March-April 2009.indd - Advanced Automotive Concepts

Transcription

DOMES TIC DRIVER ||| 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEPARTMENTS
04 | READERS RIDES
MARCH/APRIL | 2009 | #24
FEATURES
09 | CAR STEREO BUYERS GUIDE
Selecting an Amplifier
31 | WRECKAGE
11 | THE NEW SHO
The story of BringbacktheSHO.com
15 | D3 RESEARCH AND DESIGN
2008 Cadillac CTS
18 | 3D PERFORMANCE
2006 Ford Mustang GT
21 | GENERATION STEALTH
1991 Dodge Stealth
24 | NOT WHAT WE WERE EXPECTING
ISSUE DATES
January/February
Submission deadline: December 1st
Issue available: January
28 | EL DIABLO
2006 Dodge Charger SRT-8
March/April
Submission deadline: February 1st
Issue available: March
May/June
Submission deadline: April 1st
Issue available: May
July/August
Submission deadline: June 1st
Issue available: July
September/October
Submission deadline: August 1st
Issue available: September
November/December
Submission deadline: October 1st
Issue available: November
Visit the submit page of our web site for details on how to make a submission of your own.
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STAFF
Owner and Layout Design Jonathan Maynard
Senior Editor Andrew Cleaver
Editorial Assistant Jason Helferich
Graphic Designer Eric Wood
WHAT IS DOMESTIC DRIVER E-ZINE?
A bi-monthly PDF magazine featuring Chrysler,
Dodge, Ford and GM Cars from 1980+
MORE ABOUT THE MAGAZINE
Domestic Driver Magazine is a digital magazine
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Thank you for your continued patronage.
READERS RIDES
Modifications:
Owner: Aaron Miesner
Car: 1991 Chevrolet Camaro
Location: St. Louis, MO
About: This is my second third-gen Camaro and I have
owned it for over a decade - since I was 16. It’s never stayed
the same for very long. It came from the factory as a nicely
optioned upper level 305 TBI RS with the larger 16-inch
wheels, V8, T-tops and most interior power options.
I’ve pulled the engine out of it nine times now along
with replacing four transmissions and four rear ends. In 2003,
www.team3rdgen.com was started by a group of local 3rdgen
owners. The obsession has only grown from there.
Performance:
- LS1
- HPTuners treatment
- F.A.S.T 92mm intake
- Jantzer 92mm throttle body
- 85mm MAF
- Stainless works long tube headers
- True dual exhaust
- Nitrous Express wet kit
- T56
- Mcleod master cylinder
- Pro 5.0 shifter
- Moser 9” with tru-trac and 4.11’s
- Griffin radiator
- Flex-a-lite dual fans.
- LS1 driveshaft
- LS1 plastic gas tank
- Racetronix(walboro) 255LPH fuel pump
Control:
- 17/18 00+ Corvette wheels
- Tubular trac bar
- Tubular panhard bar
- Tubular LCA’s
- Poly bushings
- LS1 brakes on all 4 corners
- Alston sub frame connectors
- Jamex strut tower brace
Show:
- ASCD hood
- Billet grill
- Z28 hi-rise spolier
- Clear corners
- 145mph Z28 gauge cluster
- Black GTA seats and interior
Audio, Visual and Security:
- Pioneer head unit and speakers
- (2) Audiobahn 12” subs
- MTX 500d amp
READERS RIDES
Modifications:
Performance:
- D3 Cadillac Cold Air Intake
Control:
- Sevas Forged 3-piece 20”x8.5”/20”x10”s
- Eibach Pro Lowering Springs
Show:
- VTXi Ground Effects
- E&G Spoiler I
- E&G Exhaust Tips
- Hoen Fogs
- Deactivated DRLs
- Powdercoated Calipers
- Custom Engine Cover
- Custom Grille
- Micro-Suede Perforated Seat Inserts with Cadillac Crest
- Micro-Suede Headliner and Door Panel inserts.
- NAV/DVD Lockpick
Owner: Cameron Allen
Car: 2008 Cadillac CTS
Location: Laguna Niguel, CA
About: My 2008 Cadillac CTS is an important
project to me. Since 1947 my family has been selling the Cadillac product at our dealership here in
Southern California. This area is seemingly plagued
with imports from either Japan or Germany. I wanted this car to be a rude awakening for all those imported-luxury brands with aggressive exterior mods
and a tailored interior. I feel that Cadillac is back
with a vengeance, whether they like it or not.
READERS RIDES
Modifications:
Owner: Obed Ponce
Car: 1993 Ford Probe GT
Location: San Marcos, CA
About: I have a second generation 1993 Ford Probe
GT. It has a 5-speed manual transmission, with a
2.5L 24-valve V6 engine. It’s front wheel drive
with hatchback body, with 5-passenger seating. My
Probe is quick, handles well, has a awesome sound
system, and doesn’t look to bad either. Some may
not be a fan of the car but who cares, it’s mine and
I enjoy it!
Performance:
- Bore increase
- Aluminum heads
- Air intake
- Tanabi exhaust (plan to add high flow cat)
- Performance sparkplug wire
- Bigger oil pump
Control:
- 18” Velocity chrome rims
Show:
- Candy Tangerine and Ghost Flame paint job (House Of
Kolors)
- Sensei body kit and hood scoop
- Red underbody neon lighting
- Strobe lights in reverse and stop light
- Red and black carbonfiber dashboard
- Candy Tangerine and Black interior panels
- JIC racing seats with Sparco 3 point harness (planning on
getting Sparco seats)
- Momo quick release sterring wheel
- Orange and black pedals
- Faze guages (tach,volt,oil psi,boost/vaccum)
- Black carbon fiber spoiler
- Performance brake pads
- Dynomat
- (4) 12” Polk Audio subs
- (2) 8” Precission Power speakers in front doors
- (2) 8” sony speakers in rear
- (2) 600 watt Precission Power amps
- (1) 1,000 watt Precission Power amp for subs
- Panasonic 7.5 “ screen stereo
- Optima red top battery
- (2) Direct audio capasitors
- Power Acoustics crossover
READERS RIDES
Modifications:
Owner: Kevin Jurovich
Car: 2007 Ford Fusion
Location: Lloydminster, Sas-
katchewan
About: I took possesion of my
2007 Ford Fusion SEL, V6,
AWD in March of,2007, after
another long Saskatchewn winter. I purchased the car with
the intention of it being a yearround daily driver, hence the
all-wheel drive option. I thought
I’d outgrown my love for modifying cars, having previously
modified (upon reflection) every
car I’d ever owned, including
Mustangs, Camaros and others.
