Yes, it’s been a little while sense we last brought you an update on Project Grandpa, our 1982 Caprice longing to see 11s and still be nimble enough to master the autocross track. Lets recap where we are with this way gone wagon and do a little testing of the stock suspension.
Tom Bobolts Publisher
Tom started working for PowerTV in early 2008 at the young age of 20. Starting off as an intern spinning wrenches in the PowerTV garage, Tom cut his teeth helping us build the very project cars we feature. Since moving inside the office, most of his time is spent writing and shooting installs - but he still finds time to get out in the shop. Outside of work, Tom enjoys a variety of different motorsports from Street Bikes, Muscle Cars and just about anything that demands high amounts of horsepower.
Project Grandpa: Getting Ready For RideTech & Testing Video
Posted by
Tom Bobolts
on 09/27/10
Comments (1)
Our MaxStreet Chevy II wasn’t designed to be a real performer out on any type of track. Even dumping all the money in the world attempting to revive the stock style suspension will only get you so far. Something had to be done to help this car be able to hold it’s own.. and Chassisworks got the call!
The spark plug in any type of internal combustion engine is definitely one of the most key components to its operation – that’s not new news. True spark plug experts will argue that the design dates back to 1839 to Edmond Berger’s experimental project that was never even patented. We thought the same thing until we stumbled on an article on a fo
Tools are an important part of the automotive lifestyle, and I think it is safe to say there is defiantly an unwritten list of “Must Have” tools. ore and more, we see racers having their car recorded to study how it performs out on the track, just like in the stick and ball world. But why does the power and usefulness of video have to stop when the car gets off the track? Check out this tool box camera we found from Cornwell Tools.
Moroso has just released a new Filler Neck for the 2V 4.6 Modular Motor. It features a -16 AN outlet for using a steel braided or similar hose to connect the filler neck to the radiator.
When RHS says that there’s 1,000 horsepower potential from their Pro Elite heads for the BBC, we believe them – our best result was an amazing 883 horsepower and 758 foot-pounds of torque, on pump gas no less, and with no need for exotic valvetrain components to let the engine spin to the moon.
JE recently told us that they are in the final stages of releasing four brand new pistons offerings for the drag racing engine builders and racers: an open chamber blown alcohol dome, open chamber nitrous, 632 flat top, and a 632 nitrous series. We had to know more, so we had JE send us some of the tech facts on each of these pistons.
We honestly love reading tech articles just as much as we do writing them. We were surfing over on the Spohn Performance Blog and found out about a series of tech articles they are putting together on suspension technology. You gotta read these if you want to master the setup on your car.
The Keisler Perfect Fit Kit provides an easy way to transplant a modern transmission into your classic musclecar, no matter your engine choice. We did a tech review on an install of this Tremec 5-speed into our LSA-powered ’71 Nova
Ford Racing has just released their direct fit aluminum radiator for the ’05-’09 S197 Mustangs that are equipped with the 4.6L V8. Featuring an aluminum dual 1-inch core with aluminum tanks, Ford Racing claims this is capable of cooling up to 700 hp. It even works with the factory AC and fan systems.
Blow-through carburetors have been around for a while, but still stand to be one of the most misunderstood setups out there. AED, maker of performance racing carburetors has been very interested in this subject lately, making it a goal for 2010 to design one of the best carburetors for these applications.
We found a great article over on Aeromotive’s Website explaining the design of the fuel system on the 2010 Cobra Jet. From what we read, this is the first of a series of tech articles covering this topic, and we wanted to start sharing them with you.
Look closely the next time you’re at the track and you’ll see professional race teams using video cameras as a data logging device. Drag racers use them to see how the car is maneuvering down the track, and the circle track guys use them to see their line. By a large margin, Go Pro’s products are the cameras of choice for recording in- and on-car video for testing and analysis.
The engineers at RHS have recently designed a new head for the Small Block Chevy. The 23-degree cast iron head is for 360-434 c.i.engines. The intake and exhaust runners are CNC-ported along with the combustion chamber for better performance.
COMP Cams has just released a new viscosity of break-in oil to help provide maximum protection during initial break-in. The new 15W50 break-in oil will add the additives that are missing in regular motor oils needed for optimal break in.
We knew that dropping a big power plant into our car would be a simple fix for the “go juice” for Project Grandpa. However, the part that concerned us was the suspension. We knew that we wanted to go with Ridetech for their air springs, but what about the rest of the system? Thankfully, we got in touch with Spohn Performance who helped set us up with everything to make this car go from driving like a cloud to a lighting bolt!
Currie Enterprises is well known for their Mustang and Jeep rear ends. If that is so, then why do we have a photo of a brand new 2010 Chevy Camaro up on the lift in their shop? Is Currie planning on working on a brand new solid 9-inch for this late model machine? One could [...]
Aeromotive just came out with a new regulator for the nitrous world. The new Stackable Nitrous Regulator gives you the ability to stack regulators together in order to control the pressure for multiple stages of nitrous.
With more and more swap kits and performance parts being developed for the LS family, replacing that tired, worn-out old small- or big-block doesn’t mean spending months making it fit or sacrificing horsepower.
