra with 427 ci Cammer

THROTTLE STEERING DIY 6 Old Versus New School 34 Crash Course in Cabinetmaking By Steve Temple, Editor Constructing a custom GT car interior in a Factory Five Racing . RCN ONLINE By Jonas Jasinskas 8 @RCNmag.com A preview of current online exclusive content. COVER STORY 38 Once and Future King FEATURE CAR A throwback MkI GT40 modernized with 10 Brickyard Tribute the latest twin-turbo EcoBoost engine. Reconstructing memories of A.J. Foyt’s 1961 Indy car. By Steve Temple By Juan Lopez-Bonilla FEATURE CAR READER’S RIDE 44 Cloaking Device 16 Memory Lane Classic Sting Ray styling conceals a contemporary Corvette. Reflecting on the 15-year buildup of a Daytona Coupe reproduction. By Joe Greeves As told by Russ Foster EVENT PREVIEW FEATURE CAR 50 The Power of London 22 The Transformer Exciting new developments for the London Cobra Show. Morphing a into a performance pickup. By Juan Lopez-Bonilla By Joe Greeves TECH READER’S RIDE 56 The Case for Coilovers 28 Artistic Pursuit Precision adjustability for improved comfort, handling and curb appeal. Aesthetic mastery gives rise to a fine-tuned ’33 hot rod. By Jeff Zurschmeide and courtesy of Cusco As told by Chris Leso

4 CONTENTS

10

22

16 28

FEATURE CAR 60 The Keeper Hitting the high-water mark with a Boss 429-powered Ford Torino. By Joe Greeves

TECH 66 Power Plays Three recipes for eclipsing big-block power in a small-block Cobra. By Steve Temple 44 60 FEATURE CAR 72 Mr. Sandman Bring me a dream — the hottest that I’ve ever seen! By Joe Greeves

READER’S RIDE 78 Hitting the Apex A higher calling for Corvette C5 components. By Dave Green

RCN 87 Marketplace 72 78

reincarnationmag.com | Spring 19 5 THROTTLE STEERING Old Versus New School

hile recently attending a Corvette ZR1 two- Don’t get me wrong, both are loads of fun, but W day driving school at the Spring Mountain the Cobra is way more elemental, almost medieval by Motor Resort and Country Club, I realized comparison. Even so, it would be cool to see how well just how much I had to “unlearn.” That’s because I’ve a Cobra would stack up against a Corvette in timed been to a few other driving schools with several types runs, just to see how far we’ve come. Rick Malone, Spring of cars over the years, and the technology has changed Mountain’s chief driving instructor, recalls manhandling markedly. one around the track a few years ago. He felt it did very Steve Temple For instance, hustling a Cobra replica around a road well, but found it sloppier on the turns, and he had to Editor course requires a wholly different technique. The slip- work harder at it, too. and-slide method for setting up a corner exit hardly As much as there are differences in technology, the agrees with the Corvette’s sophisticated electronic one constant over time is the generous power on tap, suspension and low-profile Michelin Sport Cup 2 racing almost too much for the relatively short road course tires. You carve through the corners with surgical that we were limited to (but a much longer one is in the precision, rather than mixing up a greasy meatball drift. works, so stay tuned). I was grateful for the patient and Also, the Corvette’s carbon ceramic brakes with professional demeanor of the skilled driving instructors ABS allow a much more aggressive entry. They really at Spring Mountain to keep me on track (literally). scrub off speed — right now. The threshold braking I recall driving on this same course several years technique is still similar, just way more sudden. ago in a Honda S2000, which in some ways was easier In addition, with a Cobra, you just turn the key and to toss through the corners, especially after some personal punch it. In contrast, the latest Corvette requires a instruction from the Honda’s suspension engineer. But preflight checklist with several electronic adjustments. I also found myself stomping the throttle and mashing These include setting the driving mode (track, in this the gears to squeeze out as much acceleration as possible case), along with the rev matching function for the clutch from the 237 hp four-. No way would it ever hit — no need for double clutching and blipping the throttle 140 mph on the backstretch as I did in the Corvette. between shifts, as in the old days. Also, don’t forget to No surprise, then, that with the ZR1’s 755 hp plug in the SD card and activate the data recorder supercharged LT5, some restraint is needed. As with function. the Cobra, it can really bite you in an instant. Only a There’s even an avionic-style, heads-up display on moment’s inattention or lack of focus can result in an the windshield, minimizing the need to glance down embarrassing off-road excursion. I came close a couple at the dash to get readouts for speed, revolutions per times, but rescued the slide before heading into the dirt. minute and gearing. In comparison, the only trick deal So what’s the bottom line here? Consider taking on the Cobra’s instrumentation was a reverse-reading advantage of the latest in performance parts for your speedo. replica build, and you’ll find your driving experience Speaking of punching the throttle, the ZR1 has a will be markedly enhanced. And you’ll also have a better computerized launch control function. While not part chance of staying on the pavement, too. of the driving school’s curriculum, it does provide a more consistent launch, as it takes the thought process Steve Temple out of revving the engine and dumping the clutch. [email protected]

6 reincarnationmag.com | Spring 2019 7 NEWS & ALERTS Visit RCNmag.com RCNmag.com and sign up for our newsletter. Get exclusive content delivered @ right to your inbox. Visit the site daily for new, exclusive content. Read our daily content and get the most out of ReinCarNation Magazine.

Straightening Out Ford’s 351 ci Engines Cleveland, Windsor or Modified? Here’s a basic rundown on Ford’s 351 ci engines and what makes them different. www.RCNmag.com/blog/ straightening-out-fords-three-351s

Rikki Tikki — The Homebuilt Real-Deal V8 Healey Racer This unrestored 1956 Austin-Healey 100 was converted Cobra in period to a Chevrolet small-block and raced in SCCA Auto technician builds his own events in the 1960s and ’70s. Cobra from sheet metal and used parts, all to fulfill a friendly chal- www.RCNmag.com/fresh-finds/ lenge from a member of the local real-deal-v8-healey-racer Cobra club. www.RCNmag.com/garage/rik- ki-tikki-the-homebuilt-cobra-roadster

To The Victress Belong The Spoils This extremely rare Victress C3 up for internet auc- tion boasts recent ownership by Merrill Powell, the car’s designer and part owner of Victress. www.RCNmag.com/fresh-finds/ to-the-victress-belong-the-spoils

Reinvented Roadster With 250 and a scant 1,500-pound curb weight, the Zenos E10S takes the British roadster formula to extremes. Join the Discussion www.RCNmag.com/fresh-finds/reinvented-roadster FB.com/ReinCarNationMag 8 Advertiser Index

CONTINUATION, REPLICA AND LOW VOLUME AUTOMOBILES BAT Inc. / Mocal USA...... 86 Published by:

Borla Induction ...... 85

Cheetah Evolution...... 83 1720 Maple Lake Dam Rd., PO Box 220 Three Lakes, WI 54562

www.rcnmag.com Craft Performance Engines ...... 88 © Copyright 2019, COLE Publishing Inc. No part may be reproduced without permission of publisher.

CRS, Inc...... 85 In U.S. or Canada call toll free: 866-933-2653 Elsewhere call: 715-546-3346 Email: [email protected] / Fax: 715-546-3786

Dove Racing...... 86 Office hours Mon.-Fri., 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. CST

Factory Five Racing ...... 3

SUBSCRIPTIONS: A one year (4 issue) subscription to FormaCars, Ltd...... 27 ReinCarNation™ Magazine in the is free. Visit www.rcnmag.com or call 800-257-7222.

Forte’s Parts Connection ...... 86 Our subscriber list is occasionally made available to carefully selected companies whose products or services may be of interest to you. Your privacy is important to us. Haywire & Co., LLC ...... 83 If you prefer not to be a part of these lists, please contact Nicole at [email protected]. ididit, LLC...... 7 DISPLAY ADVERTISING: Contact Brad Bisnette at 866-933-2653 or sales@ London Cobra Show ...... 7 rcnmag.com. Publisher reserves the right to reject any advertising which in its opin- ion is misleading, unfair or incompatible Meaty-Delivery ...... 86 with the character of the publication. Brad Bisnette

EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE: Please send to Editor, Scarab Motorsports LLC...... 2 ReinCarNation Magazine, P.O. Box 220, Three Lakes, WI 54562 or email [email protected].

Shell Valley Classic Wheels, Inc...... 27 CIRCULATION: Average circulation is 15,000+ copies per month (U.S. and Canadian distribution).

Ultimate Classic Cars ...... 86

V’s Performance...... 83 Facebook.com/ReinCarNationMag Vintage Wheels...... 85

Instagram.com/rcnmag Watson’s StreetWorks ...... 27

reincarnationmag.com | Spring 19 9 1961 Indy Car Replica BRICKYARD TRIBUTE Reconstructing memories of A.J. Foyt’s 1961 Indy car Story and Photos by Juan Lopez-Bonilla

10 reincarnationmag.com | Spring 19 11 1961 Indy Car Replica

Note the period-correct Indy half-tread

rubber from Coker Tires on the rear.

n the history of motorsports, few Sachs and Foyt battled for the lead in the latter events rise to the pinnacle of stages of the race. It looked like Sachs might take I automotive competition quite like the checkered after Foyt’s final scheduled pit stop, the Indianapolis 500. Dedicated fans as his crew was unable to top off his tank due to a I loved the can recall the many great names associated with faulty fueling mechanism. Even so, Foyt returned Memorial Day-weekend race, such as A.J. Foyt, to the track with a vengeance, running faster due look, sounds and , Parnelli Jones, Danica Patrick and to a light fuel load, and he began pulling away from so many more. These names elicit in us a sense of Sachs. His crew indicated that he would be unable euphoria as we relive their dramatic battles and to make it to the finish, however, without another sights these cars finishes at this historic American circuit. pit stop. After borrowing a fuel-feed mechanism Bryan Marshall is one such enthusiast. He from Len Sutton’s team, they signaled Foyt to the produced. I have comes from an engineering and fine arts educational pits. background and has learned to apply these concepts Foyt gave up the lead on lap 184 for a splash- to all of his projects, especially automotive. With and-dash fuel stop. Sachs was now leading by 25 never forgotten a treasure-trove of experiences in his upbringing, seconds, but warning tread showed on his rear tire Bryan grew up to be a passionate lover of all sorts with three laps to go. He chose to play it safe, pitting that.” of cars — especially Indy cars. to replace the worn tire on lap 197. Foyt roared into “My dad took me to the Indianapolis time trials the lead once again and won his first (of four) Indy – Bryan Marshall in 1961, purchased me a chrome driver’s helmet 500 victories by a strong margin of 8.28 seconds. and into the stands we went,” he recalls. “I loved Relishing memories of events like these led the look, sounds and sights these cars produced. I Bryan to develop an interest in collecting model have never forgotten that.” cars in his teen years and transition to full scale in During those trials, Foyt ranked ninth for the his adult years. “I’ve since become a huge car fanatic race with a qualifying speed of 145.903 mph. Despite and managed to acquire, sell and collect many of starting back in the pack, his superior driving skills the cars I loved as a kid.” enabled him to lead the race for 71 of 200 laps, far Drawing on his professional expertise in more than any other competitor that day. Hot on engineering and fine arts, Bryan’s ability to recreate his heels was Eddie Sachs, who led for 44 laps. a look for vintage graphics on new vehicles is

12 The front end came

from a ’40 Ford and is fitted with a rack-and- pinion steering system.