I never thought I’d ever mod a
4-door sedan!
Performance:
- 3.0 liter Duratec V6
- SCT X-Cal 2 ecm flash (94 octane torque tune from Bama
Chips)
- Steeda cold air intake
- Steeda throttle body spacer
- Steeda intake resonator delete
- Magnaflow exhaust (resonator delete)
- Royal Purple 5/20
Control:
- HRE 945 R 20” wheels Pirelli P-Zero Nero tires (Front
245/30/20 & Rear 255/30/20)
- H&R adjustable coil overs (dropped 2 1/4” in front & 1 7/8”
in the rear)
- Steeda strut tower brace
- EBC slotted and drilled rotors
- EBC Redstuff pads
- Stainless steel brake lines.
Show:
- Redline Tuning hood struts
- Engine cover from 2006 Lincoln Zephyr.
- Steeda engine dress-up
- Oxford white
- 3D Carbon Euro body kit
- Custom red Ford emblems
- 35 % window tint all around
- Steeda embroidered floor mats
- White face guage cluster
- 5000k H.I.D. low beamheadlights and foglights
- Piaa Extreme White high beams
- Flashing side marker mod
- L.E.D. super white reverse, license plate, interior and
puddle lights
Every Day.
Track Day.
The ultimate performance replacement brake rotor. Cast
from premium iron, SAE G3000 grade or higher. Power
Slot’s radial slot design evacuates heat, gas and dust,
and improves pad bite. A durable anti-corrosive plating
prevents premature rust damage to the
rotor’s cooling vanes. Over 1200
applications are available for
popular sports and passenger
cars, light trucks and SUVs.
Also available Cryogenically
treated for maximum
resistance to warping!
www.powerslot.com
Balanced big brake kits for late model vehicles.
Oversized 13 to 15 inch Aerorotors dissipate more heat
to reduce brake fade. 2, 4, and 6-piston aluminum calipers designed specifically for your vehicle to provide optimum performance. Patented removable bridges simplify
brake pad changes while
stiffening the caliper.
Each Stoptech kit includes
billet aluminum hats
and brackets, stainless
braided brake lines, and
high performance pads.
www.stoptech.com
www.everythingbrakes.com
CAR STEREO BUYERS GUIDE: SELECTING AN AMPLIFIER
low you to power 1 or 2 subwoofers, in
addition to 4 interior speakers. If you
want to have a lot of bass in your system and highs to match, you will most
likely want to have 2 seperate amplifiers: one for your subs and one for your
interior speakers. Amplifiers with 5 or
6 channels are typically smaller in power handling (500-1000 watts) and if you
are working on building a system with a
lot of bass, you will most likely need a
seperate subwoofer amp and midrange
amp. This will allow you to run a lot
more power.
I
n our last article we discussed the options available in purchasing subwoofers for your car sound
system. When you purchase subwoofers for
your sound system you will also need to purchase
an amplifier to power the subwoofers. An amplifier
is required to power subwoofers, a head unit cannot
provide the amount of power needed to power subwoofers. Small amps, 10-20 watts per channel, are
usually part of the head unit. Larger amplifiers will
be mounted independently of the head unit, usually in
the rear of the vehicle close to the subwoofers. There
are a number of things to consider when purchasing
an amplifier; mainly the number of channels, power
output, size, mounting options and the name brand.
Channels
When selecting an amplifier for your sound system,
it is good to have a plan for your sound system. It
makes it easier to build a system when you know
what your goals are with your system. If your goal
with your system is sound quality you might want
to consider a 5 or 6 channel amplifier. This will al-
Power
When shopping for an amplifier, you
will see that they can produce anywhere
from 100 up to 10,000 watts. On amplifiers and car
audio in general, the amount of power an item produces or consumes is measured in watts. The RMS
power is very important to know as you will want
to match the RMS power of your
subwoofer or subwoofers with
the RMS power of the amplifier. If you underpower a subwoofer, you will not be getting
the peak performance out of that
subwoofer. If you overpower
a subwoofer, this can cause the
subwoofer to distort, which will
in turn damage and potentially
blow out the subwoofer.
The power output of an
amplifier is very important in
choosing an amplifier to purchase. If you have purchased
two subwoofers, which handle
300 watts RMS each, you will
Submission thanks to Jason Helferich owner of www.streetstylecustoms.com and www.spadeperformance.com
want to look for an amplifier that’s output is around
600 watts RMS. If you have purchased one subwoofer which handles 200 watts, you maybe able to purchase a 5 channel amplifier which has a subwoofer
channel or a standard mono or two channel amp with
an output of around 200 watts RMS.
Size and Mounting Options
The physical size of an amplifier is something that
needs to be taken into consideration as well. Amplifiers can range in size from as small as 8 inches in
length up to 35 inches in length or even longer. Most
amplifiers are between 9 and 12 inches in height and
2-3 inches in width. The vehicle you own and the
space requirements of the vehicle need to match up.
If you have a Mini Cooper and the amplifier you have
selected is 24 inches long, you might want to reconsider the system you have laid out or figure out a way
to mount this amplifier in this car.
The most common places to mount an amplifier are on the back of a seat, under a seat, in a hidden compartment, on a custom amp rack or even on
the top or back of the subwoofer box. Mounting an
amplifier on the box is not recommended unless the
subwoofer is secured to the vehicle. If the enclosure
is not properly secured, the box can slide around in
the trunk and this can cause the wires to pull out of
the amplifier and potentially create a fire hazard with
loose power and ground wires. Space limitations in
your vehicle may require you to have an amp rack
built to be able to mount and secure the amplifier.
