1st Quarter 2005.indd
Transcription
1st Quarter 2005.indd
1st Quarter | 2005 | #01 TABLE OF CONTENTS DEPARTMENTS 04 | Our Garage 05 | How To - Install racing seats 06 | Readers Rides 09 | Event Coverage - Import vs Domestic at MIR FEATURES 10 | Alf is back with 270HP 2004 Dodge Neon SRT-4 14 | The Sixth Planet 2004 Saturn ION2 Quad Coupe Cartoons in this issue created by Chris Beach WHAT IS DOMESTIC DRIVER MAGAZINE? A printed magazine covering all Domestic Compact Cars. Including (but not limited to) the: - Chevy Aveo, Cavalier and Cobalt - Dodge Neon - Ford Escort, Focus and Probe - Pontiac Sunfire and Sunbird - Saturn Ion and S-Series Domestic Dr i v e r | | | 3 OUR GARAGE Welcome to Domestic Driver Magazine, the new expanded version of J-Body Magazine. We will continue to host J-Body Magazine in the second portion of this magazine for the remainder of 2005. Then, Domestic Driver will take over completely. Our Garage is our place to say what we want. It will contain annoucements about the magazine, but also information on what we have done to our cars. This will be the only page that may not always have just car related information. Last quarter in J-Body Magazine our project 94 Cavalier was revealed and this car is still under construction and we will have updates on the car as time goes on in future issues of this magazine. Until next quarter, Domestic Driver Staff GUIDELINES FOR SUBMITTING TO DOMESTIC DRIVER Featured Rides - Must have at least 10 photos taken with a 4+ MegaPixel camera (set on the highest setting) and must include an article about the car. Write the article as if you did not own the car yourself and make the article more than just a history of the car. Be creative with it and make sure it’s something you would like to read yourself in a magazine. Please be sure to give your opinion of the car and how it runs compared to other cars. Include all the specifications that you have for the car, and if you have them: 1/4 mile, 1/8 mile, 0-60 mph, 0-100 mph, and track times. Dyno information is one of the best things to include if you have access to it, but it not that is okay too. Reader’s Rides - Must have at least 2 photos (taken with a 2+ MegaPixel or 35mm camera) and must include a paragraph about your car that is brief and to the point. You may also include any specifcations that you have, but space is limited and they might not be printed. How To’s - Must have at least 4 photos (taken with a 3+ MegaPixel or 35mm camera) of the steps taken in the how to. Must include a complete article that answers the readers questions about how to do it themselves. Computer Edited Photo’s - Must have at least 2 images (before and after) at a resolution over STAFF Owner and Layout Designer Jonathan Maynard Senior Editor Christina Maynard Associate Editor Alycia Fink ABOUT THE MAGAZINE Domestic Driver Magazine is a place to show what you can do to your own car and see what others are doing as well. We hope to help increase the Domestic Tuner population. This magazine will not feature halfnaked women or anything of the such, as this magazine is intended for those who are looking to see cars, after all it is a car magazine. We are a Christian owned and operated Magazine and don’t want you to put cars first in your life. That is not our goal. We don’t want you to endanger yourself or others becuase of stupid choices. After all their are many more important things in life than cars. Like having faith in Christ and accepting him as Savior and Lord so that if you were to die you would have eternal life with Him in heaven. THIS QUARTERS QUESTION What car do you think has made the best impact on the Domestic Compact World? Send your response to contact@domesticdriver.com 4 || | D o m e s t i c D R i v e r 2 MegaPixels (1600 x 1200 pixels). Please include any tips you might have for our readers and how you made it. Product Reviews - If you have road tested a new product then please send us as many pictures that you have and write up a full article on what you thought about it, how it performed or looked, and if you would buy it again or not. You may also give it a rating if you would like. News - If you have any inside information be sure to send it to us first! We are all about exclusive! Club Insider - If your Domestic Car club would like some exposure, all you have to do is send some photos of your club members in a group and individually with an article about the club, each member, and their car. Creative Idea - If you have any ideas that you have come up with and would like to share them with other Domestic Car owners then here’s the place. Please include a drawing that has been scanned or made on the computer. If you scan it and send it to us please scan it at 300 DPI. Also include how it works, what it does, and what’s involved. If you have already made something, you can take a photo of it at a high resolution and we will gladly accept it. Events - If you have attended any domestic car related event, please send us all the pictures that you have of the event. Please include a 1-4 paragraph article of the event describing the activites and what went on. If it was a competition, please include any winners of the event. Wreckage - Must have at least 1 photo (taken with a 3+ MegaPixel or 35mm camera) of a wrecked or severely damaged J-body. Please include how it happened. Letters - To be in the Letters section, Email us something about J-bodies in general or the magazine. Everything Else - We are always looking for new stuff to put in our magazine. Just send us your ideas. Rally action, drifting, burnouts, track race photo’s and information are always good. Important things to know when submitting All pictures that you send to us must be your own pictures that you took or have permission to give us. Please include who we should give credit to for the submission. You may also include your Email address so people can contact you with any questions they have. By giving us your articles and pictures you are giving us FULL rights to it. Please keep all submissions as exclusive as possible and try not to release your car to other magazines or other places on the internet until it has been printed in our magazine and until the magazine has been sold for a few weeks. Send all submissions to contact@domesticdriver.com HOW TO: INSTALL RACING SEATS S o you saw these racing seats you really liked, but were concerned how you would get them to function properly in your car without spending an arm and a leg having brackets fabricated for the install. Look no further this step-by-step guide will walk you through how to fabricate your own mounting brackets and install your seats in no time. No professional shop is needed, just a trip to a local hardware store and an afternoon later you can be showing off your new seats. No welding or bending of metals needed. Materials Needed: - Steel L Brackets w/ pre-drilled holes - Enough to cut 8 approximately 18” sections - Flat Steel (Enough to cut 4 approximately 19” sections) - 20 ½ inch length & ¼ inch thick nuts & bolts - 40 Locking Washers the shape of a U. Take 3 nut/bolt/washer combinations, and line up three holes to screw the brackets together, one on each end and one towards the middle. When you have all three nuts and bolts installed loosely, you may wish to try to adjust the brackets. Some of the predrilled holes are in different shapes, allowing you to move the bracket some. If this is the case, the area where the front bolt is installed should be as close together as possible. The rear should try to use the oval shapes to spread it apart a little, this will eventually make the seat sit a little higher in the back, so the front of the seats do not make your legs fall asleep while driving. This is not a necessary step, but more of a comfort aspect. After assembly, take it into your car, and test fit it. You may need to grind or file down some of the holes to get it to fit on the bolts properly. Repeat the steps above to make the brackets for the other