We see plenty of different and unique builds in our daily web surfing adventures, many of which make it to our site. One car that we just couldn’t ignore was this twin turbo Dodge Viper with an ATF Powerglide crammed below the floor. Click to read more.
When it comes to selecting a project car, there’s plenty to consider. The various items at the top of the list to think about include which vehicle to use, the intended use of the car, brand loyalty, as well as any personal preferences that you’d like to incorporate into the project. That being said, you might be wondering what we were thinking when we picked up this gem – a 1982 Chevy Caprice Classic Station Wagon. I mean, who in their right mind would want this?
Ford Racing announced today that they are coming out with a brand new engine block for those engine builders looking for a strong lightweight block. This is the same block found in the Ford Racing Aluminum 427 Crate Engine and many 2,000 horsepower race engines doing duty in different racing series. Check out the specs for this new block by reading more.
In the world of drag racing, LS engines have been making a big splash sense they first showed up in the burnout boxes in 1997. They offer a great platform to build engines whether you are running 8s, or 12s. We decided to come up with the basics on what it takes to swap an LS engine into an older vehicle not originally designed to accept it. Most of these have to be done for those running higher end classes, but we wanted to make sure we covered it all.
The all new aluminum QFX-Series Carburetors are here from Quick Fuel Technology. There are 17 different models within the QFX-Series, and they are specifically designed for either gasoline, E-85 or methanol, and feature an aluminum main body.
New ’79-’04 Mustang 9″ Rear End Housing from Chris Alston’s Chassisworks
Posted by
Tom Bobolts
on 03/17/10
Chris Alston’s Chassisworks has just released their new Direct-Fit FAB9 Housing for ’79-’04 Mustangs. This FAB9 housing is a fabricated 9” rear-end housing that is a bolt in for the Mustang chassis, that adds the ability to run coil-over shocks, an anti-roll-bar, wheelie-bars, and even make anti-squat adjustments.
Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car), Mike Edwards (Pro Stock), and Junior Pippin (Pro Stock Motorcycle) grabbed the provisional poles in their respective classes following a rain-shortened opening day at the Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway……
In today’s world, if you build a high performance vehicle, every aspect of the car needs to perform at its best. Centerforce Clutches makes high performance clutches and flywheels for a number of popular American muscle applications for that exact reason. Come check out the behinds the scenes action at Centerforce Clutches.
Our old grandma was a little weak in the in the hip, so it was decided to replace the body bushings. Something that would stand up to the abuse that this car is going to be receiving. Something like Energy Suspension’s Hyperflex Bushings
Today marked the first day toward the chassis fabrication of Project Grandma. We all have been longing to see our old gal come together, but there were a few things holding us back. Today, we ripped out the rear end, and now we are fully ready for our Chassis Engineering chrome moly roll cage, mini-tubs and chassis goodies.
You’ve been following along with our quest to slam our Malibu with stock suspension and mini-tubs on a big Mickey Thompson ET Drag Radial 295/65 tire. Some people said “it can’t be done” and others gave us advice. As you’ll see, the ride height came out PERFECT. Thanks to everyone who gave us input. Here’s how we did it.
Mike Ryan has been plugging away on our 1978 Malibu, Project Grandma, with the goal of getting the Chassis Engineering mini tubs built this week. First though, we’ve got the TRZ front suspension, QA1 Shocks, and Aerospace brakes bolted up. Check out our daily progress.
This week, we finished up 90% of the mini-tubs which were supplied by Chassis Engineering. In our ’78 Malibu, we’ve already done segments on the narrowing of the frame rails, cutting out the stock wheel tubs, and boxing the frame rails back in. Now it was time to make sure we can fit the tire and wheel combination with our mini-tubs.
We have a lot in store for Project Grandma this week. With the mini tubs all in, our fabricator Mike Ryan got ready to start on the Chassis Engineering roll cage. However, first we would need to build the frame rails to comply with the 25.5 spec that would make the car legal to 7.50 e.t.’s.
We get rolling on the roll cage for Grandma with a 10-point chromoly setup from Chassis Engineering for our Malibu.
We last left off with Mike bending the necessary bars for the funny car cage portion of our build. Since then he has finished the funny car cage required for the 25.5 SFI spec, and has moved on to the door “X” bars.
We are on the home stretch with Project Grandma. This last week Mike Ryan has been working on some of the smaller details of the build, before taking on the major tasks like mounting the Currie F9 rear end and putting the fenders back on. Check out how far we’ve come this week below!
Day 15: Currie F9 Mounting, QA1 Coil Overs, Billet Specialties Wheels, Radiator Mount
Posted by
Tom Bobolts
on 03/12/10
Project Grandma gets fitted with a new suspension, utilizing a Currie F9 rear end and QA1 coil over shocks. Also, we mount up a set of Billet Specialties wheels and a Fluidyne radiator
Last week we finished welding in the necessary mounts for our QA1 shocks, what we missed telling you about, was the TRZ Suspension we are using in the rear of the car.
Persistent rain showers and a forecast for more showers and thunderstorms throughout the day forced NHRA officials to postpone Thursday’s scheduled racing at the Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals at historic Gainesville Raceway……..
Angelle Sampey, the winningest woman in professional motorsports history, has announced her retirement as a professional drag racer. Sampey, who totaled 41 victories during a 13-year…