Imagining what it would be like to man the wheel of an Indy car is what drove Bryan Marshall to build this remarkable reproduction.

reincarnationmag.com | Spring 2019 13 1961 Indy Car Replica

exemplary. He finds unusual projects such as vintage motorcycles and reworks them with period-correct styling. He is a very creative individual who loves to paint, sculpt or build anything from scratch. Bryan also applies his understanding of pigments and paint behavior to mimic the look of old paintwork, complete with welds, rust and the soft patina. All told, he has hundreds of automotive projects under his belt, including a Stone, Woods and Cook-themed blown 1941 Willys , a ’55 Chevy gasser, a replica of the 1932 Ford from American Graffiti, along with many gas station trucks and old bikes. As for the Foyt car in particular, “I was fortunate in later years to work with several teams at the Indianapolis 500,” he notes. “I drove a transporter in one day with an Indy car in the back. As I drove up 16th Street and turned into the track, I stopped to recall the fond memory of my first visit as a kid.” Bryan always loved looking at the Indy roadsters in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. One he liked in particular was Foyt’s Indy winner from 1961. “Clean lines, A faulty fueling simple but classy paint, and a hard-charging driver,” he mechanism on the observes. “I always wondered what it would feel like to drive original Indy car nearly one.” cost A.J. Foyt the race. His musings at the museum led to the reproduction racer shown here. One day while surfing the web, he came

14 across a steel-bodied, handbuilt Indy roadster in New Hampshire. The car was rough, but all the pieces were there, and Bryan’s imagination was firing on all cylinders. He was so excited that he promptly traveled 1,700 miles to meet the owner and see the car in person. He was in for a few surprises, though, as he had never been to the Northeast in winter weather. Winds were gusting over 50 mph, snow was coming down sideways and trucks were overturned on the expressway. But Bryan was on a mission, and he eventually arrived, struck a deal and returned home with the car and a trailer full of parts. All told, a tough but worthwhile trip. But that was just the beginning of his many challenges. Bryan’s quest to replicate the 1961 Bowes Seal Fast Special #1 began with a complete teardown to the . He selected a Ford 289 ci V8 backed by a C4 transmission to power the car, and the rear end was sourced from a Willys Jeep, which had exactly the right track width. The front axle came from a ’40 Ford Coupe, fitted with rack-and- pinion steering and a few Model A parts as well. Brakes are Lincoln drums from Speedway Motors. Everything else Bryan had to reinvent himself. He welded the frame, straightened the body and reshaped the hood to fit a Ford Mustang radiator. The body was finished and painted by Mr. Muscle, Gary Richey of New Albany, Indiana, with pinstriping and lettering by Bob Laffery in Jeffersonville. His local buddies at Hoosier Exhaust in Jeffersonville helped him make tubes for the radiator, exhaust and the fuel piping. For a period-correct look, “I got a set of Firestone Indy half-treads from Coker Tire and the 16- and 18-inch wheels from Rocket,” Bryan relates. “I built the dash [and installed] several cool period badges from eBay.” Some items tested his ingenuity though. “One day on my way to the office I noticed a handicap walker in the trash that ultimately became my chrome bumpers and grilles!” When the build was nearly complete, Bryan joined the Midwest Oldtimers Vintage Race Car Club, a group that runs old Indy and sprint cars at tracks before major races. Even though he did not get the car finished in time for the 2018 season, he hopes to be ready for spring events in 2019. So keep an eye out for this Brickyard tribute roaring around the track — right where it belongs.

reincarnationmag.com | Spring 2019 15 Daytona Coupe Reproduction Readers’ Rides

MEMORY

16 Reflecting on the 15-year buildup of a Daytona Coupe reproduction Y LANE As told by Russ Foster | Photos by Steve Temple

reincarnationmag.com | Spring 19 17 Daytona Coupe Reproduction Readers’ Rides

The large rear window on the original

Coupes caught Russ Foster’s eye, and he made some innovative modifications here to reduce heat buildup inside the cockpit.

fter becoming interested in racing cars in 1949 at the age of 11 from reading auto magazines, I became an avid spectator A at many of the iconic SoCal race circuits from the mid ’50s to the early ’60s. These included Torrey Pines, Paramount Ranch, Santa Barbara and Riverside where, in 1957, I witnessed the debut of onto the world stage against a star-studded field. I was hooked! Even so, I was on active duty in the U.S. Navy from June 1962 through December 1966, so I missed virtually the entire golden era of the Shelby Cobra. It was not until 1995 at Sears Point Raceway that my wife and I stumbled upon the reunion of the Shelby team celebrating the 30th anniversary of the World Manufacturers’ Championship in ’65. Gathered there were four of the six original 289 Daytona . I took note of that, thinking, “Those things look very good — and they sure have huge back windows.” That vivid memory persisted for many years. Then, in late 2000, I came across a one-page article on Factory Five Racing’s intent to offer a Daytona Aircraft-style Coupe kit. Up until this time, building a replica of a bona fide race car had vents enhance airflow been a distant thought. I have always been a coupe fan, but no kits had through the cabin, which inspired me. Here was an opportunity to build a replica using the same exits just below the rear spoiler. type of engine that the originals had. Subsequently, I placed an order. The kit, FFR coupe #17, was delivered in June 2001, and the adventure began.

18 reincarnationmag.com | Spring 19 19 Daytona Coupe Reproduction Readers’ Rides

I decided to pattern my build after serial number CSX2299 as it appeared in the 1965 . That’s because 2299 was one of six Ford 289-powered Daytona Coupes that played a major role in winning the World Manufacturers’ Championship for in 1965. The exterior of my car is a reasonable facsimile of the original, with period-correct 1965 Ford Guardsman Blue and Wimbledon White paint. The wheels are 15-inch Halibrand-style FIA pin drives with Wimbledon White center sections and polished outer rims. Windshield slats divert airflow to the rear brake air inlets behind each door. In keeping with the original’s competition livery, the exterior is adorned with large racing numbers and numerous sponsor decals. In the engine compartment, I took some liberties for the sake of driving comfort by adding power steering, air conditioning, electronic and lots of polished aluminum and stainless steel. Even with all these amenities, however, it is clear that this replica is a loud, brutal race car, not a comfortable cruiser. What follows are some hard- won lessons from my lengthy project. Overall, I’d emphasize that perseverance is a requirement because most kits don’t just fall together. I had some serious setbacks during my 15-year build. The worst of these were the loss of my dear late wife of 40 years, and increasing responsibilities at our business in Silicon Valley that I founded with three friends in 1999. Through it all, I remembered that I had finished almost every project I’d started throughout my life and was darn well going to finish this one. So before embarking on one of these projects, ask yourself if it’s a realistic task for you, given current (and possible future) family and work responsibilities and financial requirements. In terms of nitty-gritty details on this particular project, wiring After an initial misstep, Induction flows through four TWM two- was one big challenge. Even though I worked in the electronics industry,

Russ Foster eventually found throat electronic fuel injection throttle bodies I had difficulty with the nuances of automotive wiring. Not the least satisfaction in a 331 ci stroker with the same footprint as the original’s Weber of which was reading the tiny writing on the dozens of wires in my based on a Boss 302 block. It 48 IDA carburetors. The setup is modernized universal harness that came with the kit. spins a Ford Racing B-303 with EFI using Holley’s HP ECU and MSD I got some initial help from a local hot rod shop but it went out of cam and hydraulic lifters. Pro-Billet Dual Sync distributor. business, so I was on my own again. I asked around with some of my Cobra-building friends, and one name came up repeatedly: Glenn di Orio. He was an early Factory Five roadster builder who had decades of experience in all aspects of automotive maintenance. This gentleman has been a lifesaver for me not only on wiring, but on many other parts of the build. Experience really helps, particularly when the person is of high integrity. (That wasn’t the case with a couple of suppliers, but that’s another story.) Several years later, I traveled to Southern California to visit the shop that was supposed to paint my car. It was well worth my time and expense, as my high expectations were exceeded. Jeff “Da Bat” Miller of Miller Customs in Temecula does great work and manages his cash flow well. My decision to add EFI also posed some difficulties. Very early in my build, I purchased a well-regarded aftermarket EFI kit, which included the ECU and its huge, general-purpose wiring harness to go with my individual runner (stack) induction system. During the long build time, however, this product was discontinued, and it was also best tuned by an EFI expert. Even with years of experience building racing karts and a Devin in my earlier years, the job simply wasn’t for a mere hobbyist such as myself. I did use the system during the car’s first few thousand miles and it worked fine, but I have since changed

20 over to a Holley system, which has a much wider following among both professionals as well as hobbyists. My advice here is if you’re planning on using EFI, wait before committing to a system. You can get a good idea of how to lay out the components during your build by viewing friends’ systems or reading forums. Another hurdle I had to overcome early on in my build was an engine I naively bought from a young local guy. He turned out to be not only a poor engine builder, but also unethical, and I would have been far better off buying a short block or crate motor from a reputable builder or Ford Performance. From the first 30 seconds we ran the engine, I knew it had balance problems in the 1,800 to 2,200 rpm range. After driving it for only a few thousand miles, I pulled it and took it to Robert Cancilla, a reputable builder in San Jose. The engine was so poorly balanced, that nothing The cockpit has a classic treatment, but with a few creature comforts was salvageable from the short block but the rods. Robert rebuilt the such as air conditioning and power steering cleanly integrated. engine, and I now have a 400 hp, correctly balanced power plant that revs up like a sewing machine. Lesson learned. As for other buildup parts in general, I highly recommend McMASTER-CARR. Simply put, this industrial supply organization is the best I have ever dealt with. My car is loaded with hardware and other stuff from its catalog. All told, my diverse background in microwave test instrumentation and racing sailboat hardware came in handy on this project. The common denominator: Products must be able to be shipped around the world and perform reliably to specification in harsh environments over long periods of time. In my Cobra replica project, I have sought to incorporate what I learned in these businesses. As noted above, I hit a few bumps along the way, but have done my best to overcome them in making a nicely finished, reliable vehicle that does justice to the remarkable legacy of the legendary Cobra Daytona Coupe.

Note the precise aluminum panel

work throughout the interior.

VENDORS The racing livery closely

follows that of the original Ad on Factory Five Racing Pg. 3 CSX2299 Daytona Coupe. 508-291-3443 www.factoryfive.com

reincarnationmag.com | Spring 2019 21 Smyth Charger Ute

THE TRANSFORMER

22 Morphing a muscle car into a performance pickup

Story and Photos by Joe Greeves

hat does the co-founder of Factory Five Racing now do with his time? After selling W off his share of this successful replica firm to his brother Dave, Mark Smith found a way to put an innovative twist on production cars. Inspired by classic “coupe utility” vehicles, like the El Camino and Ranchero, he turns cars into “utes.” Mark’s new company, Smyth Performance, started out using import makes, such as Volkswagen, Subaru and Audi, but has now come up with a domestic version using a Dodge Charger as a donor. What follows is one man’s experience transforming a Dodge Charger into a “muscle pickup” with Smyth Performance’s conversion. Richard “Rich” Williams from Port St. Lucie, Florida, has been an active enthusiast for the last 40 years. He’s restored several show-winning vehicles in the past, but his yacht brokerage business was demanding, leaving little time for anything but work. In retirement, finally with a little time on his hands, he was eager to revisit his automotive hobby and began looking for a project vehicle. Although he wasn’t exactly in the market for a pickup, Smyth Performance’s Dodge Charger conversion struck a chord. Blending a four-door muscle car into a high-performance pickup sounded like a fascinating project, but it was the conversations with Smyth Performance owner Mark that really convinced him. “Mark is very passionate and clearly loves the idea of saving these cars and giving them new life,” Rich notes.

reincarnationmag.com | Spring 19 23 Smyth Charger Ute

No Charger ever left the

Chrysler factory looking like this one! Look carefully and you’ll note components from other vehicles, such as a Ford Ranger tailgate, taillights from a Dodge Caravan and a back window from a Chevrolet Colorado. Mark’s transformation technique uses an length rear quarter panels and roll pan are fiberglass, aluminum bed to replace the back and trunk while the bed is aluminum and comes pre-welded of the original . While the small import cars from the factory. Structural aluminum plates had their charm, it was the Charger rebody with strengthen the chassis, and the rear quarter panels its big American V8 that attracted Rich. The 2005 are bonded in place. to 2010 Dodge Charger is unique, categorized as a Components from a few different vehicles four-door muscle car, and making it the ideal donor complete the conversion. A Ford Ranger tailgate choice for a muscle car to truck conversion. with its decorative spoiler came with the kit, opening Once the idea took shape, Rich began searching and closing in the traditional manner and making the country for a donor car, happy to find the right the bed genuinely useful. Taillights from a Dodge candidate near his own hometown. It was a single- Caravan and a back window from a Chevrolet owner, low-mileage 2007 Hemi Charger R/T with Colorado are also part of the package. Everything a complete service record. As soon as the car was is riveted, bolted or bonded with two-part epoxy in his garage, he ordered the $3,600 kit, wanting — there’s no welding required. Rich says he used to have it on hand before any cuts were made. his 4.5-inch cutting wheel for 90 percent of the Rich began by familiarizing himself with the cuts. available internet videos and studying the areas Rich chose to address sound deadening when where the cuts were needed at the trunk, C-pillars the majority of the job was completed, but before and back half of the roof. He decided the roof was he bonded the rear panels in place. The local Line-X the only genuinely critical cut, since it must accept dealer sprayed the inside of the bed as well as its a three-piece rear window surround. Two small outer surface, to be covered by the rear quarter fiberglass panels bridge the gap between the new panels. back window and door, creating the look of an With the final installation of the rear quarters, extended cab and adding room to the interior. Rich found that the opening aligned perfectly with To accommodate the new bed, the primary cut the factory gas filler neck, allowing the original gas lines occur just behind the B-, essentially filler door to be reused. He also wanted a tonneau eliminating the rear half of the car. Easy-to-follow cover for the bed and provided the folks from instructions made the cuts fairly routine. The full- Craftec Covers with the dimensions. Less than a

24 The reinforced

aluminum-panel bed is completely functional for hauling, and it has Line-X sound deadening throughout.

