Back from the respray Project Drag Car returns behinds Kens Chevy truck which will be one of our support vehicles. Paint is a luxurious deep black and looks fantastic.

15/07/04- Update

All finished and on track! Gloss black paint courtesy of Coach Leasing Nuneaton and decals certainly make the car look the part.

The car has so far been ultra reliable on 1/4 mile outings, needing nothing more than a tinker here and there. We have now ditched the mufflers and run open headers which have been 'tuned'. For those who don't know you add pipes at the collectors, add a line of paint and cut the pipe at the point where the paint stops burning.

The car needs to launch and perform better and it has become apparent that our axle ratio of 2.56 aint gonna cut the mustard. Following advice from Hauser Racing, for which we are eternally grateful, we have ordered a set of 4.10 gears which will greatly improve our best time to date of 15.99 at 85mph and realise the cars true potential. Once that's sorted a set of 27" slicks should nicely finish off the rear end duties.

We now have a new sponsor on board, The AACI, and wish to thank Harry Tune for his interest and support, despite his heavy workload - Thank you.

Time waits for no man and the summer is fast approaching its end. Just enough time left for a couple more race meetings and a show or two before the long winter nights. Still, this should give us time to further modify the car. Now where did I put that Summit Racing Catalogue??

If you're interested in sponsorship big or small, please contact us to discuss your requirements.

In the weeks that followed and in a more sober environment, plans began to take shape and the base vehicle was purchased soon after.

A 1979 Chevrolet Camaro was driven from the seller and into the workshop at RedBox Auto's. It left the factory with a reliable if somewhat sluggish straight six which would need changing for something with more grunt. To this end a 350ci Chevy V8 was purchased from Smax, a name all drag racing fans are familiar with. This was a 'cut out' unit and was going to need a thorough rebuild on closer inspection.

It showed great potential as it had the stronger four bolt main construction. The engine was pulled and rebuilt. The crank was reground using new shells, a high volume Mellings oil pump and Cloyes double roller timing chain were used in addition to many other rebuild items. It was decided at this time to stick with the current displacement with a view to a +30º bore in the future. To gain a few extra bhp a new Edelbrock 600 double pumper carb was fitted atop a new Edelbrock Performer inlet manifold. Breathing was further aided by the fitting of Headman headers, which in due course feed a dual exhaust set up utilising Turbo Mufflers.

Whilst the engine was out being rebuilt the front end metalwork and nose cone was removed for repair and a weight saving exercise. This included the removal of inner wheel arches and any heavy steel deemed surplus to requirements as any weight ditched will equal quicker 1/4 mile times over a standard weight vehicle.

One thing led to another, as these things so often do, and the original build plan became somewhat more fluid. The result of which was the complete removal of the interior including the dashboard, this was now leaning heavily in the direction of a race based vehicle.

An aluminium dashboard and door cards have now been fitted. The dash retains only the original speedometer with numerous aftermarket gauges and a monster tacho having been fitted. After some deliberation a roll cage has been constructed and at the time of writing only the rear two bars need fitting to complete this desirable safety feature. The only down side is the additional weight gain, something that future savings in weight will equal out

With the heater removed from the bulkhead and everything in the engine bay painted the engine was refitted which looked fantastic. Two ally catch cans for water and oil were added to comply with race regulations and these further compliment under bonnet aesthetics.

As the saying goes, if its worth doing - its worth doing well and to this end all brake and fuel lines were replaced. It's no use having a quick shiny race car if it bursts a rusty brake line or fuel hose and crashes. New brakes, shocks, wheel bearings, leaf spring bushes and handbrake cables were also fitted.

The car has undergone an amazing transformation over the last year with all involved doing there bit, best suited to there individual talents and experience or sometimes lack of it!

The TH350 auto box has been fitted with a Transgo shift kit to enable sharper up shifts using a B&M pro ratchet for shifting duties - also supplied by Smax.

Two safety cut out switches were fitted and an aircraft style starter fitted to the ally trans tunnel along with a line lock.

Lakewood traction bars were sourced New Old Stock and these will help with online traction by preventing excess axle twist.

Plans for the future include engine upgrades, slicks and winning the world finals!

The car is to be sprayed satin black and hopefully blue flames will adorn front and sides.

The spray job is kindly donated by Coach Leasing Nuneaton - who also supplied the ally interior. Other sponsors have donated various items and sundries. If you are interested in getting your name on the car please contact us via this website.