Ah, yes-the warm, sunny, Central...
Ah, yes-the warm, sunny, Central Florida landscape was the perfect backdrop for the '05 Performance Racing Industry show. The Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, swallowed up the show. Many in attendance thought the '05 show was smaller than in previous years, but our feet begged to differ. In Orlando, PRI has space to grow within the convention center and into its spacious parking lot.
The '05 PRI show attracted more than 1,400 performance companies exhibiting in 3,950 booths. The building in which the PRI show was held-the North/South Building of the Orange County Convention Center-is nearly 1,000,000 square feet.
In the past, we've had a love/hate relationship with the Performance Racing Industry show. Although we loved catching up on new performance products and seeing our boys, at the same time we had to leave the warm confines of the Sunshine State and travel to the frigid North, which is the part we loathed. With the PRI show outgrowing the Indianapolis Convention Center and moving south to Orlando, Florida-until at least 2010-all we had to do was hop in the Mustang and make the hour-long trip from our Central Florida home office to Mickey Mouse's backyard. Most importantly, we didn't even have to pack a jacket in order to see the latest go-fast equipment. What did you miss by not being there, besides the beautiful Florida weather? Check out the captions and see for yourselves.
Aeromotive
The folks at Aeromotive [(913) 647-7300, www.aeromotiveinc.com] are always busy working on new fuel systems and products. To go with its complete line of fuel rails and kits for just about every late-model Mustang-including the '96-'04 GT and Cobra models and '05-'06 GT models-Aeromotive is working on this Pro-Mod fuel pump. As of this writing, Aeromotive was busy testing the pump for performance and durability to meet the needs of Pro 5.0/Outlaw rides that produce more than 2,000 hp. The Pro-Mod is designed to be an all-out pump for today's high-horsepower applications, and it's gasoline or alcohol compatible.
Anderson Ford Motorsport
In this latest age of keeping tabs on your 'Stang's air/fuel levels, Anderson Ford Motorsport [(217) 935-2076; www.andersonfordmotorsport.com] showed us the EF-UEGO 2000. The digital, wideband gauge and air-fuel/rpm recorder works for all gas- or alcohol-powered (EFI) 5.0s, 4.6s, and 5.4s, and doesn't require a PC to display data, unlike other wideband air/fuel monitors.
Boss 330 Racing
Boss 330 Racing's [(772) 299-0775; www.boss330racing.com] Al Papitto made quite the splash with this carbureted 5.4 engine at PRI. Known for his Four-Valve exploits, we'd guess Al had plenty of show-goers confused as to what type of engine it was. But having known Al for a few years now, we knew it had his fingerprints all over it. Sure enough, we found his business card under the Barry Grant Demon carburetor-topped Sullivan Racing Products intake, and Al wasn't too far away, either. Boss 330 Racing's Chris Starnes spent roughly 200 hours modifying the intake to fit the '05 Ford GT block and heads, and the bottom end consists of Manley billet rods, CP pistons, a Lincoln Navigator crankshaft, an Aviaid [(818) 998-8991; www.aviaid.com] dry-sump oil pump, and an ARE Racing Engine Systems [(916) 987-7629; www.drysump.com] oil pan.
BMR Fabrication
Not long ago, we hadn't even heard of BMR Fabrication [(813) 986-9302; www.bmrfabrication.com], but we're pretty sure everyone living in 'Stang nation knows its deal by now. With a catalog stuffed full of '05-'06 Mustang parts, we're beginning to see a slant toward a few Fox and SN-95 parts. BMR's focus is still aimed at the latest Mustang, however, and its new '05-'06 Mustang tubular K-member amplified that point.
Canton Racing Products
It's come to our attention that even NHRA Stock Eliminator racers read 5.0 Mustang & Super Fords. The Fox-bodied Mustang is a widely popular choice of race car in Stock, so this is for those who play on that side of the drag-racing fence. Canton Racing Products [(203) 481-9460); www.cantonracingproducts.com] introduced this Stock Eliminator rear-sump 302 oil pan at PRI. Unlike a factory piece, this stock-appearing (required by NHRA rules) oil pan features a slosh baffle, a crank scraper, and magnetic drain plugs. The pan is also notched for the two-bolt rear mains of SVO blocks.