side of the seat make sure to re-measure the distance between the bolts for that side. When both U brackets are constructed, measure the distance between the mounting holes on the sliders. Take the flat steel, mark off is aligned, take a little white out or marker and make markings on both the U brackets and the flat steel where they cross each other. After you mark all four corners, remove the seat and the U brackets. Lay the seat down with the bottom facing up, and hold each U bracket so the markings line up again. Pick a hole in the U bracket where the flat steel attached to the seat covers up the hole. Mark this spot and the other corner as well. Do this with the other U bracket as well. Remove the flat steel which is bolted to the seat. Now you have 4 more holes on the flat steel which need to be drilled out. Once drilled, bolt the bars back on to the sliders. Align the holes again and bolt your U brackets to the flat steel. Before you put the seat back inside of your vehicle, it is a good idea to take the seat belt locking device off the stock seat, and there is a very large bolt on the side of your racing seat. A large wrench or pliers will remove the bolt. Bolt the seatbelt locking device to this large bolt, and screw it back in. This ensures that your seatbelt light will not come on because it is hooked back up to a grounded source. Put the seat back in the car, and Now that you have your materials, we can begin. The first step is taking out the stock seats. The easiest way to do this is to remove the 4 nuts that hold the brackets to the floor of the car and simply take the seat out. Do the same for the other seat. This is a good time to vacum out those hard to reach places as well. Take a measuring tape and measure the distance between the front and rear bolt in the carpet on each side. At this time, you want to also measure the length between the holes on the sliders of your racing seats. Compare the two measurements. If the bolt measurement is longer, use that measurement plus 2 inches when cutting the L brackets. If the slider measurement is bigger, use the slider length plus 2 inches. Now that we have the length needed, it is time to cut the brackets. A simple hand saw with a metal cutting blade will do the job. You will need to cut two pieces of the same length to make the bracket for each side of the seat. Once you have the first two sections cut, hold them together and make them into Domes� a section 1.5in. longer than this measurement, and cut two pieces at this length. Once you have both of your pieces cut, take the measurement of each of the slider holes again, and mark them on each piece of steel so you can drill the holes. This metal will be very difficult to drill through, but use a ¼ inch metal drill bit to drill at that distance apart. After those four holes drilled, adjust the sliders so you can get to the inside track so you can bolt them onto the sliders. Drop the head of the bolt through the inside of the slider, and the nut will be on the bottom side of the bracket you cut. Do this for all four holes. Now that you have these brackets on the seats, go back inside the car and bolt the U brackets to the frame of the car. You will need to bring in your seat and place it on the U brackets. Align the seat properly, a friend is a huge help because they can stabilize the seat while you test that it is in the proper position. Once the seat replace the four nuts which hold the brackets to the floor. Follow these instructions for the other side, and enjoy your new racing seats. You may also want to grind down the edges of the metal so you do not cut or tear anything on a sharp corner. You can also take the brackets out of the car and off of the seat and paint them to match your color scheme in your car. Pictures & Article by Jeff Vanis Domestic Dr i v e r | | | 5 READERS RIDES Owner: Aaron Brueckman Car: Saturn ION is a 2004 Redline I purchased this sweet ride in June of ’04 and have loved every mile in it. I added a “Superman” emblem to the hood of my car because the ION Redline as a “Super”charger, and because “S” stands for Saturn! The spoiler is a custom wing my dealer found. I have been so happy with this car, and the jump to 205 horsepower from my 1994 Saturn SL1 is just too much fun. Feels like I’m going faster than a speeding bullet! Owner: Kevin Berg Car: 1996 Ford Probe GT Location: Salem, OR Ford Probe is a name that is often forgotten by sport compact enthusiasts, but it is still a stout contender in this market. This 96 “GT 2 NV” has been treated to a range of bolt-ons, including headers, a cat-back exhaust system with a Borla muffler, and a custom built cold air intake. It has also been treated to Tokico lowering springs and performance struts, a rear strut tower bar, and a larger rear sway bar. This car spends its time mainly as a daily driver, but it gets treated to the occasional sprint around the track or a spirited trip through a twisty mountain road. No specs yet, but it is suspected this thing makes about 180 horsepower and should run high 14s in the quarter-mile. Owner: Steve Barry and Krystal Kerrigan Car: 2004 black oynx Saturn Ion quadcoupe Location: Port St Lucie, FL Modifications: Progessive 2” drop springs, 18” konig ap- peals with 225/40/khumo ecsta’s, Tsudo 2 and 1/2 stainless exhaust, AEM cold air intake, Plasma booster bye ignition solutions, Polished valve cover and motor mount, Tinted windows,carbon fiber dash, authentic lisa kubo sigsteering wheel, signed at nopi event moroso motorsports park.dealer seatcovers added factory foglights, 2 peice grill kit kicker competion 12”, powered by mtx pro 150 amp wired into stock head unit. Custom”FASTION” inserts in valve cover and dash. 6 || | D o m e s t i c D R i v e r Specifications: Owner: Wade Murray Car: 2004 Saturn ION•3 Q Location: Midland, Texas Color: Chili Pepper Red Engine & Exhaust: -2.2 Ecotec (4-Cylinder) -AEM Cold Air Intake -Ractive Performance Muffler Suspension: -Progress Technology (1.8” front - 1.5” rear) Wheels & Tires: -17” ADR Valkyrie (Gunmetal) -Blacked Out Center Caps w/ Saturn Logo -Kumho Ecsta 711’s - 215/45-17 Exterior: -Saturn EFX/Xenon Bodykit -Custom Side Vinyl by SignsPlus in San Antonio, TX. Audio: -Kenwood KDC-MP819 MP3 Head Unit -Kenwood Sirius Satellite Tuner / Antenna -Bazooka 350W Amplifier -10” Rockford Fosgate Hi-2 Subwoofer This 2004 Saturn ION was purchased on Oct. 28th of 2003. Upon driving it off of the lot it immediately started receiving looks and stares even though nothing had been done to it yet. Just 1 year later, and you can imagine the questions I get asked. Probably the most freqently asked question would have to be: “What is that?” I love that question because when answered, the immediate reaction is: “That’s a SATURN!?” If a car is capable of raising someones self-esteem, this one has certainly done the job. I love driving around and meeting all sorts of enthusiasts and going to the car wash. In closing, I would have to say that not ALL Saturns are “Family Cars”. You can have fun in a Saturn, and I think this RED HOT Chili Pepper Proves that! Owner: Ludovic Chouraki Car: 2004 Saturn ION quad coupe Location: Port Richey Florida I was planning on driving this as an everyday car. Then I started going to car shows and getting into the tuner world and started seeking out aftermarket parts for my Saturn. I have since become part of STC (Saturn Tuners Club), a Saturn club through out America. I’m doing a transmission swap in January from an automatic to a 5-speed, and also doing some motor work for a future turbo kit. It’s about time the domestic crowd got their own magazine, I’m so sick of Hondas. Modifications: -Razzy lip kit -Custom grills -Cat-Back Flowmaster 60 series exhaust with center exit in rear -AEM cold air intake -Plasma booster from saturn motorsports -2.5” sprint lowering springs -18” motegi MR7 racing white wheels -Graphics sponsored by www.decalkits.com -6.5”alpine flip out tv with ps2 -2 alpine E12’s with a 1000 watts alpine