Blending a four- door muscle car into a high-performance pickup sounded like a fascinating project

reincarnationmag.com | Spring 2019 25 Smyth Charger Ute

week later, it was on his doorstep. While the front end is stock, Rich upgraded the 5.7- liter Hemi with a Diablo chip, K&N cold-air intake and a rumbling Borla dual exhaust. The smoked 20-by-9-inch wheels, wrapped in 45-series Goodyear rubber, give the truck an aggressive look. They’re a Dodge OEM set, repurposed from a 2018 Scat Pack Challenger. Rich added aftermarket Charger trim around the wheel openings, painting them black to match the rest of the factory trim. The steel Charger rear bumper is still in place behind the fiberglass roll pan for safety, and the twin pipes add an appropriately aggressive look. As a whimsy addition, Rich found a few internet emblem additions like the “RedNeck Edition” to adorn the tailgate. The final step was painting the truck in the original Charger Inferno Red. Overall, he spent approximately nine weeks on the build, doing everything himself but the paint. He believes that Mark and his crew could probably do it in a fraction of that time. That thing got a Hemi? Summing up the project, Rich explains: “Other than a

Of course, plus a few power few tools and consumables, the only thing you need to make adders for good measure. this truck is the kit and the car. There’s no need to scrounge the junkyard for parts. Anyone with basic skills and standard tools can get the job done.” If you’re in the market for a high-performance pickup, there is the added benefit that the donor vehicle retains its legal identity for registration purposes. Also, the wide selection of aftermarket upgrades for power, handling or comfort ensures that the personalization process could reach new heights. What did the new muscle truck cost? Expenses began with the donor car at $7,500, the kit at $3,600, a (barely) used set of wheels and tires for $1,000, a tonneau cover at $350 and another $1,000 went to consumables. Rich spent an additional $5,000 on bodywork and paint, sprayed by Mark’s Classy Chassis in Stuart, Florida. We photographed the car at the Daytona Turkey Run, where it was surrounded by crowds marveling at the unusual design throughout the weekend. How is his new truck to live with? Although a little hard to categorize, his “Chargerino” or “Ramchero” is clearly a crowd favorite, receiving six awards in local shows before it was even painted. Rich plans to keep his radical ride for a long time, joking that in the future, he plans to add handles for the pall bearers. “It’s going with me when I leave!”

VENDORS Smyth Performance 774-678-4561 www.smythkitcars.com

26 Breaking through the repetition • Custom Luxury Automobiles with modern luxury comforts • Designed Around You and extended driving seasons. • Customer Focused, Innovative Solutions

reincarnationmag.com | Spring 2019 27 Factory Five ’33 Ford Readers’ Rides

28 Aesthetic mastery gives rise to a fine-tuned ’33 hot rod As told by Chris Leso Photos by Mike Peters Photography

t’s often our youths that define the things we I pursue in life. For me, a love of cars was instilled at a young age by my father, John. He restored a 1964 Corvette while I was growing up, and together we built a 1969 Corvette drag car that we raced for many years. So the idea of adding liquid resin to a cloth material to create something solid became second nature for me. Maybe it was my early exposure to Corvettes that drew me to the fiberglass version of one of my favorite cars — the ’33 Ford. Building an open-wheeled hot rod had always been a dream of mine, and it became a real possibility when I came across the Factory Five Racing replica online. The low, stylized profile of the body instantly appealed to me, and it had a high level of mechanical engineering to back it up. I really wanted to make a modern-style hot rod, and I especially liked the dimensions of this car; the roofline and the styling of the panels give it a modern twist that is clean and timeless. I also like how low the car sits — it looks badass! Modern elements, such as the tube chassis, coilover suspension, disc brakes and power goodies, paired with the look of a traditional hot rod, were all things that excited me in the build. With the lightweight performance and the ARTISTIC drivability of a modern , I was hooked and ready to start the project. After receiving a tour of the Factory Five facilities in March 2015, my father and I loaded the package of components and commenced our snowy, 6 1/2-hour drive home with a trailer full of all the parts and body panels. Once unloaded, PURSUIT I began sorting and taking inventory, as well as reading up and contemplating my build route.

reincarnationmag.com | Spring 19 29 Factory Five ’33 Ford Readers’ Rides

I decided to go with a traditional driveline, a small-block Ford 302 rated at 325 hp and backed by a Ford T5 transmission with a performance clutch. The 8.8-inch Ford rear axle is fitted with 3.55 gears, and the setup goes well in a 2,250-pound car. I concentrated not only on the fitment of the bodywork, but also on adding plenty of reinforcement. Admittedly there were areas for refinement, as some of the panels needed reworking to fit snugly. The car had to look as good as it performed. Specifically, I cut the side engine-panels and reshaped them to fit the grille perfectly. I also sliced, reshaped and reinforced the lower valence. In the Factory Five online forum, I read that the hood and trunk have a gap between the outer and inner shells of the fiberglass so that when driving, you’d notice the pieces waving as air got into them. So I cut holes on the inside of the trunk and hood and filled them with resin to reinforce them. In addition, I installed metal braces to give the trunk a better shape and have a solid foundation for the trunk struts that I added so they would not push the fiberglass out of place. To reinforce the rear of the body, I glassed in a steel tube in the shape of the body on the inside. The doors were built up from the inside with an additional layer of

30 fiberglass, giving them strength to house the custom window channels I used for the power windows. Many panels were hollow inside, where the outer and inner shells did not meet. So as done on the hood and trunk, I reinforced them by cutting holes on the inside and filling them with resin to help strengthen the panels. The doors, hood and trunk were all reinforced with an additional layer of fiberglass. Lastly, I built custom doorsills that transitioned into the kick panels. I first made a fiberglass mold and then glassed them in, fitting them perfectly. About eight months alone were spent on bodywork, adjusting fitment along with plenty of block sanding. Primer helped me to find any low or trouble areas that needed to be addressed. After lifting the body off the chassis, it was off to paint. My father, a talented painter, laid down numerous coats of Sherwin-Williams automotive base color and clear. The car was blocked countless times to get theflattest and best-looking finish possible. With the painting done, I moved onto the next phase of the build. During the long New Jersey winter months, I set up shop in the basement and was able to work on the interior treatment. Using my work experience as an art director, I sketched out several designs of the panels beforehand. After settling on one in particular, I gathered all the materials needed to start putting panels together. I fabbed them up by bending and polishing aluminum, cutting and gluing panels, and using wire mesh as an accent. Adding in the aluminum trim accents broke up the solid interior color, and polishing made them really pop. Then I upholstered the panels with the material I used on the interior. I also created a center console from MDF (medium density fiberboard) and covered it in vinyl, matching the curves of the interior while providing some storage. The seat designs were also sketched out, but since I can’t sew, I took them to Victors Custom Upholstery where they were able to bring my drawings to life.

reincarnationmag.com | Spring 2019 31 Factory Five ’33 Ford Readers’ Rides

The trunk panels were created to fit and hide all the wiring, gas filler and latch brackets. Through trial and error, I was able to create the interior I envisioned while gaining some newfound skills along the way. The Raceline wheels on the car were custom made with gunmetal gray, powder-coated centers. The rims measure 18 by 8 inches and 20 by 10.5 inches, the latter allowing for 305 Hankook tires in the rear for maximum “hookage.” The engine, air cleaner and valve covers were all painted the same color, along with the BBK shorty headers that were powder coated to match. The greatest thing about building a car is the sense that it’s all yours. Factory Five’s tag line is “Built, Not Bought,” and I think that’s a great way to sum up this achievement. Building something with a modest set of tools and with the help of family and friends makes the experience that much more rewarding. People are interested in the assembly process and ask a lot of questions. It’s a fresh creation so I haven’t been able to take it to any shows just yet. I’m looking forward to enjoying the car next summer and also to my next build, where I can use the skills I learned and do it all over again on a different project car.

32 VENDORS

Ad on Factory Five Racing Pg. 3 508-291-3443 www.factoryfive.com

reincarnationmag.com | Spring 2019 33 CRASH COURSE CABINETMAKING I’m embarrassed to admit that it was Constructing a custom GT car interior months ago that I was first contacted by Jonas Jasinskas, a reader from Ontario. in a Factory Five Racing Coupe He and his father, Vytas, an engineer with 40 years of experience, were building a Story and Photos by Jonas Jasinskas Factory Five Racing Type 65 Coupe with extraordinary details and features. One hen my dad and I first started the 40 years’ of engineering experience also helped build of our Factory Five Type 65 quite a bit.) of the most impressive facets of their W Coupe, we knew that we wanted to Dash layout is a matter of function and taste. build was the interior, a brilliantly have something different and opted Any arrangement works if you’re happy with it. executed custom job, inspired by to go with a theme as opposed to a After starting with some initial concept sketches, track car. The original dashboard for the Daytona we started working on a great deal of cutaway grand touring cars of the 1960s. was functional for racing, not unattractive, but drawings. Through every step, we constantly Jonas has documented the entire not really styled like a production GT car of the referenced the body and chassis to find out how build on his website www.vjjfactoryfive. 1960s. Looking at the popular GT cars of the era, all of this is going to get put together. It’s also we decided that we both really liked the styling important to consider future servicing of these wordpress.com, and I encourage you to of the 1967 2000GT. We didn’t want an parts; it’s not just a matter of putting it all together check it out. We have some additional exact replica, but we liked rounded shapes, wood — it has to be able to come apart if we ever need features planned for this build in finish, black stitched leather and analogue controls to fix or replace a component. from the time period. So, how do you go from There was also a great deal of math employed future issues, so stay tuned. bare framework to a finished interior like this one? in our effort. My father mentioned that this is the — Dean Larson, digital editor Well in our case, it was pencils, paper, plywood, first time he’s actually had an application for some aluminum and whiskey of course. (And my father’s of his second year university math, especially

34 Starting with preliminary

sketches, Jonas and Vytas Jasinskas laid out respective locations for gauges, switches and the Vintage Air climate control system.

The main structure of the dash

is made from plywood with aluminum sheet over the top.

The glovebox-like

structure conceals the Vintage Air climate control system.

This complex

raised portion was bent over a paint can and bonded in with JB Weld.

The bulk of the

upholstered items were finished by a local upholsterer after their basic structures were built.

