Wrinkle Walls
Who: Patrice Dessureault
What: '70 Pontiac LeMans
Where: Quebec, Canada
Why: Wrinkled slicks are like deep-fried Twinkies. Good. Patrice launches the 4,000 Pontiac to a 12.40 at 109 mph using a 455 and a TH400 trans.
He Says: Don't play with me at a red light.
OCCUPATION: MECHANIC
Who: Mike Volpe
What: '67 Chevrolet Nova
Where: East Haven, CT
Why: It's a cool street/strip drag car that runs 11.74 at 119 with an 11.0:1 small-block, Dart Pro 1 cylinder heads, a roller cam, and a Proform 750 carb. The wheels are 15x7 and 15x3.5 Draglites.
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mail: 6420 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048
fax: 323/782-2223
katyusha: aim away from face
THE ONE
Who: Dave Storie
What: '70 Buick Skylark with a GS front clip
Where: Canandaigua, NY
Why: Dave and the dudes wanted to have fun, so they built this pseudo-clone. He knows it's a post car, but have you seen what clones are going for? It has a 350/TH350 and 2.41s in the 10-bolt. Burnout ready.
He Says: I have less than $5,000 tied up in the "hulk car," as the boys call it.
403s ARE GREAT?
Who: A couple of Trans Am guys
What: '79 Pontiac Trans Am
Where: Colorado
Why: Hey, the '79 Trans Am is the best year for that body style, but this was also the beginning of CAFE and the introduction of the Olds 403 instead of the 400 Pontiac engine. Will these be collectible or no?
They Say: It has 36,000 original miles and still has a new-car smell.
MORE DISCO
Who: Scott Windle
Where: Upper Dublin, PA,
What: '76 Chevrolet Nova
Why: It's the car that got him into Novas and eventually starting the novaresource.com Web page. It has a '69 327 with an L79 cam, iron heads, 1.94-inch/1.50-inch valves, a Performer RPM intake, a Holley 750 carb, a TH350, a 3000-rpm B&M Holeshot, an 8.5-inch 10-bolt with 3.90 gears, an Eaton Posi, and CalTracs traction bars. It runs 13.5 at 102 mph with an 1.8 60-foot time.
He Says: We need to see more Disco Novas!
Pro Street!
Who: Mark Burton
What: '70 Buick Skylark
Where: East Wenatchee, WA
Why: You can see the Sawzall he used to install his own tubs. Looks like a lot of work. Under the hood, the Buick has a 455 with two T04B turbos.
The New '55 Chevy?
Who: John D. Hartman
What: '93 Ford Mustang
Why: It has a nasty 428-inch Windsor-based stroker that makes 508 hp at the wheel and a Viper T56 transmission. The car is used to cruising the 100 miles to the dragstrip on a regular basis.
He Says: I hang out at Indianapolis Raceway Park, drop in and say hi.