amp. Owner: Mandy Zapata Car: 2000 Saturn LS-1 Location: Greenville, South Carolina There is no doubt that this car has originality, uniqueness, and character. Mandy and her husband, Ernesto, have made this into a true show quality car. She began working on ideas for her car in late 2002 to get where she is today. Specifications: Exterior: -Custom designed Taillights -Eurolite strobe lights in headlights and taillights -Eurolite hyper white headlights -Customized trunk conversion -Custom designed and painted under hood -Clear side lamp markers -Eurolite Rotating Red LED taillights -Saturn Decals Interior: -RAZO racing petals -Autotechnica chrome gear shifter -Blue LED lighting throughout interior -DNC red reclining racing seats with custom white leather accents -Black Sparco 4-point racing harnesses -Back seat and door panels recovered with red/white leather -APC Boost, Volt Gauge and Tach -Customized diamond cut floor mats Rims/Tires/Suspension -18x7.5” White Konig Blantant rims (custom drilled and powder coated) -Nankang tires 215/33/18 -Matrix Coilovers Engine and Exhaust -APEXi N1 Exhaust System -K&N short ram intake Audio -Sony / X-PLOD Head unit -Sony X-PLOD 1200-Watt Amp -PYLE DVD / MP3 Player -Audiovox 7” Television -(2) 12” Subwoofers -Rockford Fostgate Capacitor -X-Box Gaming System -Sony X-PLOD Mid and Hi Speakers Awards: -2004 Southeast Showdown : 1st Place -2004 NOPI Nationals : 1st Place -2004 GM Tuner Award at NOPI Nationals 8 || | D o m e s t i c D R i v e r EVENT COVERAGE Import vs. Domestic November 13th 2004 Mechanicsville, MD This years Import VS Domestic drags were unlike no other for one reason only. A Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am caught fire during a burnout competition. This made everyone crazy and the track emergency team couldn’t even put the fire out. They just kept trying to get the hood open to spray the engine with water. Every time they did though, fire of course flamed out. I only wonder what this track would do if there was a wreck during a race. Where is all the emergency foam? Beyond this, the event was lacking majorly. Imports kept rolling up and Muscle Cars followed. There was a scarce amount of any domestic sport compacts. The ones that did show made all domestic sport compacts look bad. We only saw a few SRT-4’s and maybe a cavalier here and there. Even in the car show Domestic Compacts were hard to find. These are some photo’s of the ones we could find. Not the greatest, but at least these guys showed up! This is just another reason Domestic Driver Magazine needs to be around. To give Domestic Compacts a good name and to increase attendence at major car events. Especially ones that get you going head to head with imports. We can only hope MIR (Maryland International Raceway) gets some foam and that more Domestic Compacts will show up next year. Domestic Dr i v e r | | | 9 ALF IS BACK! Written by Crystalmarie Marzocchi Car Owned by Ben Pimental WITH 270HP Domestic Dr i v e r | | | 1 1 “Its just a Neon” people would say. Ben Pimental doesn’t think so. His 2000 Neon could not quench his thirst for power and speed, so on September 27th of 2003 he waved farewell to his Neon and found himself behind the wheel of a brand new 2004 Dodge SRT-4. He smiled with anticipation driving home as future modifications raced through his mind of what he could add to this already powerful beast to make it into the car he had always dreamed of. Just three days old he took his SRT-4 to his first of many meets, this one in particular held by SRTforums.com at Colt State Park in Bristol, RI. The only Electric Blue 2004 there, his paint glistened in the sun like nothing the others had seen before. The beautiful pearlescent paint faded in the sun from a bright cerulean blue to a deep sea blue, rich and full of life. Ben was itching, with anticipation of what would soon be added to “Alf.” Being no novice to modifying vehicles, he knew exactly what he should do first. Cars are in a way like people, if they can’t inhale and exhale 12 | | | D o m e s t i c D R i v e r correctly they won’t be able to go as fast. Ben made his first run ever on a track with “Alf” being completely stock. Never having achieved a time better than a 15.8 in his Neon while juiced, he took Alf down the ¼ mile for a first stock track time of 14.3 seconds at 100.0mph with Drag Radials in place of the stock rubber. He was hooked, and the modifying began. He wasn’t about to pop any old exhaust system onto his car without reading up on it first. After much deliberation Ben finally decided on the Custom Tubes Inc. (CTI) 3” turbo back exhaust system, in order to allow better execution of toxic airflow from the engine. Alf still needed to breath better, so Ben decided to add a K&N drop-in air filter. While researching these two parts, Ben also found something that took him by surprise. Many of the early production stock 2004 SRT-4s had issues with the fourth spark plug wire being too close to the turbo, heating up and burning, causing a misfire in cylinder number four. Ben decided to replace the whole coil pack with a Screamin’ Demon coil pack and ditch the stock plugs and wires for some upgraded Crane Firewires. Now that Alf was breathing far better than before, Ben decided that it was now time to fix those sloppy shifts caused by the stock shifter. He ordered the Mopar Short Throw Shifter (STS) and some Booger Bushings to go along with it. After a short and painless self-installation, Ben dramatically reduced his throws. Once he got used to the shorter shifts he decided it was time to revisit New England Drag way (NED) for a new time slip to brag about now that Alf was breathing and shifting far better than stock. After a successful day of runs at NED, Ben took home a time slip of 13.7 @ 101.5mph. The drop of .06 seconds off his initial stock run had Ben wondering just how much power his SRT-4 was pushing to the wheels. Ben took the trip from his hometown of Carver, MA to Fall River, MA where he visited the staff at C&D Dyno. Alf was tested on a Dynojet 248x pit style utilizing WIN PEP7 software. Ben’s new Max Power was 236hp with a Max Torque of 254lb-ft to the wheels. Still hungry for power Ben decided to focus on obtaining more PSI, by ditching the stock boost spike, and 11psi hold at redline. Ben sought out AGP for their Wastegate Actuator (AGP WGA), which would make “Alf” spike at 18psi, and hold around 15psi at the SRT-4’s visible redline. The AGP WGA also eliminates oscillation common with light spring actuators, such as those found stock in SRT-4s. The second time on the dynojet tuning at a 15psi redline hold, Alf cranked out a Max Power of 255hp to the wheels, and 284 lb-ft of torque. He now needed to cool things down a bit for even more power. Custom Tubes Incorporated came in yet again to save the day. CTI’s Front mount intercooler cooled things down bigtime for Ben, enough so that when Alf revisited the Dynojet 248x pit style dyno he pumped out 270whp and 302lb-ft of torque to the wheels! The next drive to NED was with extreme anticipation as to what the dyno numbers would mean on the ¼ mile. To his surprise he only ran a 13.4 @ 105mph. He knew there had to be a way to get even more power. He purchased a TurboXS Type RFL Blow Off Valve (TXS RFL BOV) in order to properly vent out to the atmosphere. He also purchased Krez motor mount inserts to eliminate whatever wheel hop he would encounter with his newfound power. After a few sessions at NED, Ben was able to launch quicker and obtain his first run in the 12 second range, and pulled another right after it! Ben was content for the moment at how he had tweaked the 2.4L i4 to perform, so he turned to the cars aesthetics. Ben wasn’t too fond of the chrome inserts on the stock 2004 SRT headlights, so he had them swapped out initially for some 2003 CF look headlights from another SRT whose owner was willing to swap. While he was working on the headlights he added some Sylvania Silverstar headlights, in order to improve his sight