Shop Tour - Hardcore Drag Racing

    Back in the 1980's the Pro/Street trend was running hot across America and by the 1990's it was across the whole world. No car was off limits and people dared to be different. The builds were over the top, the cars had eye popping paint and mile-high air-induction systems. It wasn't about how much horsepower you had under the hood or sticking out, it was about who could outdo the next guy at the car show.   Other build styles were still going on at the time like traditional hot rod building and simple street machines were still prowling the streets. But Pro/Street was its own special thing and it still is but with a modern twist.  All the major car magazines featured Pro/Street builds from cover to cover and all the readers drooled over them. I know I did and dreamed to own one day. Car Craft, Hot Rod, Popular Hot Rodding & Super Chevy magazine were the go to publications each month to get your horsepower fix ! I recently came across this 1988 Chevy Beretta that is

What's in The Garage?  with mark francis !        Last month we posted the story of Mark and his Monza named "Louie the Lizard", a big tire street & strip car powered by a hot small-block Chevy. In this edition of What's In The Garage, we are going to showcase some of Mark's past and current build projects. As we learned he has a passion for the Chevrolet Monza, either in sedan or hatchback form Mark has owned a few of each and he has a few in his stable now . Each one is in a different stage in the build process . Buckle up and hold on as we take a look into Mark's Garage!    One of Mark's first builds was this 1978 Monza. Mark said that he bought while he was in high school (1986) from his best friend.      Mark tells us in his own words about his new purchase. It was a V6 roller that he blew the up before I bought it. I bought a 307 from a guy that worked in a machine shop, he built it for the NHRA Super Stock class but he went a differe

    Mark Francis has an addiction to H-Body Chevy Monza's. Our main story is about Mark's green Chevy Monza nick-named Louie the Lizard, later on we will take a look at his other projects that he has brewing in the garage, from the past to the present Mark has built some cool hot rods . From a young age Mark was exposed to racing from listening to  his Father's stories of his street racing days and how his Mother went along with him. When he got older he would work on his fathers cars and amassed a wealth of knowledge. While still in high school Mark began building cars for himself and for his friends.   Mark said he bought this Monza coupe around 2000 to go racing while his Monza hatchback was getting tubbed out. The car is a 1975 Chevy Monza Towne Coupe that was purchased as a roller. He said it was heavy and hideous . It needed more work than he imagined. This was Mark's first big tire car but it wasn't his last as we will see later on. When he brought the Mo

  This 65' Nova is one of the most significant Pro/Street builds of all time. Since the time it was built in 1982 by Rick Dobbertin it won so many awards it literally put the worlds car builders on notice.  Rick devoted more than 3,000 hours over the course of three years to create this legendary Nova. The Nova was featured on the cover of the September 1982 issue of Hot Rod magazine and a full feature inside as well, it won the Grand Champion award at the 1982 Car Craft Nationals as well as Best Pro Street, Best Engineered and Best Engine awards. The main reason for those awards happens to lie beneath the hood, a 454 big block Chevy that was shoehorned into the little compact. Most builders would have called it a day at that time, but not Rick.  He installed a BDS 6-71 Supercharger that is feed boost via a pair of Rotomaster turbochargers that inhale the fuel mixture from a pair of Holley 750 CFM carburetors. Wow that was a mouthful. If that wasn't enough there is a port inje

  Quick look ! This 1975 Chevy Nova is a one of a kind , with its first generation Camaro front clip. The bright orange paint pops in the sun , letting everyone know you arrived . The body is all steel with the exception of the fiberglass front clip. Powering this odd-rod is a 454 CI big block running on alcohol with mechanical injection , An MSD ignition lights the fire. It's backed up with a TH-400 transmission with an 8 inch converter and a trans brake . The chassis was upgraded with a 2x3 square tube back half , the 12-bolt rear end is suspended by ladder bars and coil over shocks.  The front runs tubular control arms with QA1 coil over shocks . The car is tied together with a full roll cage certified to 7.50.       With the front end off we can see the front mounted five gallon fuel cell, aluminum radiator & breather tank . Everything is designed for one purpose , to go fast !  This Nova rolls on 14 inch wide Weld wheels with bead-locks and stops with Strange 4-wheel dick

  This 1970 Pro/Street Mustang was built over 10 years ago and it still shows well .  It was painted a deep dark burgundy with hint of metallic, the rear window louvers were painted to match giving it a custom touch. The engine room features a big block 429 Cobra Jet. On the dyno it made 514 H.P. with 520 L.B Ft. of torque . This beastly Mustang features aluminum Edelbrock  RPM cylinder heads & ARP studs. Other key parts include KB-Hypereutectic pistons,Comp roller cam & rockers,Manley H-Beam rods.A Demon Carb.mixes the incoming fuel charge,while an MSD ignition system lights the plugs. Backing up the big block is a fully built heavy-duty C6 transmission. It's filled with the best parts,billet drums,red clutches,trans brake and a high-stall converter. Headers with 3" pipes and Flowmaster mufflers make the Mustang rumble.   The interior features a leather wrapped dashboard & steering wheel. A custom console was built and houses dual cup holders. For safety an 8-poi