The wood veneer used on this project is a

0.020-inch burled walnut, shown here in its raw form.

reincarnationmag.com | Spring 2019 35 where multiple compound curves and sheet aluminum were involved in the dash top. From here, we went on to materials selection. The dash structure is made from 1/2-inch, high-density plywood backing with aluminum sheet on the front. We selected 0.040-inch/14-gauge aluminum sheet, which is softer and a bit easier to work with than a hardened sheet. The dash top is also sheet aluminum with wood as the front bullnose structure — this will be covered in stitched leather by our upholsterer. The first pieces we constructed were actually heavy paper templates (Bristol board), which reflected the shapes of all the aluminum parts to be cut out and fitted. We used a variety of methods to shape the plywood and aluminum sections that make up our interior, but none of which are rocket science. The raised portion above the gauges is a simple cylindrical piece bonded in with JB Weld. I believe I formed it over a paint can. The nose of the dash is made up of high-density poplar plywood attached with countersunk wood screws. The small bits of aluminum sheet, used to make the dash side supports and transition pieces, were bent and hammered to shape over bits of pipe and the like. To bond the aluminum to the plywood, we sanded the aluminum sheet with 40-grit sandpaper and bonded it to the plywood using premium-grade LePage contact cement. Fabrication was done with simple hand tools. A drill and jigsaw were used for cutting the plywood as well as the instrument and switch openings. An electric sheet metal cutting tool was used for the aluminum, and this tool is almost a necessity. Doing long, clean cuts with hand shears is difficult and leaves a wavy, distorted edge. The wood veneer we chose is a 0.020-inch burled walnut. Most of the others that we looked at were far too orange or red in appearance, especially when coatings like automotive urethanes or epoxies were laid overtop. In its raw state, the walnut veneer is extremely wavy and irregular, so it was flattened by applying a veneer softener (commonly available at woodworking or hobby supply stores). The wetted veneer was clamped between plywood with craft paper and paper towel on either side to absorb excess liquid softener. It needed to stay clamped for two days to dry out reasonably well. Once released, the veneer will only stay flat for about a day, so it needs to be bonded to the aluminum right away. Even with this effort, the surface of the veneer was not flat. An inherently flat wood veneer would have made life much easier. Finally, the veneer was bonded to the aluminum using the same contact cement. To achieve a matte finish, two or three coats of Dupli-Color automotive clear coat were applied and the surface sanded with 220 and then 400 grit. This process was repeated about eight to 10 times to achieve the desired flatness — extremely time-consuming. The finish coat used is Dupli-Color matte-finish alloy wheel clear coat. The automotive clear coats don’t yellow and are pretty good with UV light, not that that’s as big of an issue in a coupe. Adding the walnut veneer to our dash was a lengthy, but worthwhile undertaking. I think the results speak for themselves — the burled walnut appears very deep. The dash recess, which houses the speedometer and tachometer, as well as some indicator lights, is identical construction to the dash face. Its aluminum surround is covered with black leather in a simple process. First, the aluminum is sanded with 40 grit, and then the leather is bonded using sprayed contact cement. The remaining

36 leather/leatherette work was done by a local upholstery shop, as it’s way beyond my skill level. While it’s outside of today’s focus, you can also see the electric terminals for all of the wiring in and out of the dash. These terminals feed all of the gauges, as well as the switches and toggles for the various functions of the car. The large box that’s in front of the passenger area houses our Vintage Air heater core and air conditioning unit. With the limited space available, this was really the only solution, as we weren’t willing to compromise on climate control. Most of our instruments and switches are mounted only in the aluminum sheet, with clearance provided in the plywood backing. Our switches were laser engraved with the required functions and then filled with black enamel so they can be read when backlit. Also, for those interested, we selected V8 Speedster series gauges from Classic Instruments. A dash of this relative complexity requires a lot of planning and This concept rendering detailed dimensional sketches and drawings. Paper templates are made for everything, and measure, measure, measure. Even then, was done by Hermance be prepared to do things twice now and then. Making a mistake Design and reflects the toward the end of the process (after hours of work) hurts a bit, but GT car vision Jonas and it’s all part of the process and the fun. Vytas Jasinskas had for their Type 65 Coupe.

The finished interior in the Type 65 Coupe masterfully achieves Jonas and Vytas Jasinskas’ vision. Function still dictates its form, but it’s more comfortable and has all the presence of ’60s GT car.

reincarnationmag.com | Spring 2019 37 38 reincarnationmag.com | Spring 19 39 EcoBoost MkI GT40

hile the replica market generally takes some. Tackling them required several months of a fond look back at the golden eras of late nights and tedious custom fabrication, as W automotive history, there’s no reason swapping out the V8 setup for a twin-turbo V6 to ignore the latest in technological required a lot of toil and test fitting. innovations. As a case in point, consider Ford’s They actually built two cars, Doug’s car and a EcoBoost engine. The twin-turbo version has proven second with a supercharged Coyote, an engine they itself in a wide range of applications, ranging from were already very familiar with. Since Vlado and racing trim in the Ford GT to a workhorse in the Pablo were entering uncharted territory with the Ford F-150, among many others. EcoBoost, several custom items had to be fabricated. A couple years ago, Doug Campbell of Hillbank The block itself had to be moved farther back since Motor Corp. thought the EcoBoost would be an the transaxle is fixed in place with the rear effective way to update the Superformance GT40 suspension. Also, the engine mounts needed to be MkI replica. Hey, if that 600 hp engine competed longer. “We had to build the engine for the chassis, successfully at Le Mans in 2016, why not drop it in rather than the chassis for the engine,” Vlado a four-time winner of Le Mans from the late ’60s? explains. The concept is a wonderful merging of both old That required customizing a Quick Time and new schools of performance and aptly named bellhousing for the Quaife five-speed transaxle. In the Future GT Forty. addition, since the V6 EcoBoost has an overhead By way of background, Doug is a mechanical cam rather than a pushrod configuration, it’s wider engineer and appreciates the advanced design of at the top, requiring extra clearance at the frame the EcoBoost. “It’s all about constant improvement,” humps and for the accessory drives. They also had he notes. “The EcoBoost has a lighter, dry-sump to find room for a pair of intercoolers for the turbo setup and port, instead of direct, injection.” But system as well and ended up mounting them on merging this engine from the latest Ford GT with the left and right sides of the cockpit wall. the classic MkI GT40 would present a number of That was just the beginning as Pablo had to obstacles to overcome. fabricate a custom intake manifold. “That took a Vlado Jancev and Pablo Cabrera of V’s lot of time,” he admits. “It was one of the hardest Performance took on these challenges, and then things, and it had to look good too.”

40 Fitting a Quaife five-speed transaxle to the EcoBoost engine required customizing a Quick Time bellhousing.

If that 600 hp engine competed successfully at Le Mans in 2016, why not drop it in a four-time winner of Le Mans from the late ’60s?

The classic lines of the MkI GT40 are clearly evident, but a wholly different engine is visible through the rear glass.

reincarnationmag.com | Spring 2019 41 EcoBoost MkI GT40

Note the mounting of the intercoolers right behind the left and right sides of the cockpit.

The snug, right-hand

drive cockpit is dressed with custom Stitchcraft upholstery, layered with Dynamat and DEI heat insulation. Engine vitals are monitored by custom Speedhut gauges.

42 The wiring harness wasn’t a cakewalk either since no schematics or wiring diagrams were available for the EcoBoost. So he reverse engineered the harness on a Ford F-150’s engine and wired up a MilSpec system one piece at a time. The brain of the engine management system is a MegaSquirt MS3Pro Ultimate. This stand-alone (universal) unit can be programmed to handle the EcoBoost’s dual variable and also compensate for the massive airflow from the twin Garrett . Dual Aeromotive fuel pumps, along with a 3.0-liter surge tank, prevent fuel starvation during hard cornering and braking. Also, MagnaFlow supplied a state-of-the-art and eye-catching exhaust system. All told, the 600 hp EcoBoost is fairly Pablo Cabrera of V’s Performance custom fabricated the intake similar to the full-race engine, except for the lack of a dry manifold, which required a lot of meticulous design and finish work. sump and slightly different heads, since there’s no access to Ford’s secret competition components. As for the rest of the car, it’s said to have over two-thirds of the steel monocoque chassis’ parts interchangeable with an original GT40 car. One modern exception is a RideTech ShockWave air suspension. “I got a bit of heat for that,” Doug admits. So why did he make the change? He points out that the system is self- leveling, so it’s more usable as a street car. Normally the nose would scrape over bumps in the road, but the ShockWave Pro System provides 4 to 5 inches of lift for the front splitter. HRE provided the custom pin-drive rims, and Wilwood Pumping up the V6 upgraded the brake package to 14-inch rotors with six-

EcoBoost is a pair of piston calipers up front and four-piston units in the rear. Garrett turbochargers. Additional contemporary components consist of a Centerforce This additional airflow clutch, Dynamat sound insulation, a custom Stitchcraft requires dual Aeromo- interior, DEI heat insulation and custom Speedhut gauges. tive fuel pumps, along Besides supplying the GT40 MkI rolling chassis, with a 3.0-liter surge Superformance and Hillbank also painted the current Ford tank, to prevent fuel GT livery, added the racing decals and fitted it with modern starvation during hard lighting front and rear. cornering and braking. The look and power of Doug’s Future GT Forty help to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1968 victory, as well as the modern Ford GT and its current success in the . All together, it’s a fine melding of old and new and a homage to the once and future king.

VENDORS Superformance 800-297-6253 www.superformance.com

Ad on V’s Performance Pg. 85 714-282-9900 www.vsperformance.com

reincarnationmag.com | Spring 2019 43 C6-Based Split Window

CLOAKING DEVICE

44 Classic Sting Ray styling conceals a contemporary Corvette Story and Photos by Joe Greeves

reincarnationmag.com | Spring 2019 45 C6-Based Split Window

The Karl Kustoms’ Corvette conversion blends the midyear look with the safety features, comfort and technology of a modern C6.

he aggressive and aerodynamic In his quest for a trouble-free ride of a certain lines of the current Corvette flavor, he came across the team from Karl Kustoms T Stingray certainly has its fans, but while at a Corvette show in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. plenty of enthusiasts prefer the This firm’s unique display immediately caught shape and nostalgia of vintage Vettes. When his attention, and he was hooked by the company’s you drive an older Corvette, though, with its methods for combining old and new. With C6 lack of refinement and overly direct connection underpinnings under a wide-body version of to the asphalt, you might find the aging technology the legendary ’63 split window, Bill had finally less than thrilling. It was wonderful for its time found his best of both worlds. — and time moves on. So if you’d like to have He stayed in touch with Karl Kustoms the handling, safety and comfort of a new-age representative, Jim Hidy, while he was formulating ride, yet hate the idea of losing those heartthrob his plan. The dozen or so cars in his current classic curves, you have to find a solution that collection were put up for sale and he began melds the best of both worlds. looking for a donor Corvette. Some months later, Bill Zei, from New Smyrna Beach, Florida, Jim called, saying that they might have just the says he’s found it. A lifelong automotive enthusiast, car he was looking for. He had taken in a low- his first car was a 1956 Chevrolet , mileage (9,000 miles) 2013 Corvette Grand Sport and over the years he estimates that he’s had with the standard 425 hp V8 and automatic probably 50 cool customs in his garage. Smiling transmission. It had minor body damage, but with a wry grin, though, he recalls that each of the exterior body panels would be removed his old cars always had a to-do list taped to the anyway during the transformation. Bill gave windshield, listing some type of repair, him the go-ahead, specifying a list of options replacement or upgrade. They all had a venerable to personalize his ride. charm, but mechanical headaches were the norm Because this was the 33rd coupe built by the for his nostalgic collection. Karl Kustoms team, several new options were

46 The one-year-only split window is legendary among Corvette fans, made even better now that it’s a that opens to reveal usable space in the rear.