at night, and during unsightly New England weather. Still working on the front of the car, he installed clear corner lenses. He kept the stock bulbs in order to contain the legality of the bulbs, and to not upset the strict police in his home state of Massachusetts. Lastly Ben added Kahn VRD 17” gunmetal rims with polished lip to his stock rubber: BFGoodrich KDW-2s. This daily driver will continue to remain as so, scorching up the streets of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and the rest of New England. Ben has some serious tricks up his sleeve for the 2005 show and track season. Some he’s willing to share, and others he would like to surprise you with if you ever encounter him in the New England area, or at the SRT Nationals in Louisiana. Ben tells us that his SRT will soon be receiving the Mopar Stage 3R turbo kit upgrade, Mopar Stage 3 suspension kit, and a Digital Boost gauge. Aesthetically Ben plans on adding another set of eyelids, tinting the windows, and purchasing a blue and carbon fiber weave hood from Rev Motorsports to match the Electric Blue pearl coat on his SRT. Before next season Ben will also be actively seeking sponsorships and getting Alf into the show circuit. So is it really “just a neon”? Not to Ben. To Ben it’s “Alf” a 270whp 12 second monster, anxiously awaiting more power and competition! M ODIFIC ATIONS PERFORMANCE - Custom Tubes Inc. 3” Turboback Exhaust - Custom Tubes Inc. Front Mount Intercooler - K&N Drop In Air Filter - Krez Motor Mount Inserts - AGP WGA w/Custom Bleeder Valve - Mopar Short Throw Shifter - Booger Bushings - Screamin’ Demon Coilpack - Crane Firewires spark plug wires - Turbo XS type RFL BOV with adapter SUSPENSION / WHEELS / TIRES: - BFG G-force drag radials (225/50R/15) mounted on 15” Roto Subzeros - Kahn VRD 17” gunmetal rims with the stock rubber BFGoodrich KDW-IIs. EXTERIOR: - Clear Corners - Silverstar headlight bulbs 9007 - 2003 SRT headlight swap QUARTER MILE TIMES: In Order 1. 14.3@100.00 2. 13.7@101.5 3. 13.4@105 4. 12.938@108.94 5. 12.942@108.86 DYNOS: In Order 1. 236whp/254wtorque 2. 255whp/284wtorque 3. 270whp/304wtorque Domestic Dri v e r | | | 1 3 THE SIXTH PLANET In the world of sport compacts, it seems that domestics almost always get the short end of the stick. The majority of people don’t rave about the quad-four, 2400, or anything without the letters V, T, E, and C in the description. In the last few years though, things have changed. Chevrolet and Pontiac had more success with their Sunfire and Cavalier platforms, and the use of the 2.2L Ecotec engine opened new doorways of potential; Ford beefed up the Focus with the SVT and their zero-emissions engine; and Dodge made everyone furious by releasing the SRT-4 and making K-Car owners doing double takes. Then there is Saturn. Often referred to as “the red-headed stepchild of the compact world,” those who show interest in these vehicles are almost in the same occult status as the VW Bug. People want to be different, and more often then not the “different” people start to grow, and rally, and conquer slowly but surely. Who knew so much anger could be pent up in little plastic cars? They did, that’s who. With the end of Saturn’s flagship line, the S-Series, there was expected to be a gap created in the company that could never be filled, no matter the car. Luckily, this isn’t the case, as the Ion line is very comparable to its predecessor, and has as much potential to begin with, if not more. Powered by the same 2.2L Ecotec used by Chevrolet and Pontiac, the Ion has what the S-Series lacked in stock trim: torque. Couple that with a stout transmission and stiff frame, and both the Sedan and Quad-Coupe sound like winners. There is a certain charm though that almost all coupes carry with Car 14 |owned | | D oby mVinny e s t iDeCicco c DRiver them, and the Quad Coupe is no exception. Styling isn’t overly-rounded, and gives the illusion of a very wide, aggressive stance. The rear suicide doors are also a nice touch, and make for incredible amounts of room inside the car. Loading up nearly anything is possible, and it doesn’t look awkward either. Now that you know a little about Saturn, lets talk about the Ion featured here, owned by Vinny DeCicco. The cars styling is left somewhat stock, and subtle, but enough to catch an enthusiast’s eye. Masking of the front corner lenses cleans up the front greatly, and draws more attention to the center-line of the nose. The side emblems also were changed to silver to draw attention away form the maker’s identity. Headlights contain Nokya Arctic White bulbs to put out a cleaner light, and on occasion a set of hyper-white turn signals are used up-front, but the stock amber lights are often retained to blend in with surroundings. For a little extra cushion of safety, LED’s were used in the tails for braking; the quicker reaction of the diodes translate into rearward traffic slowing earlier, and less chance of an impact. Trunk lettering was also removed to keep the imports guessing what in the world it was that just walked away from them. The only thing keeping them from forgetting is the image of the STC (Saturn Tuners Club) decals on the back quarter windows. Under the hood, the valve-cover was lightly hand-polished to remove the sharp edges, and produced a nice shine under lighting. An AEM Cold Air Intake was also used to sneak in a few more horses, and greatly improve throttle response over the twenty-something pound stock air box. The Throttle Body was removed and hand ported and polished by the owner. Measurements taken indicate 69mm at the mouth, and stock diameter at the plate, the same principle as with the venturi’s on a carburetor is used to increase velocity of air flowing into the intake manifold. To complement the increased inhalation ability of the engine, a HKS Sport Cat-Back exhaust was added. Sound is slightly above stock at idle, but strongly defined under load. It is not too harsh on the eyes either, but subtle enough to look like a stock option. Also, to reduce wheel-hop on launches, and improve engine response, the front-lower transmission mount was removed and replaced with a solid stock unit, created by the owner and a friend. It was cost effective, and works as intended, with little vibration to tolerate while driving. To take advantage of the modifications performed, tech’s at the local dealership made sure the engine “ran like it should,” helping even more with the fun-factor of this car. Lastly, the QC has gone through two sets of wheels since its purchase in December of 2003; the first mounted set of Chrome Z-Racing wheels where axed in favor of a lightweight set of Falken Hanabi’s in 15x7. Weighing in at 11lbs each, and wearing Yokohama Avid V4 tires in 205/55/15, this combo is a great improvement over stock. On the road, the car seems to be very similar to the stock animal, and blends in perfectly with others in traffic. Upon your first past 3500 rpm’s however, you will find that power delivery is linear, and doesn’t drop off nearly as early as before. Low-end torque is improved, and will turn this quaint vehicle into a burnout machine if launched too aggressively. Each shift feels as if it is pulling the car forward, even at normal shifting. Under high load, the action feels as violent as a small rear-end collision, enough so to break 2nd and 3rd gear loose regularly with street tires. Handling is very responsive and tight, a surprise even more so when people realize the power steering is electric, and the stock limits have been surpassed with the wheel tire combination. In its current form, turn in feels as sharp as any other car with bracing on struts and a larger sway-bar. Future plans including lowering via Eibach Springs and a Strut Tower Brace for the front end, though it’s hard to imagine this car handling much better. Hard, but not impossible. Interior work is minimal, keeping attention away from would-be thieves and keeping the sleeper theme as it should be. A Pioneer head unit handles