Pro Ultrasonics parts cleaner 

Pro Ultrasonics is the leader in precision ultrasonic cleaning equipment. The company supplies high-performance equipment in a variety of sizes, from small tabletop models to large-capacity industrial units. 

Ultrasonic cleaning uses high frequency sound waves to create microscopic cavitation bubbles, which combined with heated liquid removes contaminants from blind holes, cracks, and crevices. This hands-free precision cleaning can be done with water and soap, not hazardous chemicals.

Use of Pro Ultrasonic's cleaning systems dramatically reduces cleaning times and labor, minimize hazardous waste, and give you the cleanest part possible.  Satisfied Pro users include Don Ott Racing Engines, Honda Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing.

 Pro Ultrasonics’ product line includes the popular 4230LT industrial Ultrasonic Cleaning System which is large enough to clean an engine block. It comes with lift table, dual filtration, surface skimming, and touch screen controls. The 4230LT features a 42" x 30" x 18" tank with a capacity of 120 gallons.

For more information visit

https://www.proultrasonics.com/

or

https://epartrade.com/product/8bd51380-pro-4230lt-industrial-ultrasonic-cleaning-system-c1e3ed32-pro-ultrasonics?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20%20September-11&utm_content=20%20September-11+CID_29437e82e7b1d5fda1ae8a995b8eb8b5&utm_source=Email%20marketing%20software&utm_term=4230LT%20industrial%20Ultrasonic%20Cleaning%20System

Information and graphics provided by EPARTRADE.COM the global online platform for the racing and performance industries  

Toyota Avalon TRD Pro Concept

Toyota Avalon TRD Pro Concept 

The Toyota Avalon TRD (Toyota Racing Development) has been available to consumers since its introduction at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show, and for TRD’s 40^th anniversary, Toyota commissioned Dan Gardner Spec (DG-Spec) (http://www.dangardnerspec.com) the builder of Original Equipment-quality concept vehicles and performance parts to create the Avalon TRD Pro Concept for the 2019 SEMA show.

Many of the parts used to upgrade the Avalon were created by DG-Spec and their partners for this project supplemented by the Toyota parts supply chain.  The 2GR-FKS V-6 engine improved its breathing with the addition of the Burns Stainless cold air intake and exhaust and the OS Giken Super Lock limited slip differential helps get the power to the ground.

Motion Control Suspension supplied the front and rear shocks while Vogtland supplied the springs and Stoptech supplied the front and rear brake packages. The Lacks Custom carbon fiber wheels are fitted with Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3R tires.

DG-Spec designed a vented carbon-fiber hood and a custom duckbill spoiler provides 100 pounds of additional downforce at 100 MPH. Through the use of aftermarket components the Avalon lost 150 pounds while it still has all of the factory sound deadening and interior components.   

Check out the Toyota Avalon TRD at your local Toyota dealer today or visit the website https://www.toyota.com/

The famous "HEMI UNDER GLASS"

"HEMI UNDER GLASS"

Wheelstander

The massive Shell/Pennzoil/Quaker State display at the 2019 Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas offered attendees a rare opportunity for an up-close look at the 1968 version of the famous “Hemi under Glass” exhibition wheel stander.

The supercharged Hemi powered Plymouth Barracuda was conceived in 1965 and according to legend sketched onto a cocktail napkin by Hot Rod magazine editor Ray Brock for George Hurst. Brock intended it to be a competitive racer, but testing uncovered a problem– the mid-engine placement of the supercharged Hemi engine caused the lightened front end of the car to jump into the air at the hit of the accelerator pedal.

Instead of a competitive race car, Hurst, a master promoter, put the wheel standing car on tour and it became a huge hit with spectators and spawned dozens of imitators.   

The “Hemi Under Glass” has only had three drivers through the years – Bob Shrewsberry, Bob Riggle and the current driver, Mike Mantel. 

Shrewsberry left  the "Hemi Under Glass" and Hurst after one season, and developed his own "LA Dart" wheel stander ( a later version featured the supercharged Hemi engine in the car's trunk) sponsored by LA area Dodge dealers.  Later in the late seventies Shrewsberry toured the "Berry Wagon" a fiberglass 1930 Ford Model delivery truck wheelstander sponsored by the Knott's Berry Farm amusement park.     

The original 1965 "Hemi Under Glass" power train was used for the construction of the 1968 Barracuda body style and the 1965 car no longer exists.  Multiple versions of the  second generation "Hemi Under Glass" toured the country for Hurst through 1970, then the company was sold and Hurst just sponsored the cars until Riggle was injured in a crash in 1975.

 

Bob Riggle reintroduced the "Hemi Under Glass" in 1992 and performed with the car until another crash in 2016, after which Mantel became the designated driver.  The author was assured by Shell officials that the car shown at SEMA 2019 was not the same car crashed on the famous episode of "Jay Leno's Garage." 