EVOD Industries developed its own version of the classic hubcap

wheel of the late ’50s and early ’60s. They’re wrapped in Nitto tires with a red line treatment to emulate styling of the period.

available. Bill asked for actual flip-up headlights with modern Hella LED projector lenses, rather than the earlier style, which were integrated into the grille. In addition, he specified six taillights with sequential blinking and an LED center backup/third brake light that changes color from red to white. Plus, he wanted shaved door handles with hidden external door release buttons that also operate from the remote and the exhaust pipes to exit through the rear valence. For rolling stock, he selected EVOD Industries’ Sting billet wheels, which mimic the Corvette hubcaps from the mid ’60s. As a subtle cosmetic touch, the Nitto rubber features vintage red stripes on the outside, with the valve stems and tire information on the inside. Although lots of performance options were available, Bill opted to keep the 6.2-liter V8 stock, minimizing any maintenance that might be required with high-performance parts. Just for fun, though, he added exhaust cutouts that emit a heavy rumble at the flip of a switch. About halfway through the build process, Bill and his wife, Faith, drove to Des Moines, Iowa, to get acquainted with the future addition to their garage. The Karl Kustoms team had removed the stock outer fiberglass panels and replaced them with wide-body panels created from molds on site. In the rear, the sought-after ’63 split window hatch

reincarnationmag.com | Spring 2019 47 C6-Based Split Window

The 6.2-liter V8 produces a stout 425 hp and is

coupled to a six-speed, paddle-shift automatic.

now opens, creating access to usable storage space in the rear. Up front, the black-accented ’67 Sting Ray hood creates an aggressive look, and modified versions of the classic Corvette split bumpers protect front and rear. The removable roof panel and the roof reinforcement bar were the only parts not changed on the exterior. All the new body panels use the original attachment points, weather seals, hinges and latches, ensuring a professional makeover. Hours of careful fitting and hand sanding followed in order to get the fiberglass body ready for paint. The goal for the car was a specific shade of pearl yellow, so Jim sprayed half a dozen samples until he got just the right one. Bill says he’s had lots of yellow cars over the years, but this shade is the best yet. It was then nicknamed “Limoncello” after the bright yellow Italian liqueur. How is this new/old Corvette to live with? Blending the iconic cues of the ’63 split window and ’67 Sting Ray hood with modern engineering and technology creates a head-turning, yet reliable vehicle. While lots of folks hope a project car will serve as an everyday driver, it instead turns into an “every now and then” driver. On the contrary, “I bought this one to drive and not to sit somewhere in a collection,” Bill notes. “You’ll see this car all over town, as well as at local shows.” Now at the age of 73, it’s the ideal retirement ride. After a lifetime fo fixing up old cars, it’s wonderful to drive one that’s hassle-free, running modern underpinnings cloaked with classic Sting Ray style.

48 While lots of interior options were offered, the 2013 C6 Grand

Sport leather package was just fine from the factory, and Bill Zei opted to keep it that way. He enjoys the push-button starting, nine-speaker Bose sound system and heads-up display.

VENDORS Karl Kustoms 855-806-1147 www.karlkustoms.com

reincarnationmag.com | Spring 2019 49 EVENT PREVIEW 2019 London Cobra Show LONDONTHE POWER OF

Exciting new developments for the London Cobra Show

50 VENDORS

Ad on Factory Five Racing Pg. 3 508-291-3443 www.factoryfive.com

Ad on FormaCars Pg. 27 614-279-9492 www.formacars.com

Ad on London Cobra Show Pg. 7 ONDON www.londoncobrashow.com

Story and Photos by Juan Lopez-Bonilla

reincarnationmag.com | Spring 19 51 EVENT PREVIEW 2019 London Cobra Show

Under the watchful of eye of the local police, Cobras are available for

thrill rides for a small donation to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

very year we look forward to the annual London Cobra Show, and FormaCars made a substantial donation to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation E this time there are even more reasons to attend. Besides the chance by building the car for a much-reduced cost. to win a Cobra that’s bristling with several innovative features, There’s plenty to see and do during the three-day event. Several cruises there’s also a whole new venue with distinguished speakers scheduled for will be available on Thursday, June 20, for those who would like to explore the banquet. The show is scheduled Thursday, June 20, to Saturday, June the area on their own or with other Cobra owners. Activities planned for 22, 2019, and is open to Shelby Cobra roadsters, Daytona Coupes and the Friday include an autocross event on a 7/10-mile, 10-turn road course, as Ford GT40 — both replicas and originals. Beyond fun and great cars, the well as several guided cruises. event also raises money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. One such cruise is the Dan Semko Memorial Halderman Museum The primary fundraiser is the raffling of a Cobra replica, which is Barn Cruise. Gale Halderman is the unsung designer of the first Ford provided by different companies year to year. The 2019 London Cobra Mustang, and in 2014 he opened this facility. It houses several Ford Show’s raffle car is a modern interpretation of the iconic 1960s automotive automobiles, including his first Mustang and a large collection of drawings, legend. It’s based on a Factory Five Racing Mk4 Roadster and built by artwork, memorabilia and information about all things Mustang, Ford FormaCars using modern materials and manufacturing processes including and Lincoln-Mercury. extensive 3D printing. Friday evening will be party time, as everyone relaxes at the Crowne Painted silver with black stripes and red accents, along with a blackout Plaza hotel in Dublin, Ohio, for the London Cobra Show parking lot party. package on the metal trim, the car runs a 435 hp 5.0-liter Coyote V8. Kick back in your lawn chair as you experience an evening of fun and Backed by a late-model, six-speed Ford MT82 G2 transmission, and a conversation surrounded by your Cobra friends. BYOB and appetite, as Torsen limited-slip rear differential, it’s also tuned with an ECUMaster there will be food trucks from 5 until 7 p.m. to satisfy your hunger. custom engine management system. This setup enables the use of selectable Saturday morning will begin with about a 30-minute drive to the driving modes with traction control that monitors and adjusts the power staging area and then an approximately 10-mile long, police-escorted output, to stay in sync with the rate of wheel spin. parade of Cobras into downtown London. Once the Cobras are parked Other special features include wireless security with an electric remote, for display on Main Street and the opening ceremony is completed, visitors plus heated and custom LED lighting throughout the interior. can enjoy (for a $10 donation to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation) a thrill

52 A Factory Five Racing Cobra, enhanced with modern features by FormaCars, will be raffled off at the London Cobra Show.

reincarnationmag.com | Spring 2019 53 EVENT PREVIEW 2019 London Cobra Show

The updated cockpit treatment shows all the innovative elements incorporated into this buildup from FormaCars. The interior is fully upholstered and features adjustable and heated seats, four-point seat belts, leather steering wheel, and thermal and sound insulation.

54 ride in a Cobra at speeds well above the posted limits. While the Cobras are parked on Main Street, visitors are welcome to view them, speak with their owners and visit the many vendors displaying products in Gasoline Alley, directly in front of the Madison County courthouse. The major manufacturers of Cobra component cars, as well as suppliers of turnkey-minus cars, will be in attendance with several display models. You’ll also be able to talk with engine manufacturers, transmission suppliers and agents for component car insurance, as well suppliers of Cobra and Shelby memorabilia and T-shirts. As for lodging, the Ohio Cobra Club just announced a change in hotels so all London Cobra Show attendees Stuffing a Coyote can stay at the same place, the Crowne Plaza, at a reduced into a Cobra involved a rate that includes a hot breakfast. In addition, there is a custom wiring harness for new pricing structure with a different cutoff date for a free the ECUMaster custom engine T-shirt with each registration. management system. An added benefit is that the Crowne Plaza has a very large parking lot, and there will be an area designated for Cobra parking only. There will also be a separate area set aside for parking of pickups and car trailers directly next to the Cobra parking. This arrangement will allow access to the trailers for those who desire to park their Cobras in their trailer overnight. In conjunction with the show each year, the Ohio Cobra Club, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, raffles off a Cobra replica with the net proceeds donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and designated for research. To purchase raffle tickets, go to www.londoncobrashow.com/tickets. Since 2000, the Cobra raffle has generated donations of $1,333,000 to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and has helped the foundation fund the development of three new cystic fibrosis medicines in recent years. Everyone who purchases raffle tickets or participates in the London Cobra Show should know that they play a role in developing treatments that improve and extend the lives of those suffering from cystic fibrosis. The show will conclude with the evening’s grand gala dinner in the Crowne Plaza’s air-conditioned ballroom featuring a three-course dinner and a cash bar. Scheduled to speak at the dinner is automotive journalist and film photographer Dave Friedman. He was the official photographer for the Shelby American organization, which offered him the opportunity to accompany the Shelby team to races around the world and document the development of Shelby’s legendary Cobras. He will provide fascinating behind-the-scenes accounts of , and Shelby American personnel, racing drivers and crew members. Also speaking that evening will be Fran Kaya, senior director of Individual Giving for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Fran will talk about the recent medical advancements made in fighting cystic fibrosis. At the end of the Saturday evening dinner, a donation check will be presented to Cystic Fibrosis Foundation personnel and the winning raffle ticket drawn. One lucky person will be notified that they are the proud owner of the 2019 London Cobra Show Cobra.

reincarnationmag.com | Spring 2019 55 THE CASE FOR COILOVERS Precision adjustability for improved comfort, handling and curb appeal Story and Photos by Jeff Zurschmeide and Courtesy of Cusco

56 A professional hassis tuning can take quite a bit of time and even more C money. But with a little advance knowledge, the savvy shop has a strut builder can cut some time, cash, and even sweat and compressor like this one, which is much tears out of the suspension development process. The better and quicker goal is to get it right the first time, rather than going through multiple than the home-use setups in a trial-and-error process. units. It costs only “If you end up replacing the first set of dampers you buy, that was a few dollars to get a very expensive lesson,” advises technical expert Wyatt Gilbert of this work done by Motion Control Suspension. “I’m a firm believer in doing it right and the pros. doing it once.” What does that involve? “What we do with a shock absorber is to fine-tune the mechanical grip that the car is able to generate,” Gilbert explains. “It makes your tire’s contact patch more efficient. Without a proper set of dampers controlling a spring, you have an uncontrolled chassis. It’s not compliant over bumps and has a tendency to do things that are fast and uncomfortable.” What do these terms refer to? “Fast and uncomfortable” can mean anything from bouncing the driver to launching the whole car into the air and crashing spectacularly. While these driving events might make for a great YouTube video, it’s hardly the stuff of performance handling. Keeping a chassis from getting unsettled starts with a fundamental understanding of dampers. What the dampers do is resist the bouncing motion as a car’s tires traverse various bumps and dips, smoothing out the movement over time. Without a damper, a single bump will echo, repeating its effect Most adjustable dampers use a

as the spring bounces. The damper, however, turns that into a single permanent or removable knob that compression and extension by turning the motion energy into heat. turns the adjuster on the top of the Damping keeps the chassis steady and the tire in contact with the strut unit. Different brands work in pavement — where you want it. different ways, so do your homework How do you choose the right dampers for your project car? After before you start changing the all, they look pretty much the same on the outside. And they all work settings. by forcing oil through an orifice in a piston sliding inside a tube. The oil can’t go through very fast, and that creates the damping resistance. Also, most shocks today have some inert compressible gas like nitrogen in the tube to pressurize the system. But that’s about where the similarities end between top-quality dampers and bargain-priced units. The thing that differentiates a true performance setup from a basic unit is adjustability. The ability to adjust that resistance is where the performance comes in. You can buy single-adjustable dampers that adjust resistance in one direction, usually extension, or which adjust both compression and extension resistance simultaneously. Double- Spring compressors designed for Here’s a typical strut setup with

adjustable dampers allow you to separately adjust the resistance to home use are often called suicide a camber plate to allow for greater compression and extension. sticks, and the name is only mostly in alignment adjustability. Note the Really high-end dampers can be adjusted three or even four ways, jest. Most builders will not change yellow damper adjustment knob with separate settings to handle high-speed motions such as going springs very often, and it’s safer to (center) for rebound/extension over train tracks and lower-speed motions such as pitching forward leave the job to professionals. resistance. under braking. In both cases, the speed being described is how fast This is a stock Miata the wheel is moving in relation to the car, not how fast the car is driving. spring-and-shock unit VERS An added adjustment with premium dampers is that they often and a KONI Sport Adjustable replacement. have a threaded body that allows you to adjust the total height of the The KONI allows you to assembly, and also to replace the car’s springs easily with firmer or set damping, change the softer units. Total height adjustment allows you to maintain full spring and offers two suspension travel capability while achieving the ride height you want. ride heights based on the Advanced drivers use ride-height adjustment to control the amount mounting of the lower of weight placed on each tire. Equalizing the weight on either side of spring perch.