tunes utilizing stock speakers and adding an Image Dynamics IDQ10 V4 Subwoofer in a ported box. Extremely underpowered, the system runs nearly ¼ of what it can take, but is still plenty of bass for the owner and people around him, and clean enough for his audiophile friends. Inputs are also setup to receive a portable DVD player for long trips. Considering this car is daily driven by a college senior, not a bad idea. Plans of a Pioneer in-dash DVD player are in the works, as well as a component set, but as we all know things can change. On the dyno the QC put down 125 hp @ 5800 RPM and 131 lb-ft of torque @ 3900 RPM, at the wheels. This was before the throttle body was cleaned up, re-polished, and prior to being tuned properly. The target track time is 14’s with minimal modification. With the guys at STC working together, already known for numerous turbocharged, nitrous, and all-motor Saturn’s, almost anything is possible. Makes you wonder what the world is in store for once they get a hold of a few Ion Redlines. Most people think of any Saturn as a plasticcovered family car. To some, that bothers them, but to the owner of this Ion, it’s part of his ammunition. The best part is not only the surprise on people’s faces when the power band kicks in, or the sound of the engine, but when the potential of this car has truely been recognized. This car took home 3rd place in the conservative class at Nopinationals 2004, along with receiving the GM Tuner Award for Outstanding Creativity & Craftsmanship. For once, a car that someone builds for self-satisfaction is recognized by the masses, and praised. Is he happy with the car? Ecstatic. “I’m nowhere near finished yet, but you’ll see” he says with a smirk, and two tire-chirps later he’s gone. Performance: - AEM Cold Air Intake - HKS Sport Cat-Back Exhaust System - Polyurethane Front Transmission Mount - Custom Machined Throttle Body (69mm) Exterior: - Color Matched Side Emblems - Masked Corner Lenses - Removed Trunk Lettering - Hyper White Headlight and Turn Signal Bulbs - Hand-Polished Valve Cover Interior Entertainment: - Pioneer DEH-6300 Head Unit - Image Dynamics IDQ10 D4 V.2 - 1 cu.ft. Vented Enclosure Tuned to 30Hz - U.S. Acoustics USA2075 (Bridged; 8ohms) - CyberHome Systems Portable DVD Player Wheels & Tires - 15x7 Falken Hanabi Wheels - 205/55/15 Yokohama Avid V4 Domestic Dri v e r | | | 1 5 16 | | | D o m e s t i c D R i v e r 1 s t Q u a r t e r | 2 005 | #05 FEATURES: 00 | A Little Show, A Lot of Go 00 | What a Gift 2004 Chevy Cavalier 1999 Chevy Cavalier Z24 00 | Viral Sunfire 00 | CavWhat 2002 Pontiac Sunfire GT 2002 Chevy Cavalier Z24 Owner: Jon Hart Car: 1998 Cavalier Z24 I am a Cavalier fan through and through. My 1998 “tang-orange” Cavalier Z24 is like no other. The SoundSpeed body kit with a Racetech SS style Hood, Wings West spoiler, and Decah lambo door kit (that my friend Jamie and I installed in the backyard) emancipate this car from the rest of the pack. The custom designed tribal graphics set the car off, but this car itself is only half the package. I hope to have my Cavalier on air this summer. Modifications Interior -Painted interior white -Chrome Shift knob -Cut shifter 2” -Vibrant White leather shift boot -APC Silver Racing Pedals -2 Green 12” Neons Street Glow -Black Cat Custom Gauges -Dual Guage Pod -Driver FX Black (Leather Seats) -Autometer Volt Guage (Phantom) -Autometer Air/Fuel (Phantom) Exterior -Euro Clear Corner’s -Euro clear Tails -Xenon Super White Lows/Highs -Street Glow “Green” Underglow -Wings West “Super Style Wing” -Shaved Emblems, Badges, Locks -Showgun Intruder Front Bumper -Bomex Side Skirts -Buddy Club Rear Bumper (Cut For Dual Exhaust) -PhatBoy Fog Lights -SS Type1 Hood (Functional)Racetech -Shorty Rubber Antenna -Custom painted Orange By Metro Collision -Tribal Graphics by Signs & More -Motegi MR7 17” White Rims -Kuhmo Supra 225/24/17 tires -Front license plate on angle -Frenched Rear License Plate -Gold Line 2” Lowering Springs -Koni Red Struts -Decah Lambo Door Kit Engine -Weapon R Intake -K&N Cone Filter -White Wire Loom -Painted IDI Cover (White & Black) Audio/Video -Alpine 9835 Deck -(2)6x9’s Pioneer -7.2” Wide Screen -Playstion 2 (Mounted in Glove Box) Miscellaneous -Alpine Alarm -Tinted Windows 20% -”Ground Zero” white decal on front winsheild -Flowmaster 60 Series Muffler w/2.5” Aluminized pipe with 3.5” Tip. Future -Interior all fiberglass -Easystreet Air ride -Dual Exhaust -New side skirts (Drift) -New Z3 fenders Domestic Dri v e r | | | 1 7 Owner:Matt Basham Car: 2002 Cavalier Location: Morris, IL About: Bought with only 1 mile on it the excitement began. A few months later I stumbled onto the J-body.org where I started to gain interest in hooking up my car. One day on my way to my girlfriend’s house a motorcycle slammed into the back of my cavalier. I thought all was lost until the body shop told me it wasn’t totalled! After many months with no money or mods, I was finally able to order the body kit. The kit came 18 | | | D o m e s t i c D R i v e r and was stuck in a delivery station about 2 hours from my house. With the dedication and the help of a friend, we took a trip to get the kit. We felt like we were in a scene from The Fast and The Furious; a red truck with a body kit in the back. Finally, the kit was home and the pain and headaches began. Suprisingly, the kit fit on the car with minimal modification. The dream of the RK Sport Cavalier was starting to come along. I decided to attend the J-Body Bash to see what people have been doing with their cars to get some idea’s. I received a track time of 17.6 seconds. Being my first time at a track, this time is not as good as it could be. I can only hope more modifications can be made to the car in the future, which will difficult considering I have little money and might need to sell some parts and work backwards. Hopefully, taking one step back and two steps forward. Interior Modifications: -Spal power window kit -Black reverse gauges -Manual shift knob & boot Exterior: -Rk Sport Type-J Body Kit -Removed emblems and moldings -Shaved trunk lock & Antenna -Clear corners Engine & Exhaust -WAI Intake -Rk Sport Upper & Lower Motor Mount -Magna Flow High flow cat & muffler Suspension -Hp Coil overs Stereo/Video/Lighting: -2 12” Audiobahn subs -Q-Logic seal box -MTX 801D Amp -PS2 in the glove box -4 inch LCD on dash -Orion 4x6 front door speakers -JVC deck -Blue Street Glow gold series under glow -12” blue neon tubes under dash and in back window Owner:Jeff Lacroix Car: 1999 Sunfire GT Convertible Location: Sarnia, Ontario Exterior: Modifications: -FX Designs Ram Air Hood -FX Designs Super Spoiler -Speedgraphics Full Side Slam Wrap -18” Equuis Fouch Type 313 Rims -18” Kumho 225-40-18ZR 711 Tires -Goldline Lowering Springs -KYB Struts Stereo/Video/Lighting: -JVC KD-LH3150 MP3 Head Unit -Pyle DVD Player -4 way Video Amplifier/Splitter -Pyle 5.5 TFT TV -Lanzar 1600 Watt 4 Ch Amp -Lanzar 2400 Watt 2 Ch Amp -2 x 1 Farad Caps -Infiniti 5.25” Components -Infiniti Cappa 6x9’s -2 x 15” Volfenhag Subs DVC -16 Strobe Lights, Underbody Lights, Sweepers Owner:Jeff Adamson Car: 2002 Cavalier 2.2L Ecotech Location: Jacksonville, NC About: Busy with my job in United States Marine Corps I don’t get much free time, but when I do the Cavalier is high on my list to work on. Performance Modifications: -Magnaflow exhaust sytem with Pacesetter header -JDM cold air intake -17 inch motegi rims. Interior: -Eclipse AVN-2454 touch-panel CD/DVD Multi Source Receiver with the Satellite navigation System. -JL Audio speaker/amp/2 12 inch subs and component system. -The whole car is also Dynomated. Future: By spring time to have the Garret T-3 Turbo System installed currently offered by Cavalier Connection. Owner:Patrick Kelley Car: 2002 Chevy Cavalier Z24 Location: Alexandria, VA Modifications: Engine: -Custom 2.5” Cat-back Exhaust -Magnaflow Muffler(APC rolled tip) -Short Ram Air Intake Suspension/Wheels/Brakes: -Easy Street Air Struts -Exel DL-46 18s Hyper Black