PROJECT CAR STORY
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           The good friends Todd Ward, Jim Heaton, Jon Simerly, Kevin Norton, Marlon Boring, and Troy Criscillis inevitably morphed into nighthawks. Norton fabbed a sheet metal case for the fuel cell. Marlon Boring did up the interior with NOS applications. Criscillis helped Mark fit the sheet metal and mapped out the bumble bee stripe. Another pal, J.R. Carnes, lent Mark space in his establishment (JR’s Rod Shop, Maryville, TN), aided in the reassembly, and applied advice as well as the inevitable paint phases.

            Mark bought the 1968 Camaro when he was 18. The first priority was its cancerous body. He replaced floors and panels and a tail pan. He stripped and sand-blasted the sub-frame and the suspension pieces. He put the stub frame and suspension back on the carcass with solid mounts and Energy Suspension bushings, respectively. He put disc brakes up front by swapping in Monte Carlo spindles and calipers with Chevelle rotors.       

             “After six years of work, I finally drove my ride in 1998. Then, in the fall of 2004, I drove the car to Somerset, KY. As we entered town, I noticed that the motor was making a strange noise. With the help of my fiancée (now wife) Bridget, we rebuilt the engine (no, not on the spot). She usually teaches first grade, so this was a first for her. I showed her what to do and explained the tools we were using. We got the car back together just in time for our December ’05 wedding. Do ya'll think I lit ‘em up when I left the reception, or what?”

            Now for the best part: “I had a lot of help getting this car together. I want to thank everyone, especially mom and dad, for having faith in me to complete the project.” He didn’t forget about Bridget, either. And that’s The Story (the first part of it, at least).

POWERTRAIN

            Mark discussed with Gary Neff just what he’d be bringing to the party. Neff realized that familiarity provides a sense of safety, congruity, and calm. What could be more harmonious than a small-block 383 stroker? Neff stirred the iconic engine with one of Herman Heaton’s coddled cranks and pinned the pistons to forged GM connecting rods.

            A custom-ground Lunati solid roller cam solved the valvetrain question. The car has been running for nearly ten years and when Mark decided about the cylinder heads in ‘93, the brand new World Products iron castings (200cc intake runners, 2.02/1.60-inch valves) seemed the logical choice. Neff paired them with an Edelbrock Victor Jr. intake manifold and a Holley 750cfm carburetor. From the headers back, Kwik-O in Knoxville plumbed a fat 3-inch exhaust system and snaked it through Flowmaster muffs. An MSD billet distributor and 6T box raise a spark ruckus.