reincarnationmag.com | Spring 2019 57 A basic damper

adjuster might not be clearly labeled. This one probably adjusts both compression and extension simultaneously.

the car helps the car turn equally well in either “People think that a stiff car is a fast car,” direction. Note that when you adjust the ride Gilbert says, “but the fact is that you need some height of any car, you should always realign the compliance. If you have too many things to adjust, wheels afterward. Small changes in ride height it’s easy to make the car too stiff, which hurts can have a dramatic effect on steering. your handling.” One of the best benefits of choosing a coilover Most builders seek out a qualified and well- suspension for your project is that you can choose regarded shop to do the work and to ask their the spring rate you want. (Spring rate is generally advice before spending any money. And doing expressed as the amount of weight required to some on-road testing helps as well. “One of the compress a coil spring 1 inch.) You can change things I encourage people to do when they’re spring rate relatively easily, but there are trade- shopping for dampers is to go drive a car or ride offs. “When you put a heavier-rated spring on a in a car that’s already got a particular set of car, you’ve got to use more damping to control dampers installed,” Gilbert suggests. “Compare how fast, or how violently, that spring is going the options you’re considering and let that be the to load up and unload,” Gilbert points out. ultimate metric for what value is added.” Choosing the ideal spring rate for an Lastly, what about remote reservoirs? Their application comes down to half science and half purpose is to provide additional oil and gas Coilover springs typically have a smaller outer personal preference. For reference, a typical volume, which helps keep the shock cool and

diameter of the coil, creating more space in a car’s Cobra weighs about 2,200 pounds or so, with 53 consistent over time. Keep in mind that a shock’s wheel wells, allowing for wider wheels. percent on the front axle and 47 percent on the main purpose is to convert kinetic energy into rear. Doing the math, that’s 1,166 pounds on the heat energy, and the better it does that, the better front and 1,034 pounds on the rear axle. These your ride and handling will be. That’s why the cars often run with 8-inch-tall, 350-pound rear 4x4 owners love them, since they’re beating the springs for solid axles and 500-pound springs hell out of their shocks all the time. Similarly, in front. Cars driven on racetracks usually use on-track endurance racers in events like the 25 firmer springs, while street cars are better with Hours at Thunderhill, or the Rolex 24 at Daytona softer rates. need something that stays consistent over long There are so many variables that it’s best to periods of constant action. consult the supplier for recommendations. As For the typical street car builder, the main one example, QA1 offers extensive website advantage comes if you don’t have convenient resources for most popular models, and by weight. access to adjustment and you want to make The company also offers a range of shocks and frequent adjustments. Many cars don’t have ready struts in several different valving configurations access to the shock top in the rear. So if you want to suit individual ride conditions, whether for to make frequent adjustments, a remote reservoir In a custom-built car, the builder can make access the street, strip or road course. Overall, getting shock makes that easier, all for optimizing both to the strut as easy as possible for adjustment and for a top-shelf suspension set up properly, corner- the ride and handling. spring replacement. But to get correct spring rates on weighted and adjusted for the spring rate in use a custom-built chassis, you’ll need to know your usually requires specialized equipment like corner corner weights. scales and an alignment rack.

58 This coilover setup

from Ohlins (shown here in component form and final assembly) will cost several thousand dollars, but it’s a top-quality motorsports product. The Ohlins coilovers offer damping adjustment and spring preload. Total height adjustment comes from an extra threaded part at the bottom of the strut body. This part simply extends or retracts the strut to allow the tuner to set ride height and corner weights.

Many double, three-way and four-way

adjustable units with remote reservoirs allow the The KONI Sport Adjustable is a great choice for builder to locate the remote reservoir in a those seeking an affordable single-adjustable convenient place for adjustment. damper with two available spring perches. Builders can select springs of different heights and match them with the spring perches to obtain a variety of ride heights.

Here’s custom front suspension that

starts with Miata parts, but mounts a quality double-adjustable coilover. The The strut tops on these Motion Control installation looks great, and it’s functional

Suspension units differ for front and rear as well. installation. The rebound resistance adjustment knobs are on top. VENDORS Motion Control Suspension 866-201-1977 www.motioncontrolsuspension.com QA1 High-end units like these from Motion Control Suspension include remote gas reservoirs. The reservoirs 800-721-7761 offer convenient recharging as well as an additional adjustment knob. Note the other adjustment knob on the top of the strut rod. www.qa1.net

reincarnationmag.com | Spring 2019 59 Boss 429-Powered Torino

THE KEEPER

60 Hitting the high-water mark with a Boss 429-powered Ford Torino KEEPER Story and Photos by Joe Greeves

reincarnationmag.com | Spring 19 61 Boss 429-Powered Torino

utomotive addictions can begin at a an idea that John had been mulling over for some very early age. Just ask John Jinnings. time. Ford had put the Boss 429 in the ’69 to ’70 A He smiles when he recalls that he’s Mustangs (and two special Cougars) for NASCAR “ Some of been a car buff since about age 4. As a homologation, but what would it be like if they put hardcore Ford guy for the last 30 years, he has owned it in the Torino? Determined to find out, John turned more than 130 cars, and put himself through college to the internet and began the search for a suitable the stuff that’s by buying, fixing and reselling cars to pay for tuition. project car. He eventually tracked down a 1970 Ford Each one got a little better, but this 1970 Ford Torino Torino GT in Saginaw, Michigan. available today GT fastback is the high-water mark for him. It’s his It had been a race car and a showpiece for 17 20th build in the last 20 years, and it years, but it then languished in a warehouse for some versus what we boasts some extraordinary additions under the skin. time. Amazingly, when he got the car home, it was “The ante gets higher each time, and we try to virtually rust-free. The next step was simple. He up it a little bit with every new vehicle,” John tells contacted Kaase, bought the makings of a motor had to work with us. “For me, attention to detail is the biggest thing. and started the project. Some of the stuff that’s available today versus what Knowing the horsepower potential of this engine, 10 years ago — we had to work with 10 years ago — it’s just amazing.” John’s first step was to establish a strong foundation For instance, previously he would spend weeks for the car. That began with a call to Martz Chassis trying to find a series of pulleys that would line up in Bedford, Pennsylvania, who had just released a it’s just amazing.” to run air, power steering, power brakes and alternator. coilover four-link suspension for Fairlanes and Now with companies like Billet Specialties, it’s just Comets. – John Jinnings a phone call away. While some things may have John called, saying he wanted to do a Torino, gotten easier, a build of this quality still takes and Martz jumped at the opportunity to prototype considerable time. one. About nine months later, John had the first The impetus for this project began when Jon unit. The QA1 coilover front end uses a control arm Kaase Racing Engines came out with the Boss 429 on the bottom with a tubular A-arm on top. The recreation, called the Boss Nine. It fit perfectly into setup is fully adjustable for caster and camber and

62 One of the highlights of the interior is the new Dakota Digital VHX Series gauge package that includes both analog and digital monitoring of vital engine functions. Originally designed for a 1963 Chevy , the gauge package was adapted to fit the Torino dash with a piece of laser-cut stainless steel.

The interior was done by Shawn Krist from Krist Kustoms in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He

chose bucket seats from a 1969 Mach 1 for up front and retained the factory rear seat. He covered both in a combination of black and antique mahogany leather.

reincarnationmag.com | Spring 19 63 Boss 429-Powered Torino

Powering this big Torino is a big Jon Kaase Boss Nine 460, bumped to 572 cubes. On the

dyno with race headers and C16 fuel, it delivered a whopping 850 hp at 6,300 rpm redline.

VENDORS Jon Kaase Racing Engines, LLC 770-307-0241 www.jonkaaseracingengines.com Martz Chassis 814-623-9501 www.martzchassis.net

Bringing up the rear is a

1970 Ford 9-inch axle with 3.50 gears and 31-spline Moser axles.

64 opened up lots of room for the new motor. Subframe connectors tied the front and rear When John received the engine, he chose a set of 2.25- together, followed by a four-link/coilover setup in the rear with a Panhard bar. “I can inch Ford Powertrain Applications headers, flowing into a put a jack under any corner and lift three wheels off the ground — the chassis is that 3-inch dump with electric cutouts. The full-length exhaust stiff,” John boasts. system consists of 2.5-inch pipe with dual Flowmaster 50 The engine is actually a Jon Kaase Boss Nine 460, bumped to 572 cubes, with 9.8:1 Series mufflers that barely contain the roar of the big V8. compression ratio and a mild cam. It’s designed around an A460 block and equipped Ken Felice and the experts at Felice Performance Engines with Diamond pistons, Oliver rods, Bryant Racing crank and special COMP hydraulic in Ionia, Michigan, handled the assembly of all the components. roller cam. The Kaase heads and intake are fed by a Pro Systems single-venturi, SV1 Handling gearshifts is a Lentech AOD four-speed transmission, carburetor, flowing 1,400 cfm. Programmed from the factory, it ran a 14:1 air-fuel ratio rated at 1,500 hp and 1,000 lb-ft of torque. It has a 2,800 rpm right out of the box. When it was tested on Kasse’s dyno using race headers and C16 stall converter, making it quite pleasant on the street. The fuel, the motor produced a whopping 850 hp at 6,300 rpm redline. 9-inch Ford rear axle is fitted with 3.50 gears and Moser axles. The car rolls on Budnik Spark wheels, measuring 18 x 9.5 with 4.75-inch backspacing, and wrapped in Nitto NT555 tires. Paint and bodywork were accomplished at Evers Collision Works, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. During the full rotisserie restoration, the bottom of the car was painted NASCAR gray, with the frame, suspension parts and rear housing finished in black for contrast. Body modifications to the vintage fastback began with a thorough powder coating of the stainless steel trim around the windows and the drip rail moldings in Ford Tuxedo Black. Front and rear bumpers are fiberglass from Auto Krafters and were refitted tightly to the body. A NOS Cobra grille, complete with quad headlights and single chrome bar, replaces the original. Terry Delong created the tall Boss 429- style hood scoop, adding an aggressive look, as well as providing a functional blast of ram air. BASF gloss black and multiple coats of clear cover the entire car with satin black inserts on the hood and rear panel. The only graphic on the car is the airbrushed skull wearing a cowboy hat and holding a full house, done by Gary Morgan. It came to be because every time John got on eBay, he would somehow find another perfect addition to the car. Soon, John’s wife, Linda, named the car All In, and when she found the skull T-shirt in Las Vegas, it established the theme for the Torino. Mike Ball created the fiberglass center console that holds the switches for the overdrive transmission, cutouts and B&M shifter. Utilizing every inch in order to keep mechanicals hidden, the space between the back seat and the fold-down panel in the trunk became the perfect spot for the car’s electronics. The compartment holds the dual batteries, stereo components and master kill switch. Now that it’s complete, John looks back and realizes the fun is in the building process. He usually keeps his cars a few years and moves on to something new, but he smiles when he says, “This one might stay awhile.”

