The Second Peak Chicagoland Nationals - Midwest Muscle

The Heidts Rod Shop '71 Camaro... 

   

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The Heidts Rod Shop '71 Camaro project car cuts through the cones handily at the Street Challenge Autocross, and emerged with a respectable 34.2-second lap. Traditionally a supplier for street rods, Heidts is making inroads with parts for muscle cars.

In the waning days of a glorious Midwestern summer, an American tradition sings its familiar encore. Like baseball, hotdogs, family vacations, and concerts in the park, hot rodding elicits a similar warmth from inside. Friday night cruising, car shows, stoplight encounters, and popping a cold one while changing oil on a languid summer day are all uniquely Yank experiences, but our Midwest siblings have it the best. There's no use arguing about it. Maybe it's those bone-chilling winters or the endless springtime rains, but Midwesterners make up for it with plenty to spare after Memorial Day-and they don't let off the gas until Mother Nature puts it all to bed by Thanksgiving.

Midwesterners have a stewardship for our country's rich automotive heritage that escapes lesser regions. Take, for instance, this winter's auto bailout-which garnered little support outside core Midwestern states. These guys "get it," while others of us can't fathom it. When it's time to pick cities for the Power Tour, you don't see them rolling through D.C., San Francisco, New York City, Boston, or even Los Angeles, do you? No. They tag Chi-town and environs. What we're saying is that deep down, if you're a true muscle car motorhead, there's a little Midwesterner in you, no matter where you live. Believe it.

Motorheads roll through the suburbs of Chicago like blood coursing through the veins of a rutting bull. And at no point in the year are the automotive pheromones stronger than during the fall equinox. The place positively breathes octane. The scene of our story: the Goodguys Second Peak Chicagoland Nationals in Joliet, Illinois, on the weekend of September 19-21. Like a mechanical million man march, motorheads converge on the Chicagoland Speedway for summer's last stand, and the dedicated staff at Goodguys doesn't disappoint. In their never ending desire to cook up new ways for Americans to enjoy their muscle car iron, Goodguys-our partners in crime-have concocted the diabolically delicious Street Challenge Autocross for go-ers, and the Mighty Muscle corral for show-ers. And while elder statesmen hot rodders with their street rods and kustoms have plenty else to do at a Goodguys show, these two arenas are reserved strictly for our kind of roughhouse hooligans!

Laguna Of The Month
The car corral is always a fun place to hang out at a Goodguys show, and the one at Joliet didn't disappoint! We found the brother to our Laguna project-another '75 owned by Kevin Campbell. It's for sale (asking price: $14,250), and interested parties can call Kevin at 708-709-2886. We were impressed with the visuals, including a sweet two-stage paint job and Boyd Coddington wheels (17x8 and 18x9s rims with 255/45R17 and 295/45R18 rubber). This thing has been restored back to life with some careful appointments: new A/C, custom dual exhaust with Flowmasters, ceramic-coated Dynomax headers, rebuilt 350 with a new Demon carb, rebuilt Turbo 350 trans, QA1 shocks, lowering springs, two-inch drop spindles, new carpet, seals, headliner, package tray, scuff plates, and lots of new or rebuilt stock equipment. We wouldn't call it a strip terror, but it's a very nice driver with great curb appeal.