This will allow you a wider variety of mounting options in your car if the space is limited.
An amplifier produces heat, which the heat
sink absorbs and dissipates. If there is not enough
air space around the amplifier, it may not be able to
dissipate heat efficiently. This in turn may cause it to
overheat which can potentially damage the amplifier.
You should also never mount an amplifier upside
down, as this will not allow the amplifier to dissipate
heat correctly and the amplifier may overheat.
Brand Names
The best thing to do when purchasing car audio is to
purchase name brand products. In most cases, companies like Pyramid, Lanzar, Sony, or Power Acoustik will put the max ratings on their products, whereas
name brand companies like JL Audio, Kicker, JBL,
MTX, etc. will put the RMS power on their products. At first glance you might
see that the Pyramid amplifier is
1000 watts, but chances are that
is the peak power and that amp
will never produce that amount
of power. The most important
number to look for on amplifiers
is the RMS power, as that is what
they will be operating at 90% of
the time. You may be able to get
a 1000 watt amplifier made by
Pyramid for $300 or a 300 watt
Submission thanks to Jason Helferich owner of www.streetstylecustoms.com and www.spadeperformance.com
amplifier made by Kicker for $200, in most cases I
would go with the Kicker.
Once you have decided on an amplifier, midrange and highrange speakers are your next purchase.
Many times these items will require another amplifier. In our next article, we will discuss midrange and
highrange speakers and what to look for in those.
THE STORY OF BRINGBACKTHESHO.COM
many people as possible. The goal was to get people
talking about the car. The website name was simple
and to the point. Once the website was online, I anticipated news of it to spread fast.
There was a problem though; a website alone
would not be enough to spread the word. I could not
get people talking about a new SHO unless they had
something to see. That’s where my friend Aaron Keyser came in. I’ve known Aaron for years. He was as
big of a SHO fan as I was; only he was an expert with
Photoshop. I gave Aaron a call and told him of the little project that I was working on, and even though at
the time it looked like a long shot, he was onboard.
VERSION 1 CONCEPT
I
The Beginning
t all started on February 7th 2007. This date was
the reintroduction of the Ford Taurus nameplate.
The force behind that move was Ford CEO Alan
Mulally. He was a long time fan of the Taurus and
could not understand why Ford, in late 2006, would
throw away a nameplate with such storied history. In
surveys only 40% of people knew what a Ford 500
was, yet 80% knew what a Ford Taurus was.
The day Ford announced that the Taurus was
back got me thinking. The first thing that came into my
mind was NEW SHO! The 2nd thing that I thought of
was well…. that’s a long shot! Wait a second though…
who would have thought that Ford would kill the Taurus nameplate only to realize the mistake and bring
it back to life again? Ford is now getting back into
the car game and has not had a performance sedan for
some time. In my mind no other time would be better
than NOW to… BringbacktheSHO!
How could I convince Ford to bring back our
favorite sports sedan? I could just sit around and wait
for the car to come back. Or I could do everything
in my power to help convince Ford that I am not the
only one who wants performance and excitement in
my sedan. Thousands of other Ford enthusiasts felt
the same way and that’s when I decided that my best
bet was to start a website to get the word out to as
Submission thanks to Ryan J Pasch founder of www.BringbacktheSHO.com
The First Concept
I started building the website and at the same
time Aaron and I took a picture of the 2008 Taurus
and started working with it. We wanted to take the
current Taurus and turn it into a SHO. Basically, we
could do anything we wanted to the car, but we had
one goal in mind. What ever we did on the computer,
Ford would be able to do on a budget. We could have
gone and created some crazy far-out concept that
would exciting, but not build-worthy or practical.
We tried to grab parts off of Ford’s own parts shelf.
We liked the new Ford Edge headlights; we also liked
the aggressive look of the Ford Sport Trac Adrena-
VERSION 1 2 DOOR CONCEPT
line. We lowered the ride height and added Mercury
Marauder rims. We also had some fun with the interior. We added black trim, SHO logos and a 6 Speed
manual shifter.
The Media Blitz
Now that the website was ready to go
and we had a concept car to show off, we started
the media blitz. The point of the blitz was to get
the website and design out to as many places as
possible. First, I hit the automotive forums and
posted the website and the concept on over 50
message boards. The next step was to try and
make news on some of the popular automotive
blogs. The first blog to run the campaign as a
story was Jalopnik.com. Ray Wert wrote the first
article on BBTS on Febuary 26th 2007. Luckily
we also had an ally in John Neff of Autoblog.
com. John has been a SHO fan for many years
and was excited about the project. He agreed to
post a story about our campaign and post our
new designs. John also used digg.com to further
get the word out. If the story became popular
it would appear on the main page on digg.com.
When he first Autoblog story hit on Febuary 27th
2007, things really started to happen. The website traffic went through the roof, and supportive
emails started pouring in. The story also went
Popular on digg.com causing even more traffic
for the website!
Phase 2
After the success of the initial launch,
more websites and people became interested in
the campaign. Autoweek magazine caught wind
and ran the website address in their March 12th
edition. I was intervied on Maxim radio and we
also were mentioned on Streetfire’s Fast News
Daily. Chris Smith wrote an article about us in
SVTOA Magazine. The campaign did not stop
there. We wanted to keep the press going, so we
went back to the Photoshop drawing board. We
added some new colors and a side view.
We kept up the media assault and also
wanted to have a little fun, so we decided to design a coupe. We removed the rear doors, added
some new rims and added racing stripes.
A brand new Taurus is on the way
The start of 2008 brought news of a brand
new Taurus in the works. While Ford CEO Alan
Mulally was at the Automotive News World Congress in Detroit, he revealed that the automaker
would be introducing a new Taurus sedan in late
2009 as a 2010 model. Mulally said in his speech,
“The new Taurus is the one we should have made
originally.”
TwinForce/Ecoboost TT DI V6
With the new year also came new information on the direct injection twin turbo 3.5 “TwinForce” V6. Due to the new focus on environmental standards and high gas prices, the decision was
made to change the name from “TwinForce” (more
of a performance name) to EcoBoost (an environmental fuel saver name).