A NOS Cobra grille,

complete with quad headlights and single chrome bar, replaces the original.

reincarnationmag.com | Spring 2019 65 Story and Photos by Steve Temple Three recipes for eclipsing big-block power in a small-block Cobra POWER PLAYS 66 he original Shelby Cobras After doing some careful research, Phil were blessed with a wide purchased a Factory Five back in August T range of engines starting with 2002, and after a few delays and Ford’s then-new 260 ci interruptions, completed the build by Windsor V8, and soon after it, the enlarged September 2004. The engine he eventually 289 ci version. From there, both the 427 ci installed (after experimenting with a 302) and 428 ci FE big blocks marched into the is a Ford 351 Windsor block, punched out horsepower parade, and Shelby was known to 410 cubes by DSS Racing of St. Charles, to experiment with forced induction and Illinois. some other power plays as well. That was just the beginning, though, Those cast iron legends are still revered as he then opted for a combination of and potent today, but the replica market nitrous oxide systems from Nitrous Works has created an explosion of variety, where and NOS Nitrous Oxide Systems. All in, just about anything is fair game — as long the final output at the wheels is 635 horses. as it provides plenty of tire-frying torque. The short block is a race-prepped DSS All sorts of engines have been fitted between Super Pro Bullet with a Level 20 CNC the fenders, taking advantage of the latest block upgrade, as well as a main support power adders and dyno room tech. system and windage package. Other In keeping with that trend, we came upgrades include AFR 205 cc Outlaw race up with a short list of different motivational heads topped with an Edelbrock Super exercises to give prospective builders of Victor 351W electronic fuel injection Factory Fives (and other makes as well) intake and a Wilson Manifolds billet some drivetrain ideas. These are far from intake hat. all the possibilities used since the company For this power level with nitrous, a first started out with the Ford 5.0-liter back high-end fuel system was required. An in 1995, but they are a few nice examples Aeromotive A1000 pump supplies Precision of small-block Cobras you’ll find on the Turbo 65-pound injectors with an street today. Aeromotive fuel regulator to keep pressures in check. Air is supplied by an AccuFab Takeoff Instructions From a 75 mm throttle body through a C & L Retired Air Traffic Controller Performance billet 80 mm mass air meter. Other performance upgrades include According to his parents, Phil White a Canton Racing Products 10-quart circle has been a gearhead since he could crawl. track oil pan, Meziere Enterprises 55 gpm In fact, Phil wore off the hard rubber tires electric water pump and Ford Performance on several pedal toys before he even entered high-volume oil pump. ARP hardware kindergarten. That led to customized was used throughout the build. bikes and later on numerous cars, trucks, The engine was assembled by Jason motorcycles and a speedboat. But one Fields of RJ Performance in Sharpsburg, vehicle in particular tops every one of them. Georgia, in early 2009. When it was All sorts of engines “All pale in any comparison to my installed, Phil also upgraded the Cobra,” he points out. “There are many transmission to a TREMEC TKO 600 with have been fitted between reasons why, but how many people can a McLeod Racing SFI-rated bellhousing. actually say that they built a car and are To make everything fit, the drive shaft then actually comfortable driving it? Think had to be shortened to the length of a beer the fenders, taking advantage about that for a moment. I assembled it, can. To have more options and better sweated over it, tightened every bolt and brakes as well, Phil also upgraded all four of the latest power adders nut, fretted over it and in the end was corners from four-lug to five-lug wheels. solely responsible for its roadworthiness! All told, this setup boasts 629 lb-ft of and dyno room tech. I mean, not only did I build it, but I drive torque at the rear wheels. Even though that car hard. And I enjoy it every time I one drag strip told Phil his car was “too S get into it!” quick” for the 1/4-mile (since it doesn’t reincarnationmag.com | Spring 2019 67 The yellow-and-black bumblebee

color scheme is fitting on Phil White’s Cobra, as it has a sharp sting of nitrous under the hood.

Jason Fields was so eager to stomp the loud

pedal in his supercharged Cobra that he drove it in primer for months before finally having it painted in a bold red-and-black.

68 have all the required safety gear), he whipped through the 1/8-mile in 6.646 seconds at 108 mph. That’s one exhilarating takeoff! Father-and-Son Project

Jason owns an auto repair shop, RJ Performance, which conveniently enough works on Ford vehicles primarily. This includes diesel pickups, but he also does high-performance work on Blue Oval cars and has raced a 5.0-liter Mustang as well. After working on the engine for Phil’s Cobra (also featured here) and tuning the car on the dyno and on the track, he had an epiphany: “What a great project this would be for myself and my son Jordan to build together as a father- and-son project!” Jason took delivery of his Factory Five Racing Cobra in 2012, but like Phil’s project, he encountered a few delays along the way, as his young son Jordan’s athletics and other activities took priority. Like so many kids his age, “It was apparent that his focus and interest levels weren’t quite there yet.” Well, that’s what dads are for, right? Finally, a little over two years after they started project, work resumed in earnest in January 2016. Meanwhile, the engine build took place at RJ Performance, where Jason started with a DSS Super Pro Bullet short block with very similar specs to the mill in Phil’s car. There’s one big difference, though, as Phil had elected to boost power with a Vortech S-Trim centrifugal . The belt-driven supercharger is set to run at 12 psi, boosting final output to 554 hp at the rear wheels. To keep up with the enhanced airflow, the fuel system employs an Aeromotive A1000 pump and Precision Turbo 65-pound injectors. Actuating the Ford roller-rocker valvetrain is a nitrous- specific COMP Cams 35-556-8 bump stick. Downstream from the combustion area are BBK 1 5/8 long-tube headers, which bolt directly to the ceramic-coated Factory Five side pipes. They finished the build in April 2016, and Jason drove it in primer for a few months before removing the body and sending it out to the paint shop in June 2016. Since Jason is not a painter by trade, “A big thanks to my friend Billy Vickery and B & B Body Shop,” he says. “We reassembled the Cobra the final time in July and August 2016 and have been enjoying it ever since.” That included a road trip to the London Cobra Show in June 2017, where he met up with Phil and his son Jake. So this father-son weekend getaway actually was a joint event for all four of them. Hanging out with like-minded Cobra folk always makes for a great time, especially with two great replicas related by blood. Overkill Cobra

Scott Young started building models cars at the tender age of 10, so some might say he was born into the hobby. His father was the general manager of what was the largest Ford dealership in Northern California at the time. But in 1966 he bought a Dodge dealership in the Oakland area, and they were no longer a Ford family. Even so, Scott remembers the day in 1967, during his senior year of high school, when he walked into a Ford dealership in Walnut Creek and saw his first Shelby Cobra. It was blue with white stripes, and from that moment, the love affair began. Over the next four months, he was in the dealership at least twice a week to look at it and dream about owning that very car. But with a sticker price of over $6,700, it seemed only the rich could afford it. Keep in mind that a new Ford Galaxie 500 stickered for about $3,500 back then. In the ensuing years, Scott bought and worked on a few different makes of performance cars, but his love of the Cobra never diminished. Scott always had framed pictures on the walls of his office or at home, and he dreamed about

reincarnationmag.com | Spring 2019 69 Even though Scott Young’s cam has an electronic fuel injection

grind with a long lobe center, it works well in a carbureted setup, furnishing more vacuum and midrange with no decrease in power.

owning one of these special cars for years. Finally, a friend told him about a build school where you would learn how to build a Cobra replica hands on. That is when eh first learned about Factory Five, and he promptly signed up for the first available class. “I had always doubted that a ‘kit’ car could live up to the legend of the Shelby Cobra,” Scott admits. “And I was not sure I would want to build something that came in a kit.” But the build school changed his mind on all of that. After only three days, he watched the car his class had built racing up and down the parking lot. Upon seeing this result, “I knew I wanted to build my own and know that I had made it mine. I wanted to put every nut and bolt on,” he says. “The only thing I did not want to tackle, however, was the engine.” It had been many years since he had built an engine, and he was looking for something special. His goal was around 550 hp and a ton of torque. “There are a lot of good engine builders available, and I researched several,” he recalls. “As a follower of the Factory Five Forum, I felt I wanted to go with someone that is familiar with these particular cars. I wanted to use one of the supporting vendors. I like that they followed the forums, and when someone had a problem, they would jump in and help.” One company name that Scott kept coming back to was Gordon Levy Racing (now renamed LR Classics). After having several conversations with Gordon, he agreed to build my beast. “What a engine he built,” Scott says. “Nothing less than spectacular. With 570 hp, it is super quick and very easy to street drive.” Gordon notes that even though the engine build was tailored for public thoroughfares, “It’s pretty much overkill for most street guys,” he notes. “You could take it on the track and race the piss out of it and not worry about it.” Gordon offers a wide range of performance crate engines from a basic 302 to full-on race mills. For this particular application, he started with his Stage 5 408 (550 hp and 540 lb-ft), but enlarged it to a 427 cubes. “It starts with a 351 Dart, a hardcore little short block,” Gordon notes. Then he punches it out with a 4.00-inch stroke and 4.125- inch bore. No extra clearance is needed on the SCAT Enterprises forged crank for the alloy I-beam rods, but he does prefer using smaller Cleveland main bearings, measuring 2.750 inches. He’s found they live longer at higher revolutions per minute, while the larger 3-inch Windsor bearings generate more heat. In addition, the compression ratio was bumped up from 9.8:1 to 10.2:1, and he says the RaceTec 17 cc dished pistons that he installed have a better flame travel and quench. As for induction, Gordon ordered a custom-spec Racing Head Service 215 cc cylinder head with a COMP hydraulic EFI roller cam, even though the engine has a Quick Fuel Technology Q-series 750 cfm carburetor. He notes that an EFI street grind provides more vacuum, and the longer lobe center doesn’t affect power. It sits atop an Edelbrock Performer RPM intake with some minor port matching (the Victor Jr. unit is better for top-end competition Phil White’s 351 Windsor was opened up to 410 performance, he adds). cubes and fitted with an array of performance parts. Scott brought his bare chassis to Gordon for the engine install

70 For forced induction, Jason Fields went with a

Vortech S-Trim centrifugal supercharger. and a couple days of sorting on his TKO 600 road race transmission. Fifth gear on this particular drivetrain has lower ratio (numerically higher), so it’s more useable for acceleration, even though it buzzes a bit more in overdrive (at 5,200 rpm in fifth gear, it pulls like a fourth gear). Once all that was done, next on the list was body and paint. At a car show, Scott came across a Cobra painted like a P-51 fighter plane. He inquired around and found out the painter was a guy named Jeff Miller, a familiar name on the Cobra forums. “The original color I wanted was silver with gray stripes,” Scott relates. “The only problem was that it didn’t really talk to me. It didn’t say anything or make a statement. I searched and looked at every picture I could find and finally settled on the copper and black.” To stay with the same color scheme, Scott also coated the side pipes and wheels in black as well. While he appreciates just about any color combination on a Cobra, “When I look at my Factory Five Racing Mk4, it talks to me: ‘Take me to the track and run me hard. We will have fun!’” Overall Observations

Looking at these three small-block-powered Cobras, what sort of tech tips can we glean? After all, engine technology has come a long way since the days of the big-block Cobra. While that beefy engine looks impressive stuffed between the frame rails of a roadster and makes wonderful power, it adds a lot of weight. An aluminum block can offset that, but at a substantial increase in cost. Which brings us to the virtues of the stroked small block. This type has now become the engine of choice for most Cobra roadsters (and a number of other project vehicles as well). Why so? VENDORS Package size, for one. Fitting it into the engine bay of a Cobra Ad on Factory Five Racing is much easier, and the weight is substantially less. This latter Pg. 3 508-291-3443 aspect makes for better handling, whether on the street or a road www.factoryfive.com course. And by stroking the block, the torque gains can be significant, supplying plenty of punch when coming out of a LR Classics curve. 520-494-2745 Another aspect is cost, and good engine builders are pulling www.lrclassicsllc.com big-block numbers out the small block for far less coin. For added thrills behind the wheel, there’s a plethora of power adders out there for the small block. Nitrous is a real hoot, as noted in Phil’s Cobra, but admittedly the tank does take up the limited amount of space in the trunk. As for supercharging, the Vortech centrifugal unit in Jason’s Cobra has the advantage of a smaller size than a Roots or twin-screw blower, although either can be made to fit on a small-block without cutting up the hood. Whatever sort of mill you use, you should also consider EFI for optimizing the fuel flow to work in concert with the increase airflow. Fortunately, a number of EFI systems on the market are tailored to small-block applications. In that case, you get the best of both worlds: the improved driveability of EFI along with the potential for big-block power levels. What’s not to like?

reincarnationmag.com | Spring 2019 71 Reimagined Manx-Style Buggy

MR.