Mantel planned to introduce a new  modern "Hellephant" supercharged 1,000 hp and 950 lb-ft of torque Hemi powered LX- class Dodge "Hemi under Glass" Challenger for the 2020 season.  

All photos by the author 

NASCAR driver Gray Gaulding Bristol sponsor announcement

 

NASCAR driver Gray Gaulding 

Bristol sponsorship announcement 

On September 17, 2020 Standout Management Group (SMG) and NASCAR driver Gray Gaulding announced Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux as the primary Xfinity sponsor at Bristol Motor Speedway for the # 07 Chevrolet Camaro and Panini America as primary NASCAR Cup sponsor for the # 27 Chevrolet Camaro the following night under the lights at Bristol Motor Speedway.

“Watching his 2nd place finish last month at Daytona, our team cannot wait to be back onboard with Gray at Bristol in the No. 07 Walk-On’s Chevrolet Camaro racing in the Food City 300 this Friday night and again with Panini on Saturday night. A walk-on plays for the love of the game, so Gray’s passion on the track is a perfect fit” stated Brandon Landry, Founder and CEO.

Success in sports and success in life often come from similar paths. Brandon Landry has turned the traits he learned as a college basketball walk-on into virtues that he shares freely with everyone on the Walk-On’s team as part of his life’s calling. 

Today, with over 100 locations in the works across 15 states, the sky is the limit. Walk-On’s operates with a mission of delivering a memorable game day experience with a taste of Louisiana created by an All-American team. Brandon regularly and proudly shares his goal with everyone on his team – To Win! For more information, visit www.walk-ons.com

In addition to Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux, Panini America, the Official Trading Card of NASCAR will be riding along Friday night as an associate sponsor and will return Saturday as the primary NASCAR Cup Series sponsor of the # 27 Chevrolet Camaro for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race. The Bristol event will be Panini’s 7th Cup race this year with a season best finish of 25th at Texas Motor Speedway back in July.

“Gray and his team were instrumental last season in helping us establish a strong presence at NASCAR tracks across the country and to educate diehard NASCAR fans about the many positive aspects of our NASCAR trading cards,” said Jason Howarth, Panini America Vice President of Marketing. “As NASCAR increases the number of fans at the track, we are excited to celebrate sports that fans everywhere are clamoring for and promote our Panini trading card products that help deepen that connection and are available at Walmart, Target, hobby stores nationwide and online at www.paniniamerica.net.”

The Panini Group, established more than 50 years ago in Modena, Italy, has subsidiaries throughout Europe, Latin America and the United States. Panini is the world leader in officially licensed collectibles and is the most significant publisher of collectibles in the U.S., with official licenses for NFL, NFLPA, NBA, MLBPA, NHL, NHLPA, College, FIFA, MLBPA, Disney, and other key properties from many other licensors. Panini is also the exclusive trading card and sticker partner of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc. 

Additional sponsors for Gray Gaulding’s Friday and Saturday races include www.Refi4Cash.com and Kuykendall Hearing Aid Centers. Fans can catch all the race action on the NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) starting at 4:00 PM Pacific Time on Friday September 18 for the Xfinity race and 4:30 PM Pacific Time on Saturday September 19^th for the Cup race.  

Information and graphics for this article provided by Barry Tisdale at SMG. 

Bay Cities Racing Association schedules two midget races for the same day

Bay Cities Racing Association schedules two midget races for the same day!

In a highly unusual 2020 season, the Bay Cities Racing Association reached back into its history and has scheduled two races at two separate venues on the same day - October 3rd 2020. Such scheduling was common in the late nineteen forties when midget racing was at the zenith of its popularity. 

The opening round of the “West Coast Stock Car / Motorsports Hall of Fame Challenge Race” with the USAC Western States and the Bay Cities Racing Association (BCRA) dirt midgets will run at the Petaluma  Speedway, while 200 miles to the north in Anderson the pavement midgets will do battle at Shasta Speedway in a program co-sanctioned with the Washington Midget Racing Association (WMRA).     

“While it is unusual for BCRA to present two races at two separate venues on the same day, the 2020 racing season has been unusual due to COVID-19 and we have do what we can to have races for the racers,” according to BCRA Board Member Bob Roza.  

The October 3rd event will be the first of two “West Coast Stock Car / Motorsports Hall of Fame Challenge” races with the second event scheduled for October 24th at Petaluma Speedway.

“The Challenge” offers extra prize money will be up for grabs to the top-five drivers in points from the October 3rd and 24th events at Petaluma. The mini-series will pay $1,000-to-win, $700-for-2nd, $500-for-3rd, $350-for-4th, and $250-for-5th. To be eligible, racers must be members in good standing with either USAC or BCRA and enter and compete at both events.