Ford also released a video that spoke about the
technology behind the new EcoBoost. That same
video included a 2008 Taurus with an EcoBoost
drag racing a Cadillac and a BMW 335i beating
them both.
VERSION 2 CONCEPT
The first clue of a possible new SHO the “Focus
Group”
Ford made contact with Don Malison, the
National SHO club president in February about
getting some SHO enthusiasts together for a focus
group. It took place on May 5th 2008 at the Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Center. This was the first
actual clue that Ford was in fact working on some
type of “Performance Taurus”. About 12 other SHO
Enthusiasts entered the convention hall and were
seated at the main table in front of the interviewer.
Behind the main table was a Dodge Charger, Chrysler 300c and a Chevy Impala. The interviewer started
to ask us questions on what we wanted to see in a
new performance Taurus. In the end, we were able
to talk with the Ford designers and engineers regarding the possibilities of the car. One thing was missing
though… A Taurus to look at!!!! Little did I know,
they actually had a SHO prototype at the convention
hall and at the last minute decided not to show us!
The reason: they knew I was there and they knew
how good BringbacktheSHO was at drawing and
sketching out designs. They did not want to take a
chance that we would draw out exactly what we saw
that night and post it to our site the very next day!!!
That is the sincerest form of flattery but we ended up
shooting ourselves in the foot; it would have been really neat to see the car at that time. I brought with me
some pictures of the new BBTS design we made and
handed them to the designers and engineers.
FORD’S OFFICAL SHO
This is when the rumors started to grow even stronger as this was the first real visual evidence that the
SHO was in fact in the works!!! The next few prototype Taurus cars that started emerging had larger
rims, dual exhaust and a deck lid spoiler. Then we
saw Tauruses with virtually no camouflage. The only
thing that was covered up was the nameplate on the
back so you could not be certain what the name of the
performance model would be.
It’s Official - the 2010 New Ford Taurus SHO
It was now January 2009 and the rumors
started to fly that the new SHO was on its way back
and would possibly be unveiled at the Chicago Auto
Show in early February. Ford made the first contact
with Don Mallinson and I on January 20th. Ford
communications confirmed that in fact the brand new
Taurus SHO was a reality! The SHO would be unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show on February 11th.
BBTS Concept Version 2:
The new concept was based on a grainy low
resolution cell phone picture of a very early 2009
Taurus clay model. The picture was taken by some
one who worked inside Ford and once it hit the internet it was all over the automotive news sites in the
matter of hours.
Up until that point we did not see anything on the
new car and because of this leak new very strict security measures have been put in place to prevent such
an event from occurring again.
The first SHO Prototypes
In late December of 2008, some Taurus prototypes start making the rounds. The first ones were
covered in heavy camouflage driving around Dearborn. The next thing to hit the blogs was a group
of pictures of a SHO prototype dashboard. On the
passenger side it had a logo that clearly said SHO.
Ford gives SHO Enthusiasts VIP Access to the
new SHO
Ford planned to do a pre-unveil at Ford’s
Dearborn Proving Grounds (now known as the Dearborn Development Center). This event would be a
sneak peak of the new SHO before the actual unveil
in Chicago. Ford also planned to have a very unique
presentation just before the cover would come off
of the SHO. Ford arranged to have 6 previous generation SHOs drive by the media center’s large windows before the brand new SHO made its appearance. Mark Fields talked about the new vehicles and
as he finished his speech, he invited the journalists
to come by the window to look out onto the track.
That’s when the 6 previous generation SHO’s started
to make the lap around the track, followed by a Cherry Red 2010 SHO. After the presentation, the press
and enthusiasts were able to speak with the designers
and engineers of the SHO.
Chicago Auto Show
Ford did not just want to unveil the car to the
press at the Chicago Auto Show; they also wanted
to involve true SHO enthusiasts! 25 SHO
fans were invited from over 13 states including Texas, Massachusetts, Washington, and
Georgia. We were all given press access
to the Chicago Auto Show. We met at the
Convention Center Hotel for a Ford hosted
breakfast and then it was off to the official
unveiling of the new SHO. A large stage
was built with seating for 200 people for the
press conference. We had a special section
for the enthusiasts to sit for a first hand view
of the new car.
The presentation started with the Ford Transit and the Harley Davidson F-150 and then
…the SHO. The New SHO was introduced
by Ford Group Vice President, Jim Farley.
He started with a video that showcased the
new SHO and a few SHO enthusiasts talking about
the new car. Once that was over, two SHOs came out
from behind the stage - one Candy Red and the other
Ingot Silver Metallic. The SHO gallery stood up and
cheered on the new SHOs!! After the presentation we
were able to talk to Taurus engineers and designers
including the EcoBoost V6 engineer. To finish the
day, we traveled to the Chicago Assembly Plant for
lunch and a plant tour, including an EcoBoost engine
presentation.
el. For the longest time it was not known if the car
would be named “taurus st” or SHO. Near the end,
rumors came that the SHO name was shelved and
they were going with ST. Little did any one know a
battle was raging inside Ford to bring the SHO nameplate back. In the end, the decision to bring the SHO
model back had to go all the way up to Ford President
of the Americas Mark Fields. After being presented
with a proven performance prototype versions of the
EcoBoost Taurus and hearing the overwhelming calls
from Ford enthusiasts and SHO fans to bring the car
back, Mark Fields green-lighted the program.
Most people think that the car would have
been the same if it was called ST, Sport or SHO. This
is simply not the case. If the car would have been
named anything else it would have been a watered
down version of what the SHO is today. The SHO
community now has the backing of the Ford Performance Group and Ford Media. A brand new SHO
will be at the National SHO Club’s annual convention in Nashua, New Hampshire. BringbacktheSHO.
com has now turned it’s focus to providing the latest information on the new 2010 Ford Taurus SHO,
which will go on sale this summer.
BringbacktheSHO “Mission Accomplished”
When I first started the BrinbacktheSHO
campaign, I knew it would be a long shot to get
where we’re at today. However, the possibility of a
new SHO was enough for me to see this through.
