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Restoration
This masterpiece needed more than a bandaid when it was rescued out of the slums of Los Angeles, California in 1996. The big block engine was sluggish, the transmission needed to be completely rebuilt, and the rear-end needed to be replaced. The interior also showed signs of age on the headliner, carpet, and faulty electrical system. In fact, driving the car was almost impossible because of the large hole in the front seat! All of this was wrapped in disgusting orange paint that was suffering from extreme sunburn and oxidation. Even still, it was difficult to distinguish between what was paint and what was rust.
Surgery began immediately on the vehicle in Lake Arrowhead, California. The drivetrain was completely removed, then the body was sand blasted and stripped down to bare metal. With exception of the hood, the entire front end was thrown out, and reproduction fenders were installed. After months of sanding and other body work, the exterior was finally straight enough for primer and paint. The body recieved BMW deep metallic blue paint followed by custom white stripes. For an extreme glossy look, multiple clear coats were added with plenty of wet sanding.
To get the muscle car sounding as good as it looked, the 454 cu. in. motor was dissasembled for modification. To start, the huge oval port cylinder heads were ported and polished. A high lift hydrolic Crane Cams camshaft with new lifters and pushrods were installed to move the large valves. An Edlebrock Performer RPM intake manifold was the choice to direct the high octane fuel into all eight cylinders. Fuel is fed into the manifold by a custom Gary Williams 920 cfm carburator. The ear piercing exhaust sound is thanks to a pair of Hooker headers and dual Flowmaster mufflers. And if that combination doesn't provide enough power, a NOS nitrous oxide system is there to deliver some extra ponies!
With that much raw torque and horsepower at the flywheel, a strong drivetrain was needed to transfer the energy to the rear wheels. With that in mind, a TH400 transmission was modified with a TCI high stall torque converter and B&M shift kit. The rear end is a custom engineered 12-bolt that was narrowed and fitted with Moser axles and a 4.33 gear ratio. The power finally grips the road with large Mickey Thompson ET Street tires.
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