Shop Tour - Hardcore Drag Racing

      Michael Michaud       Michael Michaud was born in 1962, during the beginning of the muscle car revolution. His father had some of the coolest cars of the 1960s. He had a 1966 350 H.P. 327 cubic-inch Nova Super Sport, Two 1967 GTOs, a 1968 Z/28 and a 1969 Corvette. The 1968 Z/28 was Michael's favorite. Michael said he's been a gear-head ever since the 60s.   Michael states that's he's been racing since 2002 and he runs at WIR in Wisconsin. My first trip to the drag strip with my dad was in 1967. I been hooked on racing my entire life, I have raced snowmobiles in the 1980s and 90s, I got into motorcycle racing in 2000 and built my first drag car in 2014 .   My first actual professional race car was a 1971 Nova called the Patriot.   Michael's last drag car was a Suncoast tube chassis Camaro with a 582 big-block that he built, it ran 8.04's at 172mph. Mike traded that car for the 68' Camaro he currently has .  ...

  Scott Robinson is from southern California and has been into cars his whole life, his earliest memories recount his time spent with his father and his friends. Scott's father raced all types of vehicles, drag boats, sand rails, and cars. These experiences made a major impression on Scott and he couldn't wait to be old enough to drive. When he was old enough, he got heavy into off-road motorcycles then when he got his driver's license all bets were off.  Scott forgot about racing motorcycles and went all in and started racing cars. The first car he raced wasn't car at all, it was a 1975 Chevy van. But this wasn't  any old worn out work van. This van belonged to Scott's father, it featured  a destroked 400 cube small-block built by Scott's Dad, it was backed up with a TH-400 automatic transmission and a narrowed 12-bolt rear end. Scott said it was fun ride for his first car, and when he graduated high-school his father gave it to him.   The father and son te...

          Quick Look 1 This restored 1967 Chevrolet Camaro RS/SS coupe is an example of a modified street car that looks basically stock outside, but it has improved handling and power under the skin. A Muncie M22 Rock- Crusher four speed backs up a rebuilt and hot-rodded 350 CI V-8.   The small-block engine was rebuilt and bored .030-inches over and equipped with a roller camshaft, Brodix cylinder heads and an MSD ignition lights the fire. A Quick Fuel carburetor handles the air and fuel, while a set of stainless headers make some sweet tunes.  The owner stated that on chassis a dyno it made 392 rear wheel horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque. The four-speed manual transmission is controlled by a Hurst Indy shifter and a Centerforce clutch.  The chassis features four-wheel disc brakes and custom A-arms with poly bushings. Out back classic Ground-Grabber traction bars help the Camaro hook-up on the street. It rolls on billet wheels w...

  If you look close enough you will notice the absence of the familiar blue bowtie. That's because this isn't a Chevrolet Camaro per-say - it's a Motion Performance prepared Camaro, and yes there is a difference, a very big difference. This is a car that General Motors could never build, not that they didn't want to, the EPA would never allow it.     The history First off you need to know what and who is Motion Performance and where the Baldwin name came from. It all started with Joel Rosen, who in the 1960s and early 1970s built the now legendary Motion Camaros, Chevelles and Corvettes. Joel Rosen had so much faith in his products that he offered an unconditional warranty for is performance cars. His cars carried this message: "We think so much of our Phase III super-cars that we guarantee they will turn at least 120 mph in 11.50 seconds or better with an M/P-approved driver. Phase III cars are completely street-able, reliable machines that will run these times...

          A Funny Car for the street ?   In the 1960's funny cars were making their debut at the drag strips across America, and by the 70's they were the most popular class in Drag Racing. They had flashy paint jobs and covered the 1/4-mile in less then seven seconds! During the 60's & 70's many racing fans saw these ground pounding machines at the track and wanted to capture the same look for the street.  Craig Cochran had the idea and the skills needed to adapt a funny car for street driving. It had to have a flashy paint job, killer bodywork and plenty of horsepower.     The build started in 1971with a fiberglass body that was a mixture of a 1970 Camaro & Corvette, it was molded by Karr Manufacturing of Monson, Mass.  This car is street legal, its complete with head lights and tail lights. The exhaust system looks like came off a funny car, but they're hiding Sanderson baffles that are made from stainless ...

        Ford had the Cobra Jet's, Chrysler had their S/S Cuda's & Darts and Chevrolet had their COPO program. These were all drag strip terrors, the public ate it up and rushed to their local dealer just to get a look at these monsters. Dealers themselves started building their own versions like this Camaro here.   Campaigned in NHRA competition by Dick Arons and Gordy Foust for Berger Chevrolet in 1969. It featured the factory L78 396 with 375 HP. backed up with a 4-speed transmission and heavy-duty 12-bolt rear end. Later the car was equipped with an L72 427 CI V-8 for use in Super/Stock competition. This Camaro was the SS/E class winner at the 1969 NHRA Spring Nationals in Dallas, it was also raced at the Super Stock Nationals in York Pennsylvania and at the"Big Go" U.S. Nationals. The Odometer only reads 210 miles as it was only used as a drag car its entire life and the mileage was put on a quarter mile at a time and was never tagged for the street. In ...

  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 st...

  Robert George is from New Zealand and races this cool old school 1974 Camaro Z28. The original steel body was outfitted with fiberglass doors and front clip from Hairy Glass .  In race trim it only weighs 2350 pounds.   It features a full Chris Alston tube chassis with a Mustang II front end. Out back a set of ladder bars mount to a Dana 60 filled with 5:13 gears & a spool.  QA-1 shocks handle the bumps front and rear.   This is Robert's office. More high quality tin work is through out the interior. An old school cable drive Moroso Tach. sits on the dash , and only a trio of gauges is needed to keep an eye on things.       For power an LS7 454 fills the engine bay. It breaths through a big Holley Dominator carb. And it's filled with old school speed secrets. Dress up items include vintage Moroso valve covers.  The horsepower is sent to a TH-400 transmission with a trans-brake and a high-stall torque converter.     Here is a...