Jim Hall
Chaska, MN
Jim Hall is the new co-owner of Tuned Port Induction Specialties (TPIS), a company he acquired when original entrepreneur Myron Cottrell retired. TPIS began building performance parts for the GM TPI engines soon after the EFI system debuted in 1987, but since then, TPIS has branched out to include LS engines and other projects. But this photo is actually of Jim's home shop that includes his father's original '70 AMX as well as a couple of his own cars. Jim did such a great job of shooting the photo and transcribing the details that we've let him tell the story.
A. There are many treasures up on the shelves. One bin has a couple of AMC Rebel Machine intake manifolds and three Edelbrock R4B intakes with AMC part numbers. These are part of my loosely based retirement fund. I also have a few bins of discontinued 1LE parts, and somewhere in there is an AMC eight-track radio for the AMX and an original Fuzz-Buster radar detector. There's also an SLP T-Ram intake manifold setup I bought at a flea market for $200. The rest includes brake calipers, rotors, engine parts, a couple of turbos, and an array of coilover springs.
B. This is my dad's '70 American Motors AMX that he bought from an AMC dealership owner's nephew in 1972. He immediately started to autocross and road-race it. It has dash plaques from SCCA races back in the day as well as some tech inspection stickers on the headlight covers lying in the trunk from tracks such as Road America, Donnybrooke (what is now Brainerd International Raceway), Blackhawk Farms, and many others. The engine is a 390 I rebuilt about 10 years ago with a T10 four-speed and 3.54:1 gears. It has a homemade road race pan, an Edelbrock R4B intake with an AMC part number (very rare), ported factory heads, factory forged crank and rods, and a Holley Cobra Jet 780-cfm carb. It sounds awesome and will pull all the way to 7,000 rpm. I'm going back through the engine this winter with a Cam Motion solid camshaft and maybe a little more head work. It has some cool suspension parts and old-school KYB adjustable shocks. The wheels are American Racing 15x8.5 T-70s, and I have four more N.O.S. ones in boxes. Warren Johnson of NHRA Pro Stock fame built the engine back when he had his shop here in Minnesota, and I have the invoice. The AMX was in a flood in 1987 when it was sitting in a warehouse in Minneapolis and was covered in water up to the roof. I've left a residual waterline in the doorsill as a reminder.
C. The Monte Carlo is an old ASA National Tour Car I've converted for road racing in the SCCA GTA series. This car was raced in ASA from 2000 to 2004. It was driven by Joey Clanton in 2002 when he won the ASA National Championship. It has a 346ci, dry-sumped LS1 making 535 hp on 92-octane built by TPIS, a T101A road race transmission, and a Winters quick-change. It weighs 2,750 pounds ready for the grid with me sitting in it.
D. The Power Wheels Mustang belongs to my 5-year-old son, Jack. I've upgraded it with Trinity motors out my old R/C boat. It'll do about 10 miles an hour and goes through a set of rear tires a summer. He can do Rockford turns like nobody's business and drift like Ken Block.
E. This is a '94 Camaro Z28 1LE; there were just over 140 made that year. It is an excellent track day car and can reel in just about anything, including new ZO6 Corvettes. It has a TPIS 402ci LT1 making 565 hp and 530 lb-ft. I have a G-Force Facetooth trans to eventually replace the T56 transmission. I've used some World Challenge tricks from back in the day, along with a set of H&R Road Race springs and Koni double-adjustable shocks. The Corvette Grandsport 17X9.5 and 17X11 wheels are wrapped in sticky Yokohamas.
F. My dad bought the Pepsi machine from a Napa store many years ago, and it still works. He used to buy pop (Midwest speak for soda) out of it when he was a kid. The 396ci LT1 next to it makes 555 hp and 480 lb-ft and is set up to run an LS1 PCM with a coil-per-cylinder ignition and an electric throttle.
G. The LS engine is a 384ci built by TPIS using an LSX block, AFR heads, a TPIS solid roller, and 11.5:1 compression on 92-octane. The engine uses a factory PCM and makes 698 hp and 560 lb-ft. It will run to 7,500 rpm and needs a home.