Spectre Spotlight: The JF Kustoms ‘57 Chevy

January 9th, 2012

We met JF Launier at a Goodguys Show and he proposed a couple projects that we might be interested in.  JF works out of a shop in Osooyos, BC Canada and we were impressed with the JF Kustoms project cars.

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The one that interested us the most was a ‘57 Chevy that was not only going to SEMA but also participating in the 2011 OUSCI. Nicknamed “Redline”, the blue bowtie featured all the best in hot rod options,  a huge 572, Bowler 4l80e, Ridetech suspension, Flowmaster exhaust, BASF paint in a georgeous cobalt shade, Curtis Speed wheels, and a Lee Baxters hot rod interior. All it needed was a good looking air intake to top it all off. Luckily, we knew where to find that!

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JF chose one of our Quikits for the ‘57 Chevy and it fit perfectly, and looks great under the hood.

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“Redline” had a very respectable first showing at Optima, in a class of some of the finest muscle cars on earth. We’re proud to work with JF and builders like him.

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Spectre Collection: 1969 Dodge Dart

January 3rd, 2012

There are good things and bad things about car people, and when we brag about being car people, we have to come clean about our flaws as well…

We have too many projects, and some are neglected.

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We’d feel worse about it if we didn’t know that many of you suffer from the same issue. Hopefully you’ll have some sympathy as we introduce one of our long-ignored favorites, the Spectre Dodge Dart.

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Write in and tell us if any of the following sounds familiar.

We purchased the ‘69 Swinger on Ebay in June of 2006 from a guy in AZ. Why a Dart? Why Ebay? Nobody can remember. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

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As is so often the case, the Dart came to us as an all-stock running car, but nothing stays that way in the Spectre shop for long. We sent the car off to Fast Eddie’s to get a full cage in preparation for a proposed drag car project.

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Over at Eddie’s the little Dodge went from stock to stripped and caged, but then we got busy with other projects and the Dart has lived like a bat in the rafters for the past five years.

Happily, the Dart has made its way back to the shop floor.  Does this mean that 2012 will feature a second blue Spectre Mopar project? We may just get into drag racing…or should we build a corner carver?

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Head over to our Flickr account for more Dart and other project photos.

Wednesday Spectre Special

December 21st, 2011

Online shopping has made buying car parts very easy, but there are some days where you just want to browse. Our Spectre HPR filters are now in the filter section of all Pep Boys stores nationwide, so head over to your local Pep Boys and pick up everything you need.

Speed by Spectre’s “SPI” – A Brand New Addition

December 15th, 2011

We’ve mentioned our “SPI” program before, a closer look at our up and coming drivers and builders. Usually we’re focusing on someone who has a driver’s license, or at least doesn’t require a booster seat to ride in the car, but sometimes, you can just tell a car-guy when you see one:

Everyone at Spectre would like to congratulate Jaime and Sonia Kouk on the birth of their son, Robert Michael Kouk. We can’t wait to meet him.

Wednesday Spectre Special

December 14th, 2011

Spectre has filters for all your projects, even the ones which just haul people around. Don’t neglect your daily driver, especially since Advance Auto Parts is running a 15% off sale on everything in the replacement parts category. OEM filters for everyone this Christmas!

Spectre Behind the Scenes: Holiday Hijinks

December 13th, 2011

Spectre Spotlight: The RPM Runt

December 12th, 2011

We are loving the growing trend of building show cars that can perform on the track, so when Curt and Fritz contacted us to see if we’d like to be a part of the RPM Hot Rod’s ‘62 Chevy II build, we were happy to say yes…well, once we stopped laughing at the build’s nickname. “The Runt”? Poor lil’ Chevy. It’s hard being a compact car.

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RPM built the car for one of their longtime customers, Gerry Kerna, who was interested in competing in the autocross, as well as adding to her show car collection.

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The Runt may have a funny name, but the car is no joke! With custom fabricated chassis, LS7, Tremec 6-Speed and all kinds of custom body modifications, this cherry beast will definitely have the last laugh at anyone who dares to challenge Kerna on the track.

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The Runt not only won Goodguys Muscle Machine of the Year award for 2011, but it also was invited to join the elite at OUSCI this year.

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Anyone who takes the time to  peek under the hood of the Runt will definitely appreciate the quality and hard work that went into building this car.  Of course, we’re especially delighted by the  awesome custom Spectre intake.  Not only did RPM add their own unique coating to the aluminum tubes, they utilized the inline filter option we have, making a lot of people question where the filter went. Ooh, a mystery!

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We will be working closely with RPM in the future and hope they will continue to use Spectre’s parts to build custom intakes for their one off cars.  We also will have a special surprise that we are working with RPM which will debut mid March.  Stay tuned for sneak peeks.