Even though it seemed like the light at the end of this
dark tunnel was very dim - we did it!
News of the EcoBoost (then Twinforce) engine for
the Taurus was known for many months. The question was - would they call it a SHO. It could have just
been a “taurus limited” model or just a “sport” Mod-
D3 Research and Design
2008 Cadillac CTS
C
adillac’s release of the 2008 CTS sparked
more than an interest in the average
consumer. With all the usual expected
amenities from a luxury sedan the CTS delivers
comfort and styling. Cadillac gave the CTS all the
creature comforts and options from heated and
cooled seats to navigation and a DVD player. With
built in traction control to channel the powerful
3.6 Liter Direct Injection motor, the CTS produces
a whopping 304 horsepower and 270 foot pounds
of torque making this one of the most powerful
naturally aspirated V6 motors of all time. Even
with all this, there are some of us who still crave
more from a car. For those people, we give you D3
Research and Design.
Working closely with General Motors
and their own collective group of engineers and
technicians, D3 Research and Design brings you
the CTS Sport Package. The guys at D3 worked
hard to design a visually satisfying, yet subtly
aggressive package that will quench even the
biggest of performance appetites.
With the addition of a new front fascia,
side skirts, rear diffuser, deck lid spoiler and roof
spoiler, D3 took an already great looking car and
made it even better. None of the original body lines
are lost with the D3 CTS body kit, only enhanced
giving the car a bold yet appealing look even at the
first glance. Completing the look are black chrome
with brushed lip Forgeline three piece wheels
wrapped in Toyo T1R 245/40ZR19 front tire and
massive Toyo T1R 285/35ZR19 rear tire.
Another winning combination is the
vehicle’s suspension. The chassis is reinforced by
D3’s underbody bracing kit and Energy Suspension
bushings. With KW Suspension double adjustable
shocks and a coil over suspension, the CTS can
be tuned for any application and any driving style.
Even when set up for road race, the vehicle still
rides like a Cadillac should. This combination of
components effectively channels the CTS’ power
to the ground and eliminates virtually all oversteer
and understeer making corner carving easy and
predictable.
D3 offers several options for increasing
the output of the CTS’ direct injection motor to 340
horsepower. A Corsa exhaust system reduces exhaust
back pressure and gives the vehicle a throaty tone
without the drone typical to most exhaust systems.
For a healthy jump of 13 rwhp, D3’s cold air intake
is available in chrome or black wrinkle finish. The
intake’s black wrinkle heat shield follows the contours
of the factory engine covers making itself right at
home under the hood. Torque Master spark plugs are
used to offer the most complete burn possible resulting
in more power and torque and lower emissions. If we
could learn to keep our foot off the throttle, an increase
in fuel economy should also be possible.
For those who crave even more, D3’s
Procharger kit adds just the additional air flow to
produce an estimated 400 horsepower helping to
bridge the gap between the CTS and the new 2009
CTS-V. Boost is kept at a conservative 5lbs making
this package very streetable and reliable. As with all
Procharger supercharger kits, air temperature is kept
in check by a massive air-to-air intercooler increasing
efficiency and power gains while greatly reducing the
chance for detonation.
Bringing this midsize four-door sedan to
a blistering halt, D3 and Rotora provide a powerful
8-piston front caliper wrapped around massive 14”
slotted rotors. Stopping power in the rear is handled by
an equally impressive 4-piston caliper with 14” slotted
rotors.
As a finishing touch, D3 offers a chrome
version of the factory strut tower brace and a painted
to match engine cover. Let there be no mistake, this
car is not for the faint of heart. Over the years, D3
has developed many quality products for the Cadillac
brand vehicle. This one is no different. For those
interested in standing out in a crowd, D3 also offers
custom packages for many applications.
3D Performance
I
t all started for Frank while watching a TV
commercial, NEVER dreaming this Mustang
would be in his garage.
It was a plain-Jane, torch red Stang
acquired in July of 2006. The 1st “add on” came
via his wife - to add black stripes. That’s when
he caught THE BUG.
The project was called “70 Flashback”
because of the old look of the car. A shaker
scoop sits atop the hood giving it that factory
look while jamming some fresh air into the K&N
cold air intake. He soon added more mods, like
the Steeda pulleys for power and a set of BBK
shorty headers, pipes and mid-muffler exhaust to
make it sound as good as it looks. An SCT tuner
finishes off power mods as this car, according to
Frank, is more show than go. Mind you, it does
go!
Frank than turned to the chassis and
brakes and dropped in a set of Eibach springs
to give the Stang a mean rake, along with some
drilled and slotted rotors to slow it down. Rimz
One of Mooresville picked out the Foose 20inch wheels and that really set this car off!
“Now ,” Frank says, “At shows, everyone takes
notice!”
PERFORMANCE
-
MODI F IC ATIONS
2006 Shorty headers from BBK
Undrive pulleys from Steeda
Cold air kit from K&N
SCT calibrator w/ 93 octane tune
Hurst short throw shifter
Hood struts
Custom drilled and slotted rotors
Custom interior from finish line interior
CONTROL
- 20-inch Foose wheels
- Nitto performance tires
SHOW
-
6” Shorty antenna
Replica hood pins from Classic Design Concepts
Agressive chin spoiler
Under hood plenum, rail, radiator, strut tower and fuse box
covers
Fully painted stripes
Fully smoked headlight assemblies
Fully smoked front bumper marker lights
GT inner trunk cover
Custom GT floor mats
Brushed black fuel door
AUDIO, VISUAL & SECURITY
- 8-inch Pioneer DVD player with XM
- JL Audio speakers
- 100 watt Alpine amp
MISC
- This car is cleaned with no water with Freedom Waterless Car
Wash and 3D Performance glaze, no water has been on this car in
8-10 months, except rain.
When the stereo was ready for a upgrade,
he chose a Pioneer 8-inch DVD player with XM
and iPod adaptor. An Alpine 300-watt amp
matched with a set of six JL audio speakers play
his favorite tunes.
Frank wanted to change the exterior of
this car without going crazy, so he started with
some smoked headlights and lower marker lights.
