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 73rd 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