Tech Tips: How to Build Your Own Co-Driver

December 8th, 2011

Ask any car-dude how he became interested in cars and the answer is usually one of two answers; Either he was born with a wrench in his hand and his first act after breathing was to grease the axles on the hospital gurney, or he credits a father/brother/uncle/neighbor who was in to cars, and acted as a mentor.

At Spectre, we want to see more car guys (and car girls) and so we put together this list of tips to help you win over your friends and family to automotive activities.

1. Be sure you want it. A car buddy, whether it’s your kid or your wife or your nephew isn’t just someone to pump the pedal when you’re bleeding brakes and bring you beers. A real car person will say things like “The stance is wrong on the Cougar, it’s those stupid air shocks” or “Which cam are you putting in? Seriously? No way, that will kill the bottom end.” In public. If you just want a cheerleader, hire one.

2. First Impressions Matter. If you invite someone to a car activity, start with something likely to impress. Things like dirt track, drag racing and evening car cruises are fun for almost everyone. Save the 5am swap meet set up for a little later.

3. Be Prepared. At least, make sure they are prepared. If you’re taking someone to an evening event, make sure they bring a sweater. If you’re going to the races, warn them that it will be hot and there will be no shade, and there will be no place to sit because you really want to hang out in the pits and probably all you will eat all day is corndogs. Put sunscreen on your kids. It will make their memories of the event much more favorable.

4. Explain. If you’re standing over the engine bay of a Plymouth Cricket that someone has somehow wedged a 360 4-bbl in and you really need to take notes because you’ve got similar plans for a Dodge Colt and you think the engine bay is about the same size…explain why the car is unusual. Point out how they had to cut out the firewall and how it’s really cool to put a big engine in a small car and how if it was your project you probably wouldn’t have the headers running underneath the passenger seat like that. If you don’t explain, all they see is you staring like a dope for hours at a really, really dorky car.

5. Don’t Make Fun. As your protege gains confidence, they’ll want to chime in occasionally in conversations with you and the other car folks. This makes the likelihood of “dumb comments” very high. If your son blurts out something about low deck Chrysler 383s when the topic is actually stroker 350s, don’t be a dick about it. If you make someone feel ashamed about trying to learn more, they’ll just associate the whole automotive experience with feeling lousy.

6. Teach the Tricks: As you walk through a show or race field, point out some of the easy ways of telling cars apart. Things like side marker lights, wing windows and tail panels make identifying years and models much easier, and also more fun. Don’t forget that you once had to learn the difference between a ‘67 and a ‘68 Camaro too.

7. Let ‘em Drive. Seriously, this is a big one. Get people behind the wheel. If you won’t let them drive your car, then build them one of their own. If you’re working with someone under 16, take them karting or dirt biking, preferably something where they have to shift.

8. Help ‘em Wrench. If it wasn’t for the whole “hook one open end wrench to the box end of the other for additional leverage” trick, the only people who could be mechanics would be Estonian body builders. If you’re trying to encourage someone smallish to get in to wrenching, help them make the most of the tools and what upper body strength they have.

9. Take Turns. It may seem obvious, but if you’re getting support for your hobby, make sure you do the same, even if it (gasp) doesn’t involve cars.

10. Teach Your Kids. If you don’t have kids of your own, teach someone else’s. In another generation, maybe this whole list can be a moot point.

Wednesday Spectre Special

December 7th, 2011

If you were the kind of kid who enjoyed legos and building blocks, you might want to check out some modular toys that can help you finish your automotive projects.

Today’s highlighted seller and product is Modular Cold Air Intake components at JEGS.

No matter what your vehicle, hood clearance or engine combo is like, we make airboxes, inlets, plenums and tube bends to fit. Pop the hood and make your intake a custom Spectre Special.

Spectre Spotlight: Dan Weishaar’s 1968 Plymouth Roadrunner

December 6th, 2011

We get a lot of questions from Mopar fans asking us why our project stable doesn’t currently have any active Pentastar projects (We do have a Dart in the rafters, stay tuned for a closer look at that lil’ guy in an upcoming post.)

The main reason is, who wants to compete with Dan “the man” Weishaar? Seriously, look at this thing. Can we do better than that?

It’s a real 383-powered ‘68 Roadrunner and it barely weighs more than our Dart.  At 3556 pounds, the blue bird seems remarkably nimble skirting the cones at a Good Guys Autocross and Dan doesn’t limit his driving adventures to nice, rubbery cone barriers.

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In the last year, we’ve seen Weishaar at Optima events, at SEMA, on local cruise days and, perhaps most impressively, braving the hill at our own Speed by Spectre 341 Challenge. Perhaps our favorite thing about the Weishaar Plymouth is that Dan is never afraid to jump in and wrench on the thing, and he often includes his whole family. We approve of family automotive time.

If you want to build your own road warrior B-body, you’ll have to talk to Dan at one of the 2012 events. Luckily, his sweet cowl airbox is available from us, so at least you can make your engine bay look the part.

