Building and toying with cars is fun and depending on the level you want to participate, man this stuff can quickly drain your pockets. Fortunately for me, I'm not married, and what little resources I have left over after the bills - gets thrown to my personal pleasures. Lately, we've been scrambling to get our project going and what a valiant effort its been. No, I didn't buy the Nova pictured here, but if it looks familiar to you, that's because it belongs to a close friend of mine, Artis Houston, who also happened to be on the January '06 cover. Actually, it was after the cover shoot that we formulated a newfound friendship and have since teamed up for a whole new adventure.
As most of you already know, and for those who don't, I'm in the middle of building a '91 Camaro with the sole purpose of drag radial competition. Matter of fact it's currently residing at Chris Alston's Chassiworks in Sacramento, California, getting all new suspension and being outfitted with a 25.2 spec'd roll cage. Until the car is complete, our plan was to run my 598ci big-block mill in Artis' ride. Seems easy enough, right? Let me tell ya, its already been a monumental journey, where its included half a dozen people to keep the momentum going. I'll admit, we've ran into a few snags here and there, but like any project, it's an unavoidable monster that's always bound to rear its ugly head at any given moment.
This is where teamwork counts and be it the dead of the night or middle of the week these guys don't stop. While I'll leave the dissertation for a later date, I have to give credit where credit is due. Our engine builder John Fields is nothing short of amazing and has put in an unbelievable number of hours to ensure we reach our goals. I also need to extend the big thumbs up to Artis, Lonnie, Mike, Chuck, Robert, and Mark. These guys are relentless and never seem to put time into the equation; rather, they relate everything to what needs to be done and to me that's pure dedication.
As for our current status: we're really close to hitting the track. We ran into a minor snafu last weekend, causing us to miss the final race of the season. However, we're only two weeks away from the Street Car Super Nat's event in Las Vegas. Will we make it? Only time will tell, but one thing's for certain; everyone involved will be thrashing to get there. Wish us luck!
-Henry D