An aggressive chin spoiler and fog light delete
grille were added. Frank moved the fog lights
behind the grille for an old school look, copying
some styling cues from the guys at Galpin Auto
Sports. Some “fake” hood pins finish of the front
and some LED tail lights really brighten up the
night from the rear.
With all these upgrades, the car remains
very drivable - and turns heads everywhere!
Along with a stellar car show record, “70
Flashback” is enjoying shows throughout the
southeast .
Generation Stealth
1991 Dodge Stealth
J
arred Foster bought his 1991 Dodge Stealth four
years ago and quickly got involved with the “car
scene.”
When Jarred start with the car, it was bone
stock. Like many of us, he couldn’t resist his new ride.
Even thought the car is now 18 years old, the seductive body curves have stood the test of time and remain
similar to the lines of modern street cars today. He
started cleaning from the ground knowing there was no
other Stealth in town. It would be the perfect chance to
create a street car that would be a head-tuner, making
people wonder just what kind of car it is.
Beginning with the engine bay, Jarred knew
the 3.0 liter V-6 engine was in good shape, but he
needed more. From the manifold to the cat, he
looked to 3SX Performance for his go-fast needs.
3SX performance is known for their knowledge of
Stealths and 3000GTs, so he knew he couldn’t go
wrong with them. 3SX’s custom downpipe has a
superior flow pattern over the stock unit. From the cat
back, a 2.5” Y-pipe guides the hot air out the rear via
two HKS performance mufflers, giving a deep, mellow tone - and more “horses,” of course. Next came
the K&N filter, AVChrome intake tube and a throttle
body spacer. NKG plugs and 9mm Magnacore
street wires were added for extra juice and the engine
was finished off with a splash of cherry red paint to
give it a little color.
Now, on to the suspension. There were a lot
of choices on the market for lowering his car. His
goal was to bring his Stealth down to earth without
sacrificing the ride and handling. Intrax springs
seemed to be the way to go. They would lower the
front end 1.3” and the rear 1.5”. KGB shocks were
also installed to complete the suspension setup complete. This setup makes the Stealth hug the road like
nobody’s business. It’s perfect for cruising the town
or hanging the curves on a back country road.
Later, Jarred got busy improving the body
lines and exterior of his Stealth. He hit the body
with a new kit from Extreme Dimensions. It
took some time and patience because this was his
first attempt at body work. The stock rear bumper was cut to add on the rear kit and was later
molded in. Other than that, very little modifying
had to be done. The kit fit like a glove!! While
the fenders were off, he added Lambo-doors. He
would be the first in town with Lambo’s - and a
Stealth!! A GTR racing wing balanced out the
rear before Billy’s Bodyshop shot her with snow
white paint. After the paint had cured, all was reassembled. A set of 20-inch BOSS rims wrapped
in Falken 245/30Z R20 tires finish up the outside.
Eventually, the seats, carpet, spare tire,
center console and all interior panels were pulled
to make way for Dynomat material. That will
help keep the tunes from his JVC stereo flowing
out through a Volfehag 2000-watt amp, four 6.5
Volfenhag mids, two 12-inch Volfenhag subs in
a custom box and the Stinger 1.5 Farat cap. The
new gray carpet and fresh upholstered leather
seats were all completed by Jarred himself. he
added MOMO racing peddles and shifter before
having “STEALTH” embroidered on each headrest.
He looks forward to showing off his new
creation everywhere he goes and is currently
starting up his own business called “GENERATION STEALTH”. He enjoyed and learned so
much about the Stealth’s during this build, he
decided to buy, customize and resale these cars on
the side. He has recently bought a 1991 Stealth
and a 1992 Stealth R/T and is looking forward
to getting these cars on the road. More to come
from “GENERATION STEALTH” within the
2009 year!!!
Not What We Were Expecting
DOMES TIC DRIVER ||| 2 4
T
his story starts out as a familiar one. A young
child sitting behind the wheel of a Saleen
Mustang on the showroom display of the Ford
dealer where his parents worked. From that day on,
the love of the Mustang coursed through every vein.
As a teen, a poster displaying every year
Mustang hung proudly on his wall greeting his sleepy
and waking eyes. The dream, of course, was not
fulfilled until much later in life, but when the day
finally came, it was everything in that young child’s
fantasy, and then some. However, the one detail that
separates this story from every other is that this is the
story of a woman in this male dominated arena. That
fact does not slow this Mustang owner. In fact, it
pushes Patricia Hayes’ desire even further.
At shows, this difference is rarely revealed.
Many men walk up and start discussing the car
amongst themselves. Questions come to mind and
they look around for the assumed male owner, but
“he” is not there. All they see is two women wiping away evidence that this Mustang is a daily driver
sporting 112,000 miles. The reactions are akin to
stage fright when they see Patricia and realize she is
the owner. Apparently, a 5’1” female owner is too
intimidating or just not taken seriously. At times, she
is even given a “test” to see if she really knows about
the car. The male response has pushed Patricia to not
only make a display board detailing where each part
came from, but to create a website -www.canuhearmenow.net. She reveals one of the most unique facts
about this story - that every modification less the
paint, body work and window tint was performed her
and Shannon Haag.
Shannon is another woman pulling her
weight in the car show scene. Thanks to some helpful people in her past and a mechanically inclined
nature, Shannon was able to bring the know-how
throughout the Mustang’s gradual makeover. It
wasn’t far into the ever morphing project that Patricia rolled up her sleeves and got her own hands
dirty. The duo tackles every modification without
the help of a shop. Their philosophy is to take the
money they’d normally apply to labor and buy even
more parts. With awards ranging from large shows
like World of Wheels, NOPI Nationals, Wings and
Wheels to local shows, they have a plethora of trophies to prove they are succeeding and surpassing the
competition.
Your first introduction to this 2003 Mustang
GT is one you won’t forget. As you approach, you
see the redfire metallic dancing in the rays of the sun
and the body lines are enhanced with perfectly placed
black accent graphics. As you look the car over,
you notice that Patricia places a lot of thought into
being sure each detail produces a unique, eye pleasingly final effect. Every detail flows into the next in
such a way that you feel like Ford meant for it to be
that way. The look is topped off by the care taken
in detailing the car for each display. The paint feels
like silk as you run your hands across it, produced
by painstaking hours with a clay bar. Its flawless
presentation reflects the true pride the owner has for
her car.