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For more specs on Dan’s car, check out some of the following links.

Car Craft Magazine

Street Legal TV

Hooniverse

Hot Rod Magazine

Spectre in the News

December 2nd, 2011

You already know that Spectre events and products regularly make the headlines. Need some reading material for a Friday afternoon? Check out some of the following links, or pick up some magazines on your lunch break!

Corvette Magazine – Issue #70

Popular Hot Rodding – January 2012

Bangshift.com – Optima Coverage

GM High–Tech Performance – January 2012 Vol 18 No.1

Speedhunters.com – SEMA Recap

Super Chevy – January 2012 / Vol 4

1 No.1

Hot Rod Magazine – Carbon Camaro

Spectre Behind the Scenes: Rise of the Machines

December 1st, 2011

Many of you don’t know this, but Spectre has a pretty busy machine shop along with the dyno and R&D facilities at Spectre headquarters.

We’ve heard some requests for more info about the goings-on at the shop, so we decided to introduce you to some of our equipment.

The 88 TON x 98.7″ AMADA HYDRAULIC PRESS BRAKE w/NC9-EX-II 3-AXIS CNC BACKGAUGE (MODEL RG-80) is our newest toy in the shop. The guys just finished updating the machines and getting everything ready so we can start using it.

Doesn’t that sound impressive?

We use the press for bending wings, front spoilers, heat shields, and other sheet metal fabrications, especially one-offs and prototypes.

The Amada is our first hydraulic press. Our other presses, which we will feature later, are all manual.

For those of you who have never seen or used a press like this, it’s fantastic for small runs, because once you set up to tooling for one bend, you can place the sheet metal in the machine and it will bend the piece to the exact angle you inputted, then on to the next piece, all with almost no physical effort on part of the operator!

We were testing it out on some heat shield designs this week.

With the Amada in-house, we are hoping to grow the application list for our exterior components as we get more cars into the shop for intake mock-ups and also expand our offerings of heat shields for more custom options.

With all the different engine swaps that are popular these days, we know that many people can’t use an off-the-shelf kit.

As a special treat for those of you who are true machine nerds, behold the glorious specs of the Amada Press Brake:

Max. Tonnage …………………………… 88 Tons
Max. Bending Length …………………….. 98.7″
Max. Stroke Length ……………………… 3.94″
Clearance Between Beams (Open Height) …….. 14.58″
Throat Depth …………………………… 15.76″
Distance Between Side Frames …………….. 80.8″
Hydraulic Tank …………………………. 13.46 Gallons
Machine Weight …………………………. 11,200 lbs.
Machine Dimensions – Overall Height ………. 81.2″
Overall Length …………………………. 98.7″
Overall Width ………………………….. 56.3″
Motor HP / Voltage ……………………… 7.5 230/460

Here’s a video of a press similar to ours at work. When we get cranking with our Amada, we’ll post up some live action from the shop. Get your popcorn!

Wednesday Spectre Special

November 30th, 2011

It’s shopping time, and who doesn’t love car parts in their holiday gift pile?

We’ve decided to help our Spectre shoppers and the many fine retailers which carry Spectre products by featuring a sweet deal on a sweet Spectre product from a different outlet every week.

This week we’re spotlighting Summit Racing’s “Totally Free” shipping on all Spectre products in their catalog.

Racers know that Summit delivers fast, and all month, they’ll deliver free too! Intakes for everyone!

Spectre Spotlight: Albert Melchior and the Carbon Kustoms Firebird

November 29th, 2011

As we look back over the past year, it gives us time to think about all the amazing cars we had the pleasure to see, race against, and even wrench on. In the driver’s seat of every sweet ride though, is a person, and we’d like to take some time to spotlight some of Spectre’s biggest supporters and close friends (don’t worry though, we’ll still give you car photos).

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One person that is guaranteed to cheer you up no matter how bad the race weekend, Albert Melchior.

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Albert comes down from Canada, where he owns Carbon Kustoms, a couple times a year to participate, and often sponsor, many of the Pro-Touring races.

It’s always a pleasure to see Albert. He has an enthusiastic attitude and it’s reflected in the cars he builds and races. We first worked with Carbon Kustoms when Albert called us with a project in mind and wanted to know what tubes he should use. We sent him a couple things and like magic a Spectre custom intake was created.

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Albert spends so much time under the hood, that he’s got some help behind the wheel. Kevin Miller, co-builder of Albert’s Firebird is a young and very talented driver. He has grown up around cars with the influential help of his father and has a ‘69 Camaro of his own that he built himself. Kevin has already participated in a handful of events throughout this year and did an excellent job piloting Albert’s ‘70 Firebird. We look forward to seeing more of Albert, Kevin and the Firebird in 2012!

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Good Guys Scottsdale: Go Kart Battle of the Vendors

November 17th, 2011