		"When we built this car,"...        read full caption "When we built this car," says Roadster Shop owner Phil Gerber, "we tried to find a color that was loud and obnoxious." The resulting Porsche GT3 green seems to have done the trick, as well as imbue the '70 Chevelle with some of the GT3's handling traits as well. A Roadster Shop chassis, Wilwood brakes all 'round, Forgeline wheels, BFG balonies, and a Turnkey 620hp LS7 rewarded Gerber with a 33.6-second e.t. around the Goodguys Street Challenge autocross.
		You may remember Jeff Schwartz's...        read full caption You may remember Jeff Schwartz's '68 Corvette from a small piece we ran in Under Construction last year. Well, Jeff finally got it done! Jeff screamed through the Goodguys autocross with a best e.t. of 33.9 seconds. Jeff's C3 relies on a 500hp LS6 that his shop put together. Schwartz Extreme Performance can build one for you, too! Check out Jeff's website at www.schwartzperformance.com.
Jeremy Vega is our kind of...        read full caption Jeremy Vega is our kind of home builder. The 33-year-old forklift driver from Cedar Rapids, IA, bought this '67 Firebird 10 years ago, and he's done all the work on it himself. Modest yet well-chosen parts permeate the solid street piece, and include a homebuilt Pontiac 350, Turbo 350 trans, Hotchkis drop coils and sway bar, QA1 shocks, and Sunset Orange paint. The Bonspeed Huntington rims (18x8 and 18x10) are Jeremy's largest investment, and they get the job done.	Ken Cuttle of Clifton, IL,...        read full caption Ken Cuttle of Clifton, IL, is more of the Street Machine/drag race persuasion, and we dig it! His '70 Chevelle SS is a legit big-block car with a built 408 that makes around 400 hp at the tire. He's gone 11.80/116 in the quarter with a Turbo 400 and a 3.90-geared 12-bolt. The teal green hue is a real eye-popper, too.	Dave Glass's '65 Belvedere...        read full caption Dave Glass's '65 Belvedere was found in a barn with no motor. The A/FXer had originally been a Super Stocker before Dave laid hands on it, but what it became is actually cooler still! Under the hood resides a 472ci Hemi with a cross ram. Behind that sits a Chrysler four-speed and a Dana 60 with 4.88 gears. The all-drag theme is visually sold by a period-correct paint scheme, a straight axle, and widened steel wheels in back with Hoosier slicks. Dave is from Downers Grove, IL, and says he primarily uses the A/FX on the street!
Lynda and Chris Jacobs hail...        read full caption Lynda and Chris Jacobs hail from Elburn, IL, and love running their Lemonwood Yellow '66 Chevelle convertible through the autocross-returning a best e.t. of 35.5 seconds. Their street cruiser packs big-block power in the form of a 496 stroker. Other goodies: a built 700-R4, SSBC 11-inch brakes, Global West control arms, QA1 adjustable shocks, and Yokohama rubber on Torq-Thrust hoops.	Brett Voelkel owns Air Ride...        read full caption Brett Voelkel owns Air Ride Technologies, and he also lays claim to this '62 Chevy Impala with a personality disorder. Is it classic NASCAR, or Cheech and Chong lowrider? Brett admits the wheels are temporary, which commit the bulk of the visual infraction. The Imp has Ride Tech's Street Challenge front and rear suspension bits, CPP brakes, and a temporary small-block. The paint treatment is killer, and only lacks period-correct stock car steelies and a 409 under the hood to be complete!	This sweet '70 Nova two-door...        read full caption This sweet '70 Nova two-door post car is owned by Ed Dierking, a retired pipefitter from Orland Park, IL. The big-block makes around 600 hp and has propelled the little X-body to a best e.t. of 11.99 at 120 mph-all while being shifted through a Richmond five-speed. Ed did all the mechanical work himself. Says Ed: "It's enough to scare women, children, and GTOs!"
"Notorious" is Troy Trepanier's...        read full caption "Notorious" is Troy Trepanier's latest creation-a '70 Nova with serious Camaro leanings, and one of the most interesting flex-fuel powerplants we've ever seen. The car belongs to Gary Abraham, who owns a Big & Tall men's clothing store in Burr Ridge, IL. Living in the heart of corn country, the clothier/patriot saw corn-in the form of E85-as the right move. An otherwise stock GMPP 572ci big-block crate motor was pressed into service in conjunction with a Procharger F2 blower; the addition of boost and higher-octane E85 needing no change in compression ratio. Troy and crew peg output at around 1,000 hp. We'll be bringing you a full feature on Notorious in the coming months, so stay tuned. This car is packed with tons of cool stuff!	Kyle Tucker is a wanted man....        read full caption Kyle Tucker is a wanted man. Along with his wife, Stacey, Kyle is prevailed upon to design, test, and manufacture an incredible array of performance parts for popular muscle cars, including second-generation F-bodies. The company is Detroit Speed & Engineering, and this '70 Camaro is their development mule for all manner of second-gen parts. Drivetrain: 6.2L L92, TKO Tremec, and an 8.5-inch 10-bolt. The suspension goodies, which are DSE's forte, consist of a complete DSE hydroformed front clip, DSE subframe connectors, and naturally, a DSE Quadralink rear.	This sweet '70 Nova two-door...        read full caption This sweet '70 Nova two-door post car is owned by Ed Dierking, a retired pipefitter from Orland Park, IL. The big-block makes around 600 hp and has propelled the little X-body to a best e.t. of 11.99 at 120 mph-all while being shifted through a Richmond five-speed. Ed did all the mechanical work himself. Says Ed: "It's enough to scare women, children, and GTOs!"
We leave Brett Voelkel for...        read full caption We leave Brett Voelkel for one minute, and what does he do? He buys another project car. Aye carumba! Look for GM B-body parts to start pouring out of Air Ride's Jasper, IN-based plant.	John Engle teaches auto mechanics...        read full caption John Engle teaches auto mechanics at a vocational school in East Moline, IL, and this '66 Ford Falcon Futura is his beautiful avocation! It might not be the best equipped for an autocross, but it's way period cool, and A-OK in our book. Goodies include a late-model 5-liter small-block, Tremec TKO-500, lowered coil springs, and a sway bar. John's dad bought the car new in '66, and John started tweaking on it in '72, so this Falcon has been one well-kept bird.	Novas were known back in the...        read full caption Novas were known back in the day as sensible, reliable, affordable transportation, not corner-carving terrors. Don't tell Brett Bennett (Aurora, IL), though. Brett's Chevy II is outfitted with a TCI front clip and front brakes, a built 327 small-block and Turbo 350 trans, 17-inch Torq-Thrust II wheels, and stock rear drum brakes. The little Chevy even ran the Street Challenge course in 39.4 seconds.
Lisa Bartnick of Mokena, IL,...        read full caption Lisa Bartnick of Mokena, IL, hams it up for our camera while checking out a sweet '69 Camaro!