One of the most dramatic and unique exterior
modifications came in the form of the black graphics.
Initially, the pair laid out the graphics and the personality of the car was revealed, finally pushing them to
compete in car shows. But, as life has a way of doing, the Mustang’s role as a daily driver took a tragic
blow. The car was hit on the passenger side while
coming home from work. Fortunately, it was at low
speed and Patricia’s good reflexes lessened the blow.
Again, nothing slowed the pair down. By the time all
was said and done, the Mustang was back on the road
with a new Roush Stage III front bumper and new
paint with the once vinyl graphics now painted on.
Not to mention the show favorite, “Can you hear me
now?” is painted on the rear bumper, paying homage
to the Mustang’s exhaust.
The interior is no less eye catching, from its
satin billet accessories to its custom painted interior
panels. The duo agrees that the most nerve wracking thing was to remove all the stock pieces and hand
painting them. The trim has details you might miss,
like custom made shift and e-brake boots, a console
lid cover all with a subtle red stitch from Redline
Goods and a hand made glove box handle cover. A
nice finishing touch to the satin billet is the door
inserts from Autobadges. It seems the pair thinks of
everything. Even the trunk does not disappoint with
its hand made trunk lid mat and two 12-inch subs
with a custom box added to the Mach 460 system.
Eye candy is not all there is to this car. The
performance and handling have not been neglected.
The initial bug to modify began when Patricia was
driving to work during her first month of ownership.
She pulled up to a light along side another Mustang.
The telltale Mustang greeting - a rev showing off that
one of a kind exhaust tone, finished things off.
There was no stopping the fever now, and her
first mod came to life. The pair replaced the stock
exhaust system with a Flowmaster catback system
and a BBK x-pipe. This path led to their most stressful weekend job to date. Armed only with hand tools
and sheer determination, the pair tackled the installation of BBK equal length shorty headers. The female
postal carrier almost fell out of her truck when she
pulled into the driveway to witness two women dragging the front K-member out from under an eerily
high Mustang sitting on jack stands with only a floor
jack balancing the engine in place. Not only did
the headers get installed for the Monday commute,
but the K-member received a fresh coat of paint and
polyurethane bushings were added to the suspension.
Now this Mustang is turning heads as it rumbles on
its daily trek to and from downtown Atlanta.
For now, this car is still a daily driver so serious power modifications on this 4.6L V8 will have
to take a back seat to reliability and street drivability.
However, that did not stop the addition of a JLT color
matched true cold air intake, polished engine accessories from MGW Ltd and custom polished covers
from DWS Concepts. Amazingly, when a show rolls
around, this pair never leaves any trace of the 250mile weekly commute behind.
The next performance modification was
challenging, but rewarding. Patricia wanted the right
stance. Internet car forums members often discourage
people from putting Eibach Sportline kits on Mustangs. They say that the 2-inch drop would require the
addition of caster/camber plates and the extra work
and money needed would not justify the terrible ride.
That did not stop the pair’s determination to prove
them wrong. The car was lowered, Tokico high performance struts and caster/camber plates were added
in time to get a Saturday alignment. From the second
Patricia drove the car, it handled even better through
the curves – proving that this mod was not just for
looks as so many speculated.
The Mustang and its unique owner have not
gone unnoticed by the industry. With three current
sponsors (Autobadges, Redline Goods and DWS Customs) under its belt, the car is on its way to bigger and
better things. Autobadges has proven their belief in
the car and builders by not only sponsoring the Mus-
PERFORMANCE
-
BBK X-Pipe & Flowmaster American Thunder catback exhaust
BBK equal length shorty headers
JLT Cold Air Intake System custom painted redfire metallic
PA Performance 130A polished alternator
CONTROL
-
FR500 18” anthracite rims
Sumitomo tires: 265/35/R18 front 285/35/R18 rear
Eibach Sportline lowering springs
Maximum Motorsports caster/camber plates
Energy Suspension polyurethane bushings
Tokico HP Series struts
SHOW
-
Roush Stage III front bumper cover
Junyan Black Halo Projection Headlights
Stainless grilles
American Muscle 8 inch shorty antenna
Burgundy metallic custom butterfly graphics on front & rear glass
Taillight and rear side marker blackout tint
Custom painted graphics by Killer Koncepts: Stockbridge, GA
American Muscle honeycomb tail panel
SS Inserts Titanium Black mirrored stainless bumper inserts
“Redfire metallic” painted brake calipers
Mustang pony valve stem covers and license plate bolt covers
DWS Concepts dress-up covers w G6 “GT” & Ford “V8” emblem
Steeda polished stainless radiator cover
-
-
MODI F IC ATIONS
Redline Tuning polished hood struts
Master cylinder chrome pump cover
American Muscle GT floormats
Redline Goods custom console lid cover, e-brake & shifter boots
MGW Ltd., Inc. accessories (E-brake handle, Composite race
knob, Coat hanger clips, Polished oil dip stick handle, Polished oil
cap, Polished radiator cap
UPR satin billet accessories (Door locks & handles, Cruise control
switches, Window & door lock switches, Headlight knob, Turn
signal cover, Tilt wheel lever, A/C bezel, Radio face plate , A/C &
radio knobs, Shifter bezel, Cup holder bezel, GT cigarette lighter
UPR polished billet accessories (windshield washer reservoir cap
cover, brake fluid reservoir cap cover, power steering reservoir cap
cover)
Autobadges satin finish billet aluminum door panel inserts
Custom painted ”redfire metallic” interior pieces (Door bezels,
Door handle bezels, All defroster vents, Dash/Gauge bezel,
Shifter bezel, Side vent trim, Glove box handle bezel)
Custom satin finish glovebox handle cover
Stainless satin finish gauge insert
White Gauges red with white gauge set
GT coin holder delete & cup holder bezel
Ford Racing pedals
Custom trunk lid mat with ”redfire metallic” painted pony
- Insignia 12” subwoofer & amplifier w/ custom box & amp rack
- Mirrored Stainless bumper inserts on sub box
tang with their unique satin billet door inserts, but have
gone out of their way to get parts they do not normally
stock. There is a symbiotic relationship that must exist
between sponsor and sponsoree. True to form, the
duo makes their current sponsors proud with product
visibility, publication coverage and flawless cleaning
and detailing, making this car a good bet for product
awareness. For this car, there are most certainly more
sponsors and sponsored parts in its promising future.