Interior: -Lotek Triple Gauge Pod -Formula One Tint 35%front 20%rear -2-15”Purple Neons Under Dash -2-20”Purple Neons in Custom Sub Box -1-20”Purple Neon in Trunk Center -1-10”Purple Neon Behind CD Changer -Visonik 5.6” Monitor -PS2 / Xbox Exterior: -Streetglow Gold Series Purple Underbody Neons -Purple Headlight Strobes Audio: -Rockford Fosgate 12” Subs And more left out to make room for pictures Domestic Dri v e r | | | 1 9 20 | | | D o m e s t i c D R i v e r Car owned by Ryan Dontsow Domestic Dri v e r | | | 2 1 Ryan Dontsow the owner of this 04 Cavalier has been a car guy his whole life. “Growing up my dad always had a lot of medical problems, cancer, knee surgery, shoulder surgery, back problems, the list goes on and on. My dad could never really throw around a ball or anything with me but he would take me to see cars.” In the Dontsow family, cars were always a way of family bonding between generations. For example, year after year all the males in the family would take a road trip out to Indianapolis for the Indy 500 race every summer. Another example was when Ryan said, “My dad used to call me out of school on my birthday to take me to the Chicago Auto Show in February.” Having taken high school automotive classes, Ryan graduated early and attended UTI for Automotive Technology. Ryan finished UTI with grades high enough to receive a full ride to the Audi Academy to become a certified technician for the German car maker. Today, Ryan is a technician for Volkswagen, Audi’s parent company. After hearing his past in cars, it’s no surprise that Ryan has one of the sleekest and fastest 04 Cavalier’s around. “I had just turned 20 and decided to treat myself to a new car. I was only looking for an affordable daily driver and a loan in my own name to help build up credit.” Upon researching and driving countless compact cars, Ryan decided on an Ultra Silver Metallic 2004 Chevy Cavalier LS Sport in mid February. What was originally bought to replace a Toyota on its it death bed this car had a very brief life as a stock Cavalier. The next morning after picking it up, outside in the snow, the Cavalier went under the knife for the first time. The interior of the car was ripped out and Dynamat was spread throughout to help contain the 1600 Watts of upgraded stereo equipment. Not even 24 hours with the car, and the modifications began. A couple weeks behind the wheel of the Cavalier, Ryan realized that the performance of this 5-speed Ecotec was lacking a bit for his tastes. The performance modifications started with a simple custom cat-back exhaust and a short ram intake. From there Ryan moved to the visual aspect of the car. He searched diligently for a body kit that was his style, clean, simple, not very flashy, but very effective. Ryan purchased a GM Xtreme Tuner body kit before its release. While waiting for the body kit to be released simple visual modifications went into effect, removing badging and side moldings and things of that nature. From there Ryan thought the car was in desperate need for a suspension drop, so he went with a set of RK Sport Prostreet coilovers. The suspension was followed by a pair of gray and black racing seats to make 22 | | | D o m e s t i c D R i v e r the cheap plastic interior a more modern look. “I kept adding bolt on mods until the Xtreme Tuner front finally showed up at my house. I had it painted, but was disappointed to find out that I had to modify the stock front end to make the cover fit.” After a few days of cutting and fitting, the front end was transformed. To add to the appeal of the car, a carbon fiber invader hood was installed in favor of factory sheet metal. As the Cavalier got faster, Ryan’s need for speed grew stronger. His easy cure was nitrous. A Nitrous express EFI stage 1 wet kit was installed into the car. Ryan started to question the abilities of his car so he took it to the drag strip. Having run a 50 shot of nitrous, he experienced traction, wheel hop, and clutch problems cut the night short. Yet, he was still able to pull off a best time of 14.2 @ 99 mph, which is not bad for a new economy car. The next step forward in the car was a set of camshafts from Levelzero motorsports. With the intake, throttle body, full exhaust, and all the supporting modifications the cams made a huge difference that Ryan felt was comparable to a 35 shot of nitrous. Ryan is hoping the car will be deep into the 13’s with the cams and a 75 shot of nitrous. With an impressive and long list of modifications, Ryan’s Cavalier is a force to be reckoned with. “It’s so much fun to pull up at light next to an LT1 or a Mustang, and no one expects anything from a brand new J-body. They’re surprised when they’re looking at my tail lights trying to keep up.” “Just think, all the time, money, and M O D I F I C AT I O N S PERFORMANCE effort put into a car that is not even a year old. You haven’t seen anything yet, I’m just getting started,” says Ryan. He also takes pride in the fact that everything except the paint and the custom bent exhaust was done himself. Even the custom clear corners were done by him, usually with some other J-body owners lending an extra set of hands. “I blame my dad for my car addiction,” Ryan said jokingly. “But seriously my dad started my fascination of cars, its turned into a job, a passion, and a source of a lot of friends. If it wasn’t for my dad, I never would have been in a magazine.” If you are ever in Chicago and you pull up next to a silver Cavalier with a lopey idle be careful because you just might be left in a cloud of tire smoke. - LevelZero Ecotec cams - Custom intake - RKSport upper & lower engine mount - Prothane front & rear trans mount - RKSport spark springs - RKSport lightweight under drive pulley - WeaponR 4-2-1 Header - High flow cat - Custom cat back 2.25” exhaust cutout right at the end of header - QTP Electronic valve for cutout - RSM Throttle body - Nitrous Express wet kit 35-50-75 shot - RKSport Prostreet coilover assemblies - Vibrant front & rear strut tower brace - Prothane control arm bushings - strut mounts for a ‘99 cavalier (to make the prostreets fit) AUDIO: - Kenwood head unit - 2 sony 12” Subwoofers - Ported and mirrored dual 12” box - 1600 watt Legacy amp for subs - Rockford Fosgate rear deck speakers - Pioneer front door speakers - Dynamat used throughout INTERIOR: - Black & gray racing seats - Custom seat brackets - A-pillar pod - Autometer Z-series Voltmeter & A/F gauge - L.E.D. toggle switch for exhaust cutout EXTERIOR: - Custom made clear headlight housings - Shaved Badges and Side Moldings - GM Xtreme Tuner front end - LS Sport ground effects on side and rear - VIS Carbon Fiber Invader hood - Paint by Body Werks FUTURE: - Head - New Clutch and Flywheel - New Rods and pistons - Direct Port Nitrous Oxide Domestic Driv e r | | | 2 3 Car |owned 24 | | D oby mKris e s tRatte ic DRiver Viral Sunfire T his 2002 Pontiac Sunfire GT, nicknamed Viral, has come a long way since it was purchased on March 15th, 2002. Viral is the second Sunfire to be owned by Kris Ratte. Bought in Kapuskasing Ontario, Canada, the car was purchased with options such as a power moonroof, power locks, mirrors, windows, and air conditioning. Kris had the option of choosing between the 2.4L LD9 and the brand new 2.2 Ecotec motor. Kris chose the 2.4L LD9 engine because he was biased by the extra 10 horsepower and the fact that no modifications were currently available for the Ecotec engine. Domestic Driv e r | | | 2 5 It all started when Kris owned a purple 1996 Pontiac Sunfire SE with a 2.2L engine. Kris was the 4th owner of the car, which had already been slightly modified from previous owners. The modifications included were 15 inch Eagle Alloys, chopped suspension, tinted windows, and yellow accents. Kris then added a Liteglow purple underbody kit, and an Alpine mobile entertainment system including a head unit, (2) 12 inch subwoofers, a box, and an amplifier. This purple beauty was eventually sold to the highest bidder through the Autotrader