The October 3rd event is the last scheduled racing program for 2020 at Shasta Speedway, located on the grounds of the Shasta District Fairgrounds. The track will host a Friday practice session on October 2^nd from 2 to 6 PM with practice pit passes priced at $30 each.  On Saturday October 3^rd, pit passes are $45 apiece and the gates will open at 10 AM and practice from 11 AM to 1 PM with the racing program set to start at 2 PM. 

Details for the Petaluma Speedway event can be found at https://www.petaluma-speedway.com/

 

Dynamat® at the 2019 SEMA show

Dynamat® at the 2019 SEMA show 

The Dynamat®  booth at the 2019 Specialty equipment Market Association (SEMA) showed off two unique and very different builds from opposite ends of the car hobby, both of which used Dynamat®  sound deadening and thermal protection products.

This 1973 Dodge Challenger “resto mod” street rod was built by Steve Strope’s  Pure Vision Design shop for Charles Schwab & Company as a prize for the champion of the Charles Schwab Challenge  golf tournament held in May 2019 at the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. The 1973 model year was chosen to celebrate the year that the Schwab brokerage firm was founded as well as celebrate 2019 as the the 73^rd anniversary of the first Colonial Tournament.

The build which took six months, included the installation of a Mopar SRT-8 392 cubic inch “crate” Hemi engine that produces 485 horsepower backed up by a Chrysler A-727 TorqueFlite automatic transmission. The custom bodywork is finished in Aston Martin Glacier Blue paint with one-off “Schwab” badging. The Challenger rides on B-Forged wheels from Billet Specialties Inc., with the front wheels measuring 18 inches diameter by 8 inches wide with 19-inch diameter by 10-inch wide wheels in the rear.

Gabe’s Customs installed the diamond-stitched white leather upholstery which is accented by Colonial’s trademark Scottish royal tartan on the seats, a tribute to the tartan plaid jacket awarded to the tournament champion. In addition to the 1973 Dodge Challenger, Kevin Na the tournament winner received the iconic 42-inch-tall, 55-pound Leonard Trophy, a jacket and a $1.314 million check. Na gave the car to his caddie Kenny Hams.

The other car on display was this one-off coachbuilt custom known as “Illusion” from Rick Dore Kustoms.  It features a hand-formed aluminum body with suicide doors and a removable lift off top built by Luc De Ley of Marcel's Custom Metal. The car uses a custom Art Morrison 124-inch wheelbase frame and suspension and is powered by a Chevrolet LS-3 480-horsepower engine connected to a 4L60E automatic 6 speed transmission.

The custom grille was built by Pinhead Fabrication and the chrome bright work was performed by Sherm’s Custom Plating. The two tone paint was applied by Benny Flores, while Ron Mangus trimmed the interior.    The car was shown incomplete at the 2018 Grand National Roadster Show (GNRS) and the completed machine made its debut at the GNRS in January of 2019.

 Check out the Dynamat®  site at http://www.dynamat.com/automotive-and-transportation/automotive-restoration

All photos by the author 

Custom Pontiac LeMans at SEMA 2019

"LeMANSter"

Custom Pontiac LeMans 

 

Too often the intermediate size Pontiac LeMans is overshadowed in the automotive world by its muscle car brother, the GTO. This LeMans, built by Blue Sky Performance, displayed out in front of the Las Vegas Convention Center during the 2019 SEMA show sure does a lot to change that commonly-held opinion. 

The “LeMANSter” is powered by a Butler Performance Pontiac 535 cubic-inch all-aluminum crate engine that develops 698 horsepower and 730 foot/pounds of torque beneath a custom flush-mounted functional “Shaker” hood scoop. The exhaust gases are routed through the Roadster Shop “Fast Track” chassis powder coated by Blast Lab in 3-inch exhaust pipes with integrated “Boom Tube” exhaust cut outs.

The interior of the "LeMANSter" is finished in Relicate Millwood leather by Bux Customs accessorized with custom machined trim from EVOD Industries. In addition to the gauge cluster bezel, shifter bezel and “LeMANSter” nameplate in the interior, EVOD provided the front grille insert and rear tail panel molding and taillights.

The car rides on Boze Forged 18x9” & 19x12” “Torque” style 3 piece wheels wrapped in Pirelli tires. Brushed finishes were utilized throughout the build including brushed stainless trim, brushed aluminum and custom brushed nickel trim all done by Ogden Chrome. The "LeMANster" is finished in Land Rover China Black Axalta Chromapremier refinish products.

Check out the builder’s website at https://www.blueskyperformanceandrestoration.com/