themotorhood.com^87
A year of Saturdays later, the completed mild-steel
tube frame chassis and integrated roll cage could
be rolled out of the garage for the first time. Mazda
RX-7–sourced Tein struts hold up the front end
while a custom four-link and coilovers raise the rear.
With plenty of nitrous oxide in the car’s future, Alan
went as far as purchasing an altered to strip for a
few key components, the most significant being
the Powerglide transmission — a gearbox he now
lovingly refers to as the “poor man’s Lenco”. A nine-
inch diff filled with 35-spline Strange axles and a
Strange ultralight head with 4.86:1 gears was tucked
under the rear.
Every clip and bracket on the car was thought
through a hundred times before being laser cut
and welded in, with Alan taking as much pride
in the aesthetic of the build as the quality. This
flowed over to the exterior, where Alan knew
exactly how he wanted the rear wheel arches to
look. After studying how to get them large enough
to showcase the 33-inch tall Hoosiers that he’d
purchased, before long, he was cutting, welding,
and filing. The result is wheel arches both wider and
higher than the originals. While the sheet metal was
being worked on, the rear bumper was removed
and a lighter weight rolled panel fitted in its place,
complete with number-plate recess to add a bit of
extra strength.