magazine, in order to make a deposit on Viral. Viral is a daily summer driven, show car at this point in time. With approximately 40,000km, and over 20,000 Canadian dollars invested in modifications, Viral is about 65% complete. Virtually all areas of the car have been modified for the show theme. The engine bay, exterior, interior, suspension, audio, and video have all been slightly touched. Working from his 26 | | | D o m e s t i c D R i v e r budget as a college student, Kris decided to “chunk” his modifications into phases such as, exterior, interior, and engine bay. Kris tried to get through most of the exterior phase and start some of the audio/video phase during the summer of 2003. He then tackled the engine bay during the spring of 2004 and started the interior in the summer of 2004. At this moment, Viral’s exterior is the prize possession of the car. The engine bay has not yet been modified for track use, but is very pleasing on the eyes. Equipped with an Induction Dynamics cold air intake system, and RK Sport Dual Cat-Back Exhaust, Kris’ car is not a fast one. Instead, Kris decided to add RK Sport carbon fiber engine bay covers to the battery, fuse box, radiator, throttle, reservoir, and brake fluid to make it visually appealing. He also added small touches with the RK Sport extreme hose kit, and painted the IDI cover in high gloss black paint. Rest assured, this engine bay is far from being completely modified. The interior is the latest area of modification to be done on Viral. Sporting Black Cat Custom gauges with a yellow face and reverse green glow, a B&M short throw shifter, RK Sport carbon fiber door sills, Sparco Torino seats, APC neon pedal covers, and fully painted black/yellow interior has just reached the tip of iceberg in renovations. Kris plans to put black carpeting in the car, 2 more Sparco racing seats for the rear, Sparco shift knob and steering wheel, Autometer gauges, RK Sport dual gauge pod, vinyl over a few areas, and plenty more! Kris has many shows planned for the upcoming season with Viral. In 2004 he attended only a few small shows and 2 major shows. Viral’s first show was the JCO bash at the St. Thomas Dragway in London where he did not place. Kris then took the car to a few local shows in the Kapuskasing, Ontario region and won 1st place in each of them. Viral then hit up Importfest at the Skydome in Toronto and placed 4th. This was the first major trophy for Kris and the car. Kris’ last car show was M O D I F I C AT I O N S PERFORMANCE - Induction Dynamics Cold Air Intake - RKSport Dual Cat-Back Exhaust SUSPENSION / RIMS / BRAKES: - 19x8” Axis Mod (Black) - 215/35 tires to come - RKSport Pro-Street Coilovers AUDIO: - Custom Fiberglass Enclosure - Alpine MRD-M1000, SWR-1240D (3) - Alpine CVA-1006, DHA-S680, SPS-690A - Lightning Audio 1 Farad Capacitor INTERIOR: in Sudbury, Ontario held by a local car parts store, Wicked Rides, where Viral took 1st in the domestic category. In the upcoming season, Kris already has the following shows in his agenda, Performance World, JCO bash, Importfest, Nopi Nationals, RSM Tech Rally, Darknights Nationals, Carfest, Scrape by the Lake, Don Howson Fall Show & Shine, and SCP-Montreal. Kris also plans to direct a car show for his team, Ontariofires.com sometime during the summer months. With all this said, Kris has big plans for his car, and hopes to do well in the 2005 show circuit. Kris would like to give a shout out to his sponsor Streetforce and his two teams, Ontariofires.com and Xclusiveconcepts.ca. Big thanks go out to Kris’ parents, Lorraine and Frank, for all the help and support. Kris would also like to thank www.j-body.org, www.j-body. com, for helping him learn everything he knows today. - Neon Racing Pedals (Yellow) - RKSport C/F Door Sills - Various Interior Parts Painted Yellow - Clear Climate Control Knobs - Sparco Torino Racing Seats (Black) - B&M Short Throw Shifter - Black Cat Custom Gauges (Yellow with Green Backlight) EXTERIOR: - RKSport Streetfire Body Kit - RKSport C/F Ram Air Hood (Thanks Clayton Mozdzen) - 2001 Tiburon SE Spoiler - 5% Tint - Tinted Tails - Handles & Mirrors Painted to Match - Rear Deck Lid Painted to Match - Calipers and Drums Painted to Match - Eurolite “Elite” Series Underbody Neons (Green) - Shaved Badges - Custom Mounted Turning Signals - Lambo Doors Domestic Driv e r | | | 2 7 Car |owned 28 | | D oby mEric e s tJohnson ic DRiver WHAT A GIFT Domestic Driv e r | | | 2 9 Ever wished that you would get a car for your birthday? Well Erik Johnson sure doesn’t have to wish it becuase it happened! I don’t think you could have told Erik back in 1999 how this car would go from a oridinary daily driver to a very sleek and desirable Z24. Let’s take a trip back to the beginning where it had just a few modifications. The windows were tinted all the way around and a Viper 550hf-alarm system was installed. The personalized license plates were added as well. Since becoming an official member in October of 2001 of the j-body.org, the car has gone through many changes. Reading through numerous forum posts on every 30 | | | D o m e s t i c D R i v e r topic, I was inspired to double my efforts to improve the car. Erik’s first concern was the overall appearance of the car. The first thing that was added was a Ram Air hood from Spydar Automotive to give the car a somewhat different look in the front. After looking over many different styles of body kits he found the Importfighter body kit from RK Sport to fit his qualifications best. With the outside starting to fall in place pretty nicely, the inside needed a little work. The factory deck was replaced with a Clarion CD player. To help with the base, Erik went with a pair of 12” MTX Thunder 6000 subwoofers with (2) 400 watt Baja amplifiers and a crossover giv- ing the subs power. For a little more sound and looks, Q-forms were added to the front with Polk EX3 component speakers. A PS2 in the glove box with a 5.6” LCD screen in the passenger visor for a little entertainment. Once the sound was in place, the rest of the interior was looked into. The factory seats were out. A pair of black Tenzo R Rally seats were put in its place. New black carpet was added throughout the car. The dash trim took on a new look. It was painted white along with the bottom trim of the doors. Custom white Black Cat gauges with “SKILLZ” on the speedometer replaced the stock ones to flow with the new white look of the interior. M O D I F I C AT I O N S PERFORMANCE: - Custom built stainless steel dual catback exhaust with Ractive tips - AEM Short Ram Air intake - RKSport Upper Engine Mount - RKSport Lower Engine Mount - RKSport Autotrans Interceptor - Nitrous Express Wet Kit - Nitrous Express Purge Kit - Nitrous Express Bottle Heater SUSPENSION / RIMS / BRAKES: - 18” Silver Exel Ennio’s - Ventus HRII 225/40/18 - 2” Intrax lowering springs AUDIO: - Clarion DRX86754zcd player - 2 12” MTX Thunder 6000 subwoofers - 2 400 watt Baja amplifiers - Baja crossover - Polk EX3 components with Q-forms at your feet INTERIOR: - 2 Black Tenzo R Rally seats - New black carpet throughout the car - White climate control knobs - Custom white and chrome shifter - Painted doors white - Custom Black Cat gauges (SKILLZ) - White face HVAC cover - Painted dash kit and armrest white - Autometer Phantom Oil Pressure, Air/Fuel, and Nitrous gauges - PS2 in the glove box - 5.6” Lcd screen in the passenger visor EXTERIOR: Also a new white HVAC cover was added. To add a little high-tech look, a 2 gauge pod was added to the driver’s side pillar with an Autometer Air/Fuel and Oil Pressure gauge. Basically Erik wants his car to be unique but not too aggressive. He is very happy with what has been done so far and will continue to improve the car. Yet, he knows that the modifying will probably never be over. There is always something that could probably be added. - Complete Importfighter body kit - Ram Air Hood from Spydar Automotive - Painted mirrors body color - Clear corner lenses - Altezza taillights - Blue Xexon bulbs in headlights and signals - www.RacePerformanceParts.com decal - Shaved badges and side moldings - Streetglow Gold series blue neons MISC: -Viper 55hf-alarm system with remote start -Blue “Nightrider” light at top of windshield for alarm Domestic Dri v e r | | | 3 1 CAVWHAT? I n the heart land of America a tuner by the name of Ron Sowadski of Chicago, IL emerges. Ronnie “C” or CavWhat are more common names for him around the J-Body scene. Ronnie “C” has been around the JBody scene since 1999 when he owned a 4 Door 97 Cavalier, with the first ever boomer kit on a 4 door with a functional back door. In late 2001 he bought a Blue 2002 Z24 Cavalier (one of the last remaining Z24’s made). To build his dream car, Ronnie “C” teamed up with Psychotic Customs of Anderson Indiana, APG Performance of Wooddale, 32 ||| | | | D om o m est e s t i c D R iv iver IL, and Extreme Dimensions. The goal was to become one of the top show cars in the Midwest. This old stereo guy of course started with the electronics first. Starting with TVs and games every were. As Ron will always say, “You have to get the people to the car first. What’s better then letting them play video games?” The interior is where the car really shines with 5 game systems and many TVs. The first thing you notice when a person sits in the cockpit is the TV in the steering wheel were Navigation is displayed for the Alpine unit. The dash was redone in fiberglass to be the new home for the Alpine DVD, LCD, and Navigation. The back seat is the home to all the game systems in a custom fiberglass box. Most eye catching, is the painted interior to perfectly match the exterior of the car. The trunk holds the Xtant system, that powers the two JL Audio 13W7’s. This sweet Cavalier is also well done on the outside. The stock headlights were changed to Honda Accord headlights to give it the more aggressive look in the front. A drift Front and rear were also added. Fang taillights give the illusion of an animal appearance. The car was still not enough so a M O D I F I C AT I O N S EXTERIOR: body kit was installed. Ron didn’t like the look of the GT side skirts, so the drift skirts were molded to the body and door jams to give it a seamless look. Lastly, the car was given a Lambo door conversion to put it above the rest. As the car goes through more changes for the 05 season, we can only wait to see what exactly will happen. I do know that Ronnie “C” will be teaming up with Bliss Racing out of Illinois were they are working on a turbo for the Z24. More info on this amazing Cavalier can be found at www.cavwhat.com -Honda Accord Head Light Conversion -Fang Tail light Conversion -GT wide Body kit Molded into a Drift Side skirt -Drift Body kit -White/Blue Custom paint job with Blue Pearl -18 Inch ADR rims -Shaved inner taillights -Lambo Door Conversion INTERIOR: -Alpine 1005 Screen, 5205 DVD, Navigation -Sony PDA, HP Laptop -Xbox, PS2, DreamCast, GameCube, NES -7 inch touch screens in the doors -(2) X1001 Xtant sub amps -X604 Xtant int amp -(2) JL Audio 13W7s -15 Farad Alumapro Cap -Tenzo Rail 2 racing seats -TV in the middle of the steering wheel -Interior paints perfect to match exterior PERFORMANCE: -DTM exhaust Cat back -Intake Domestic Driv e r | | | 3 3 WRECKAGE Car Owner: Erin Persinger The Story: Well the day started off good. We had the first snow of the year here in Columbus, Ohio. I was driving my girlfriends car while mine is undergoing an engine swap. After I droped her off at work, I was heading over to drop off our Christmas cards to send out to our family. I had missed the trun off Interstate 270, so I just worked my way over to the right lane to take the next exit. I just took my time cause everyone was driving kinda slow due to it starting to snow again. It turned from light to heavy fast. I truned onto the overpass to start heading east to go over the Interstate. Traffic seemed to have backed up so I came to rest at a light behind a CAT work truck. While I was sitting at the light a 02’ Asto Van came over the hill, and he was sliding on the ice tryin’ to stop. He Announcements RPI, the producers of the GM Small Car Bash are proud to formally announce the date and location for the 2005 GMSC Bash. In years past the event has been focused on the J-Body platform. While retaining that focus, it has been rebranded to its new name, the GM Small Car Bash. said, “I must of slid for a good 20 or 30 feet before I hit you.” After hitting me I was then pushed on the ice into the big work truck with a steal bumper. That is where I came to rest under the bumper. With the car being lowered I just cleared the bumper under the steal bumper on the truck. So the headlights, hood, and everying above the Z’s bumper was toost. I went to the ER to get checked out, and I got a few pills to take for pain and had a check up a week later. My back is still just a little sore in my upper back, but it is getting better. The Z will live on again in my Cavfire as the engine is going under the hood. The other parts on the car will go on we hope a 99’ model Black Z24 with the money we got for the car. Submission by: TRD Cav Fire If yo� Submit your Wreckage to appear here next quarter. Negotiations started back in June of 2004 with Indianapolis Raceway Park to lock in a date for the 2005 calendar. IRP is one of the premier motor sports facilities in the Midwest and holds such feature events as the “Import and Truck Bash” (formally known as the Indy Truck Bash), and the “US Hot Rod Nationals”. Now, we are proud to add the GMSC Bash to their already impressive lineup for the 2005 season. After many challenging months, the dates of July 8th thru July 9th in 2005 have been contracted for the GMSC Bash. Look for more information and details as they become available at: www.gmsmallcarbash.com Advertisers Index: 02 | Street Line 07 | A+ Performance 19 | Tabasco Racing 35 | Cavalier Connection 36 | Race Performance Parts Advertise Here Next Quarter Prices start at just $20.00 for a 1/4 page! You can even send us 35mm photo’s. Pictures you take for your insurance company wi� .com Remember this is the worse way to get into Domestic Driver., so drive safely and pay attention to the road. 34 | | | D o m e s t i c D R i v e r Attention All J-Body Tuners!!! Gear Head Company, Inc. has acquired Cavalier Connection from Mike Clements/Legendary Horsepower. Cavalier Connection.com offers turbo kits and other high performance engine/suspension products exclusively for second and third generation GM J-body vehicles such as the Chevy Cavalier and Pontiac Sunfire. Gear Head is owned by the Cadorette family. Leo Cadorette and sons Adam and Travis have been avid performance enthusiasts/racers for years with a variety of naturally aspirated, nitrous-fed, supercharged and turbocharged cars. Mike Clements will continue providing Cavalier Connection.com customers with the many benefits of his racing heritage and technical knowledge by serving as a technical consultant and new product developer. Gear Head will invest additional capital and manpower to expand the product line and inventory levels to better meet the growing demands of Cavalier Connection.com customers in the US and Canada. Several visual and functional enhancements are planned for the web site to make it easier to find, learn about, purchase and finance J-body performance products. With three R&D Cavaliers, a combination daily driver/weekend warrior; an SCCA road race and a drag car, Gear Head plans to participate in races and J-body events across the US and Canada. As a SEMA member, Gear Head will use the many R&D benefits offered by SEMA and will soon acquire a Chevy Cobalt to stay on the leading edge of performance development for J-body and Delta platform vehicles. Gear Head and Mike Clements want to thank all Cavalier Connection.com customers and invite you to visit Cavalier Connection.com often for new product offerings. http://www.cavalierconnection.com
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