Nova
This tyre-smoking 1987 Chevrolet Nova is the product of Grant Mik. The Nova's based on a Toyota AE82 Corolla chassis, but was built in Fremont California - as Grant says, "built GM tough with Japanese stuff".
It might be regarded as a humble vehicle, but Grant's turned more heads, laid more rubber and had more fun in it than most cars ever see. Plus "It's light, it's cheap and the parts are plentiful". Having come factory fitted with the 4A 1.6 SOHC 8-valve carby four, the monster used to make a whole 74hp. But Grant has returned his car to its true Japanese performance routes and swapped the carby engine for the 4A-GE injected DOHC 16-valver. Rated at 120hp the new motor can buzz the front wheels with minimal effort - as you can see.
Its also scored more power through the use of a 4>2 header with a custom collector and a 2¼ -inch exhaust with a "pea shooter muffler". The car now rides on 14-inch MR2 alloy rims wearing 185/60 Kuhmo race tyres, which should help the sucker launch. As it is, the car does high 15s - with a tendency to smoke its tyres through second gear...
Grant sure seems like a bit of a lad to us!
And it came as no real surprise to learn Grant has an Aussie friend with a modified T-18 that we've already featured in our Readers' Cars section. You guessed it - it's that tyre frying bandit from our first Readers' Cars! Perhaps they're going to start their own sort of smoking campaign!
During the US Summer he hopes to focus mainly on upgrading the car's suspension and brakes. But in the longer term, there's this idea of installing a supercharged 4A-GZE into the nose. Then this Nova should really send smoke signals! See Grant's car at http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Speedway/4033/nova.htm
Sonic SS
The release of the Holden VN SS Commodore in the late Eighties was the beginning of a completely new image for the Aussie V8 sedan. The first to score electronic fuel injection (other than the Walkinshaw), it is undoubtedly the largest engine upgrade Holden has made over the last ten years. And now that their prices are more affordable, the average enthusiast can slide into a luxury V8 that can still mix it with the current base V8s.
Graeme Walsh of Adelaide bought his SS about 2 years ago in stock form, and got stuck into making it suit his tastes. Pushed by the factory 304ci eight, this example has a few more than the standard 165kW thanks to a 2½ -inch mandrel bent twin-cat exhaust system. Not only does the car score more performance, but also a killer exhaust note.
Clearer and much, much louder sounds can be heard inside the car through. A Pioneer CD system sends audio signals to Pioneer amps which in turn punches a subwoofer speaker box and a pair of switchable rear 6x9s. Producing a maximum of 128 decibels what else do you need to know? Its damn loud!
Cosmetic changes to the car include a VN SS Group A bonnet bulge, side skirts and rear bar. Under the bonnet has also been detailed with flamboyant colours and an HSV air intake. Riding on Australian-made Simmons 15x8s clad in wide tyres it's the great traditional modern Aussie muscle car.
Nice one.
Buckin' Buick
Although not yet completed, Louie Arnold's 1984 Buick Grand National is going to be a major drag racing player. As he claims it's not a "show Queen by any sense of the word, it was built to be a very quick street/strip toy". Powered by Buick's turbo vee-six, the car isn't intercooled but there are certainly some other "hot-air" GNs running some quick times - like low-11s!
The long lists of mods to Louie's car ensure it should be on the pace. It features a TA-33 turbo by John Craig (Limited Engineering), Hooker headers and an Action Fabrication 3-inch down-pipe flowing into an ATR 3-inch stainless exhaust system. Internally the motor's been stuffed with the good bits. Like TRW 0.30 forged pistons, polished rods with moly bolts, Turbo Regal .10/.10 crankshaft and a Race Jase main stud girdle to keep it together. For added safety he's added a high volume oil pump.
The top end(s) use thoroughly ported heads with oversized stainless valves, a Schnieder camshaft (#270-62H) and the stock GN intake manifold has been match ported to the heads. A Scott Simpson Street and Race chip takes care of engine management, and fires bigger 36lb Blue Top injectors. Oh and there's also an adjustable NOS nitrous oxide system to chill the intake temps and pull some more horses. More suited to the drag racing application, a "Switch Pitch" Turbo 400 auto trans built by Darrell Young's Transmissions put power to the rear. A 3800rpm high stall convertor is used.
So if you ever see an '84 GN wearing IRACEIT plates - watch out you might get fried! Check out the car, its list of credits and some of the cool tech links at http://www.inergy.com/IRACEIT
The Farer SX
From Maryland USA is Eric Eskandari with his smooth lookin' Nissan 240SX. This 1990 model pop-up headlight S13 comes with the SR four-cylinder engine and a 4-speed auto. Yeah we know - an AUTO! But Eric has installed a simple toggle switch to the ground wire of the auto trans's dropping resistor to get fast shifts. Fast enough in fact, he claims to have dropped half a second off the car's ¼ mile time!
The engine breathes more efficiently through a K&N air filter on the end of a pipe leading through the guard, and exhaust gasses exit through a 2¼ -inch system with a Racer Design muffler.
An Unothodox Racing aluminium crank pulley is also fitted. An APEX'i Multi-Checker has also been wired into the car. This backlit LCD display reads road speed, engine rpm, air/fuel ratio, ignition timing, injector duty cycle and a myriad of other information. Also inside the car, a thumping 12-inch Pioneer sub powered by a 400W California Profile amp.
The 240SX's sophisticated suspension design has been upgraded by a set of RSR Linear "Super Down Hard" 2-inch lowered springs and Tokico strut inserts. Eric quotes a "STIFF RIDE" with the 508lb/in front and 420lb/in rear springs. To add some extra chassis rigidity, a Nissan front strut brace is also fitted. MB Motoring 15-inch wheels clad in 225/50 BF Goodrich Euro T/As give the car some more sport appeal to go with its go-fast red paint job. And apparently the guy that fitted them said, "they're on tighter than a fat woman in spandex". Other mods include a set of '95 model SE seats, a SE air dam and some innovative colour changing throughout the vehicle.
To date, the car has done a 15.8 at 84mph with a "really bad launch". But Eric doesn't go drag racing much because he always has to go against muscle cars! Check him out lined up against one at http://www.wam.umd.edu/~ese/my240sx.html
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