Tech Notes
Who: Troy Brumbalow
What: A '70 Hemi Road Runner that is a little overboard. Which is OK with us.
Where: Cumming, Georgia, which is Uga territory.
Engine: The mill was built by Hensley Racing in Knoxville, Tennessee. Starting with a 4.500-bore Mopar Performance Hemi block, Hensley added a 4.250-stroke Callies crank for 540 inches. The rotator also has Manley rods, and custom Ross pistons that deliver an 8.5:1 compression ratio. Why so low? It's got a manifold full of BDS 8-71 with twin 850-cfm Mighty Demons. The heads are from Mopar Performance and feed into Hooker Super Comp headers and a set of 3-inch Flowmasters. "We had removed the K-frame, so there were no conventional motor mount locations, and we had changed the configuration of the transmission with the Gear Vendors unit. That means you just have to move everything a little bit this way and a little bit that way before it is right," says Troy.
Transmission: Local transmission specialist James Kitchens rebuilt the 727 TorqueFlite and added a Cheetah reverse-manual valvebody and a Gear Vendors overdrive unit. "That is supposed to be a bolt-on type of part, but we still had to hammer on the trans tunnel a bit to get it in there. It gives the car a six-speed ratio ranging from the stock 10.0:1 or so in First with the 4.10:1 rear to an overdrive of about 3.20:1 in Third," says Troy. "It was a job just getting everything to fit; there are no quick answers when you are customizing a car this way."
Paint/Body: Of course, there was a question of color. The hue selected was PPG FY1, a blazing yellow that was applied to the cleaned-up metal by Martin Worth of Auto Refinishers in Newnan, Georgia. This one is not going to sneak up on anybody. A fiberglass hood was purchased and cut for the blower.
Suspension: In the rear, a set of Competition Engineering Slide-A-Link bars and drag shocks were added for a bit of traction. In front, the B-Body has a Magnum Force tubular K-frame with coilovers and a power rack-and-pinion steering setup.
Wheels/Tires: A big car looks cool with big wheels and tires-unless they are too big. The front tires are Billet Specialties 17x8s with 245/45R17 Nitto tires. For traction, the Road Runner uses 18x9.5 rears with 305/35R18 Nitto rubber.
Differential: The power is mostly put to the ground using a Dana 60 with 4.10:1 gears and a set of Moser axles.
Interior: The stainless dash, with Auto Meter gauges and a DVD player, was built by Eric Kimbrel. The upholstery is stock.