Climbing out of the San Fernando Valley, the throttle was on the floor as we tried to find the rev limiter in Third before shifting into Overdrive. The Car Craft staff was headed for the wind-swept nether regions of the high desert in Jake the project truck on our way to Los Angeles County Raceway (LACR), and our first stop on the West Coast Cruise.
It was the ultimate test for Jake, 200 miles with a group of car crafters who wouldn't forgive a breakdown. We flew over the long hills and deep valleys of the early-morning freeway to beat the sun that threatened to roast us after Editor Smith informed us that Jake's A/C had a leak and we were going to have to do without.
"The fastest Suburban in the world" ran a 12.17 before shattering a U-joint when a strap failed. Coast driveline repaired the shaft in record time, and the 'Burb was back in the pack when we reached San Luis Obispo. The 6,100-pound 'Burb is powered by a Motown 434ci small-block with a pair of Sniper nitrous systems delivering a 100 shot each.
The racetrack is in the city of Palmdale. It's really just a series of military landing strips haunted by Chuck Yeager and Capt. Joe Engle in the '50s as they tested the X-1 prototype aircraft and the sound barrier in the California desert. The track's 3,000-foot altitude and heat combine to reduce the average e.t. 0.4 to 0.6 second during the summer. It's a challenge. Despite the handicap, a couple of cars were deep in the 11s using an assortment of sprays and blowers to overcome the thin air. Because this year's cruise is relatively small, local racers used the unlimited number of allowable runs to dial in the setup and, in some cases, push weak links in the drivetrain to their bursting points. After John Kuczkuda rained needle bearings from his grenaded U-joint on the starting line, we decided that the transmission on our former Cal Trans truck might be in the same mood. We parked it in the shade.
We throttled out of the desert toward the cooler, denser air of the coast via the 126. It's a snaking valley highway that cuts through the suburbs of Santa Clarita to Ventura County, the industrial kitchen sink that connects the city with the rural farmlands of the North. Jake was easily the slowest vehicle in the line of street machines. We were smirking in Overdrive until Scott Crouse clicked his Tremec into Fifth and performed an earsplitting slow-lane pass in his 10-second '65 Comet. We were shuffled to the back of the pack by greedy, lead-footed musclecars. Next year we're bringing something faster.
Before turning north on the 101 freeway toward Santa Barbara, we stopped by Automotive Racing Products (ARP), the racing fastener people. Their Ventura facility is home to the big greasy toys that pump out nuts and bolts that won't break when you lean on them. It's also home to a giant hydraulic claw that rips the heads off of bolts to check their failure points. We marveled at the head-poppers, smashers, and other tools in the bolt dungeon and tried to get a peek at the super-secret fasteners ARP was building for the McLaren-Mercedes Formula 1 car. Nope!
Kris Shields is one of several guys using the 2004R transmission. Although this combination is relatively mellow with 362 hp at the wheels, he shares an Art Carr California Performance Transmission with the 10-second GTO.
Our destination was San Luis Obispo for the Wheels of SLO car show, and the show folks had a section staked out for our crew. The Central Coast car shows usually showcase local flavors that are shielded from the mainstream, so you'll typically see styles that are locked in place from the era in which the car was built or stock vehicles that have been pulled from surrounding barns. We saw both. We also saw a few trends that we've been seeing all year around the country. Late-'70s to early-'80s F-bodies are in right now, the Hemi ads on television have helped people remember how cool those engines are, and the newer builds were almost all on airbag suspensions.
So we had fun. If the CC cruise is anything, it's a way to get the machine out of the garage. So plan on joining us if you are in the area next summer and want to cruise the Central Coast.