El Diablo
2006 Dodge Charger SRT-8
T
his 2006 Dodge SRT8 has been through many
paint schemes in its brief show/race career.
She was originally purchased to resemble the
Kasey Kahne Dodge Charger in NASCAR. After a
few weeks of pricing paint, it was decided that she
would stick with the base color. After a few months
the car got its first major mod. The heads and cam
were done by Josh at HHP - and the madness began!
Since this was going to be a track vehicle,
something was needed to make it original. That’s
when the Charger got its stripes - two red 14-inch
tapered stripes. Many engine parts were also dressed
in red to match. A custom tuned soon followed and
that’s when the car got its first sponsor, Diablosport.
She was a beast on the track, whether it be the 1/4
mile or auto crossed -- she was a beast.
After a short time, the track became boring
and shows became cool again. The alternator and
batteries were tweaked to prep the car for her next
mod, two 15-inch subs and a pair of 1500 watt amps
– wow! After yards off fiberglass and a few gallons
of resin were molded in the trunk, she was ready
to compete. When the car first started showing not
many people had 2000 and up cars, so the chances of
1st place were great. Well, just like everything else,
the word got out and the competition became fierce.
In need of some quick changes, Zach at UAS
and Steve at Toomey’s Customs did a one-off suspension that the car to lay the car out when needed
and also remain track-ready. That wasn’t enough, so
Justin at AAC was contacted and a full demon eye
kit was ordered to dress up the headlights, foglights
and tail lights. The entire car was sanded and sprayed
lolipop red on the top and black pearl on the bottom.
She was then leafed, stripped and cleared one more
time. Stock wheels were swapped for a set of 22-inch
Ginna Blitz rims, color-matched to the red of the car.
To stay ahead of the competition, George at AECARBON made a firewall, half covers, header panel, fuse
bock cover and strut covers out of red/black carbon
fiber. These items really helped get the car to draw
major attention at local shows.
Next on the horzon was this Dodge’s job as
showcar for AECARBON. George at AECARBON
chose the car to beta test their new air intake system, the AEFIS. This took the show car back to the
track. With that Diablosport came back on board
and did some beta testing for their Trinity T-1000
unit and were able to dial in the new intake with the
advantage of true time data logging thanks to the
Trinity.
After all the track work was done, it was
time to put the car on the small car show circuit.
She attended 30 shows in the last year all covering California, Nevada, Oregon and Arizona. The
car was driven everywhere. She’s no trailer queen.
She was built to drive and drive she does! She saw
the San Francisco Autoshow, was a booth cars at
PERFORMANCE
-
MODI F IC ATIONS
6.1L Hemi motor 405hp/412 Ft Lbs Tq
Aecarbon Aefis cold air induction system
Diablosport Trinity T-1000 programmer/data logger
Aecarbon engine dress up kit
Killer glass radiator hose
Custom exhaust with flowmasters,hi flow cats
Billet technology stain catch can
CONTROL
-
Universal air-ride suspension w/ 10 switches
Police car upgraded front sway bar
Toomeys customs one off rear sway bar
Gianna blitz wheels custom painted
Falken tires 255/30/ZR 22 road balanced
SHOW
-
Alsa paint lolipop red pearl base coat
Alsa paint black pearl base coat
Pinstriped and gold leafed by lunatic customs
Tinted windows 35% all the way around
Tinted tails and color matched paint
-
AAC red emon eye 3 ring headlight kit
AAC red demon 1 ring fog light kit
AAC 6000 watt 4 ring halo tail light kit
AAC oracle 8000k blue hid headlight kit
AAC red 4 piece led grille lights kit
Kicker audio upgrade mids highs and subs
LED glow red under body 4 light kit
various shows and even made magazines. She was
even chosen for advertising spots in Mopar magazines. The ride has been incredible
Her owners are proud of what they have accomplished with this build. Though they say they
are not finished with her, they are indeed satisfied.
This build made their family stronger and made
newfound friendships flourish.
Thanks go out to Diablosport, Aecarbon,
Minute Muffler, VDI, UAS, Toomey’s Customs
and everyone else who put effort and time into this
build. This year, you can expect to see a new 426
with a Vortec V3 blower, a new interior and many
other secrets...
WRECKAGE
O
ne sunny day, my friend and I were hanging out
when he suddenly had to go home due to emergency. I quickly dropped him off and headed
back home. That’s when a GMC moving truck was attempting a turn at 40 MPH. He tried to pull a left turn,
but to no avail.
He ended up running head-on into my brand
new, 893-mile car. After a moment of shock, then a check
to see if my girlfriend was alright, I got out of the car to
survey the damage. My car was dead; it wouldn’t start
and was stuck in the middle of the road. I ran over to the
guy and had to ask what he was trying to do. He said “I
thought I could make the turn, but I guess not. Besides,
the sun got in the way.”
After the police came, the car was towed to a local body shop where they ran estimates. Two months and
$34,000 later, the car was like brand new.
Brandon Lamoureux (AKA; Bumble bee)
2007 Chevy Cobalt SS/SC
Woonsocket RI
Below: After all repairs
Submit your wreckage to appear here in our next issue.
If your domestic car was involved in a major accident, please
snap a few pictures with your digital camera and show us
the aftermath. Explain in 1-4 paragraphs what happened and
what you plan to do next.
Send all submissions to contact@domesticdriver.com.
Remember this is the worse way to get into Domestic Driver,
so drive safely and pay attention.

March-April 2009.indd - Advanced Automotive Concepts

Transcription

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