Looking under the front of...
Looking under the front of the engine, the trick crankshaft-driven MSD distributor is visible. Innovators West has pioneered a kit that includes an SFI dampener and all the brackets to mount the distributor in the stock water-pump location. The belt to the right is for the Petersen oil pump and Aeromotive fuel pump combo. The other is for the Mezierre water pump for the aftercooler.
The fuel system needed Aeromotive to pioneer an industry-first, crankshaft-driven mechanical fuel pump that piggybacks on the end of a Petersen Multistage industry-standard, crankshaft-driven oil pump. The new Aeromotive pump (PN 11107) mounts on the end of the Petersen pump for maximum space and simplicity. Rounding out the combo's pumps is a Meziere water pump, which sends a veritable river through the aftercooler to keep the temperatures in check since coolant doesn't flow through the engine block itself. Meziere also supplied the quality starter.
Their choice of power adder is, of course, turbocharging since the engine is of small displacement. During the first few dyno pulls, the flow number from the twin 76mm turbochargers amazed even the skeptical eyes of turbo wizard Kenny Duttweiler. Precision's Harry Hruska proved his tuning expertise with some 1.03 60-foot times resulting from initial tweaking recommendations.
A 10-inch dual-disc clutch and pressure-plate setup from Ram sends all that turbocharged fury to a Liberty five-speed transmission. The power is handed off to the custom Larson Race Cars-fabricated rearend, which hands it to the pavement via the Pro Stock-size Mickey Thompson slicks. The wicked, patented wishbone rear suspension goes with the SFI25.1C chassis, which is good down to a 6-flat e.t.
The car has been out for three events as of this writing. The first was an NHRA divisional at Topeka for the initial shakedown passes. Next the Matusek family went to the U.S. Nationals where they went a couple rounds, won Best Engineered Award, and recaptured the index for BB/AT Competition Eliminator class at 6.70 at 209 mph. "You can't imagine how exhilarating that was after visiting the event religiously as a child," Steve says.
The next stop was the NMRA World Finals in Bowling Green, Kentucky. This was the first time competing heads-up with a pack of 6-second hot rods. To the amazement of all in attendance, they laid down a 6.54 at more than 215 mph; it was the quickest run in NMRA Pro 5.0 history. Unfortunately, with just over 10 passes on the car, they shook the tires in the first round and didn't back it up.
The Matusek family will definitely be a force to be reckoned with in 2008-no matter what class they are in.
 It's hard to spot either of...  It's hard to spot either of the 76mm Precision turbo-chargers. They're nestled under the headers, next to the starter on this side. For the numbers guys, this baby runs under 0.5 brake specific. How's that for efficient? |  Wilson Manifolds CNC-machined...  Wilson Manifolds CNC-machined the upper and lower intake from solid pieces of aluminum with only the upper plenum box welded for a 110mm throttle body. Though Aeromotive's beast needed two sets of injectors, the engine is so efficient that a set of 160-lb/hr injectors supply plenty of fuel. They only consume a quarter gallon of fuel per run, which is less than a quarter of what most combinations consume. |  The Stroud fire suppression...  The Stroud fire suppression system consists of two separate systems: one for the engine and one for the driver. All systems made for oil fires use Halon, which removes oxygen, one of the three necessary items to make a fire. The need for two separate systems is a necessity; you don't want to use the second unless you're on your way out of the car. |
 A custom chrome-moly front...  A custom chrome-moly front suspension from Larson Race Cars, a Strange Engineering double-adjustable strut, and Hyperco springs keep the car aimed straight down the racetrack. |  If the rear suspension looks...  If the rear suspension looks complicated, that's because it is. The rearend is a custom 9-inch housing by Larson Race Cars, Koni electronically programmable shocks, and Racepak shock travel and wheelie bar pressure sensors. The only thing simple about this rearend is the Mickey Thompson monster slicks, and they simply hook. |  Steve chose the Liberty five-speed/Ram...  Steve chose the Liberty five-speed/Ram clutch combination because of the capability to tune it to each racetrack. Of course, the small-cube engine likes short, high-rpm bursts of power. Here Steve goes through the gears during a prerace fluid warm-up after tweaking the clutch setup. |
 The Aeromotive-sponsored crew...  The Aeromotive-sponsored crew consists of (left to right) Steve, John, and indispensable Crew Chief Brett Clow. |  |  |