SANDMAN72 SANDMANMR. Bring me a dream — the hottest dune buggy that I’ve ever seen!

Story and Photos by Joe Greeves

uilding the ultimate buggy takes time, careful planning and a talented team. Especially a ride B bristling with more hot stuff than most folks would believe any buggy could ever hold. That didn’t deter Terence Burtin, though, who owns a facility maintenance business in Atlanta and is a longtime auto enthusiast. He was looking for an exciting addition to his garage, and it needed to be fast — really fast. A motorcycle was his first consideration, but as the father of five, he decided that a dune buggy might be a safer alternative. Finding someone to bring his buggy to life was the next task. Turns out that part was easy. Terence and Alvin Lawrence have been friends for 35 years, growing up on the island of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, and sharing a passion for fast cars and booming sound systems. Alvin owns Auto Fanatik and has been building magazine-worthy custom vehicles in Sanford, Florida, since 1995. The two sat down to discuss the details and came up with a plan. Naturally, a high-performance engine and a quality sound system were top priorities. They didn’t stop there, however, and before long the spec list was overflowing with extra features. The challenge was to squeeze 10 pounds of fun into a 5-pound bucket, a version of the legendary Meyers Manx in this case, but reimagined in every way. Nothing happens without a firm foundation, so Alvin created a full 2-by-2-inch, square-tube chassis rather than using the traditional Volkswagen floor pan. The new frame is 18 inches shorter than stock, and a full roll cage was incorporated to ensure rigidity for the surprising power plant, but more on that shortly. ANDMAN reincarnationmag.com | Spring 19 73 Reimagined Manx-Style Buggy

While the body is similar to the

Volkswagen-based Meyers Manx, Auto Fanatik heavily modified a Fisher dune buggy to fit the custom tubular frame.

74 Rather than carpeting the

footwells, Auto Fanatik installed weatherproof SeaDek panels.

Further upgrades to the chassis included Airkewld’s Ultimate Pro Adjustable Beam front suspension with chromed details and 1.5-inch drop spindles. Next up were new trailing arms for the rear, along with strengthened transmission mounts. A 10-gallon stainless fuel tank was then squeezed in above the transmission. To achieve an adjustable ride height, the front end was fitted with air shocks from Airkewld and a set of 2,500-pound Air Lift bags in the rear. The system is activated by a pair of VIAIR 380 compressors, a pair of 3-gallon reserve tanks and 1/4-inch lines. An Air Lift AutoPilot controller allows for multiple programmed ride heights. The team settled on Forgeline SC3C wheels sized 18 x 7.5 up front and 20 x 9.5 in the rear, wrapped in 30- and 35-series rubber, respectively. For stopping power, Alvin installed Wilwood 12-inch, cross-drilled disc brakes on all four corners, choosing four-piston calipers up front and single-piston units in the rear. All the buggy needed now was motivation, and both men agreed the traditional 40 hp VW engine was not the answer. For the transformation from crude to cool, Alvin contacted Outfront Motorsports in California, who are specialists in high- performance Subaru mills designed for sand rails running the West Coast dunes. The shop assembled a custom 2.5-liter turbocharged Subaru STI boxer engine, delivering a whopping 425 hp, way more power than most buggies ever see. To achieve this level of output, Outfront Motorsports installed H-beam rods and forged pistons, a hot cam, oversized injectors, an HKS blow-off valve, Stinger electronic ignition and a T3/T4 57 trim precision turbo. The resulting boost in power spins a Wright IRS transaxle, strengthened with axles and CV joints. A Black Mamba shifter with reverse lockout controls the four-speed transmission. Choosing a water-cooled engine for the buggy necessitated Drowning out the din of the turbo several custom items. These included a CBR Performance radiator Subbie is a massive sound system. up front and aluminum ductwork to get cooling to the rear. The intercooler was mounted horizontally below the louvered rear spoiler to ensure a denser air charge to the turbocharged mill. In addition, since the engine hangs out the back for all the world to see, it had to look good. So Outfront Motorsports removed many of the exterior components and shipped them to Alvin. After highlighting them in red and black paint and powder coating, he then shipped them back for reassembly. With the elaborate buggy chassis and mechanicals completed, this mini monster was finally ready for its body. Although the legendary Manx look was the original goal, the team obtained a close facsimile from Fisher Buggies in Tampa. The company’s Nostalgic model features styling similar to the original Manx. Never one to leave anything stock, Alvin began tweaking the buggy by adjusting the fiberglass body to fit the new chassis. To accommodate the wider wheels, he created widened side skirts and widened the rear fenders 5 inches on each side. He then extended each of the front fenders by 2 inches.

reincarnationmag.com | Spring 2019 75 Reimagined Manx-Style Buggy

The innovative features continue in the cockpit as well. Since space was at a premium, motorcycle controls were used for the horn and turn signals. Comfortable Corbeau racing seats feature five-point harnesses for safety, along with an adjustable lumbar cushion for comfort. The weatherproof interior floor came from SeaDek, creating a nonskid, nonporous surface that’s perfect for the hose- down maintenance after a day on the sand dunes in a full- time convertible. When it came time for entertainment, elaborate stereos are Alvin’s specialty. The buggy has no head unit; instead Bluetooth connectivity uses smartphones as the source. Four Rockford Fosgate marine amps are lined up behind the seats with one amp for each 12-inch sub. The second pair of four-channel amps energizes the front and rear collection of 6.5-inch coaxials. Alvin designed custom enclosures for every speaker, with the rear speakers exposed for all to see. But out of Fitting a Subaru turbo engine into a buggy has sight, there’s a subtle four-pack hidden under the dash. An been done before, but few with 425 horses on tap. AudioControl processor with electronic separates the frequencies, while three AGM batteries from XS Power Batteries and an upgraded alternator provide power. All the wiring runs through a custom chase to keep it protected from the salty elements. The complex 10-speaker package produces a level of sound quality unheard of in a buggy. Wrapping up the two-year build, the dozens of subtle details were worth the extra time, especially when you see spectators mesmerized by all the intricate and impressive treatments. Terence chose a Corvette shade called Shark Metallic Gray as the perfect finishing touch. All told, this build took a basic buggy to a whole new level, creating a dream ride that only Mr. Sandman could bring. w

Terence Burtin and his wife, India

(center and right), are still getting accustomed to the boatload of features built into their buggy by Alvin Lawrence of Auto Fanatik (left).

VENDORS Fisher Buggies 800-741-2841 www.fisherbuggies.com

76 If you’re lucky enough to own an early Bronco, it might just be more valuable than your 401k. But just remember, you can’t drive your retirement fund. Own one or not, you need to be wearing this Bronco tee. It comes in long sleeve, or short if you prefer to show off the Dana 44 tattoo on your bicep.

This limited-edition T-shirt is only available until June 15, 2019. When it’s gone, it’s gone.

Only $19.95 Short-sleeved • $24.95 long-sleeved • FREE Shipping! Mail to: Tee Style: q Men q Women Tee Size: q Small q Medium q Large q X-Large q XX-Large COLE Publishing PO Box 220 q q Tee Sleeves: Short Long Qty:____ | Qty:_____ | Qty:____ | Qty:____ | Qty:_____ Three Lakes, WI 54562 Notes: ______Sorry, no foreign orders, shipping to United States only. Fax to: 715-546-3786 Name: ______Please make checks payable to: Address: ______COLE Publishing City: ______State: ______Zip: ______Phone: ______Order online: Credit Card #: ______CC Exp: ______V-Code: ______NOTE: Orders ship 2-3 weeks after June 15 closing date. No foreign orders, shipping to United States only. RCNMag.com/tees Vette-Powered Apex Spyder Readers’ Rides

A higher calling for Corvette C5 components As told by Dave Green | Photos by Steve Temple

78 HITTING THE APEX

reincarnationmag.com | Spring 2019 79 Vette-Powered Apex Spyder Readers’ Rides

orvette owners and enthusiasts have access to loads of performance parts, but I’ve always imagined another use for C these parts aside from basic modifying and repairs. After a few basic design iterations, that’s basically how my Apex Spyder came to be. The Spyder’s specifications are virtually the same as a stock 1999 C5 Z06 Corvette as far as , steering ratio and gear ratios. But the power-to-weight ratio is radically different, as the car tips the scales at about 1,860 pounds, a little more than half of what a stock C5 weighs. Even so, I couldn’t help myself from enhancing the engine output by having the computer reflashed to remove the smog programming. I also installed a Lunati camshaft and a set of tuned headers, but with the right side on the left and vice versa. By reversing the direction of the headers, I was able to move the exhaust outlets forward, ahead of the footboxes. I was still pretty concerned about excess heat from the engine, but I lined the firewall and footboxes with heat-reflecting material and haven’t had yan problems. The frame of the Spyder evolved from a Corvette-based sprint car that I had built from the C5 parts catalog. The car was amazing on the autocross circuit, but I really wanted to create a two-seat version so I could take passengers along for the ride.

80 The Apex cockpit is

elemental in execution, but everything you need is right at hand.

reincarnationmag.com | Spring 2019 81 Vette-Powered Apex Spyder Readers’ Rides

A cutout reveals

what lurks under the hood of the home- built Apex Spyder.

My son Phil and I built the chassis from 1.5- and 2.0-inch DOM steel tubing in my home shop on a custom frame jig. We used the SCCA frame construction rules as a guide and triangulated the frame tubes as much as possible. I cut up the standard Corvette torque-tube driveline and shortened it 34 inches for use in the Spyder. The motor sits on solid polyurethane motor mounts, and I had to shorten the Corvette shift linkage. The anti- lock braking system was disabled, and dual Wilwood master cylinders were used to meet the SCCA safety requirements. The body panels are made from aluminum and can be changed in about five minutes. I have a set of blue panels with the racing numbers and a second set that is painted lime green for the street. While designing and constructing the car, and especially after driving it, it occurred to us that the Spyder would be the perfect complement to any serious Corvette owner’s garage. It could also be a relatively inexpensive way to get track time without the risk of damaging your genuine Corvette (that you might still be making payments on). Plans are in the works to build more Apex Spyders, including an electric version, but in the meantime, we’re really enjoying the drive in our bare-bones, Vette-powered racer. That’s what I call hitting the Apex.

VENDORS Apex Design Group 916-417-7062 www.automotiveingenuitynow.com

82 V12, 800 HP, Scatter Shield 200-4R auto, AC, leather 540 CI Chevy big block, 700 HP, FOR SALE AC, leather. 6-spd manual LS9, 638 HP, 6-spd. manual, AC, leather, power steering FOR SALE

Create the COBRA of your dreams....

....from the inside out!

Auto Wiring Harnesses Universal After Market www.haywireinc.com [email protected] Hilliard, Ohio 614-851-1932

reincarnationmag.com | Spring 2019 83 84 reincarnationmag.com | Spring 2019 85 » Want to place a RCN Marketplace ad? marketplace Call 866-933-2653 for complete details.

Oil Coolers & Performace Plumbing Oilwww.mocalusa.com Coolers & Performace Plumbing www.mocalusa.comOil Coolers & Performace Plumbing www.mocalusa.com

[email protected] (941) 355-0005 [email protected] (941) [email protected] (941) 355-0005355-0005

Reincarnation Tee of the Month

Order Online: rcnmag.com/tees

$ Hand-selected sausage and jerky 199 delivered in a 20-qt cooler (free shipping) www.meaty-delivery.com

86 $59,995 base price of each car outfitted with nearly $20,000 in options including parking brake, front and rear lift assist, V8 Graziano, and more. Invoices available to show all options. Brand new Michelin Pilot Sport tires ($1,750). MSRP $82,000 not including tires or shipping. Two to choose from - white gel with silver powder coated wheels or grey gel with black powder coated wheels. Ready for your engine and final assembly. $79,900 Spring Sale Price $75,900 Available now! Call or text 715-493-7911 PRSTD STD U.S. POSTAGE AID COLE PUBLISHING INC