The MuscleCar Place Robert Kibbe

FEATURE INTERVIEWS:

Rick Schmidt:

Build your own Fire Am Or A VSE Cheverra Racer

Herb Adams "Cheverra" - Presently stored in the NPD Collection.

Rick Schmidt is back for our ever-popular "Ask Rick" segment this week and we discussed two different "Pro-Touring" cars in the NPD warehouse that were developed and created by Pontiac engineer Herb Adams. Specifically, the "Fire Am" Firebird and the "Cheverra" Camaro. Interestingly enough though, when these cars were created....there was no such thing as the phrase "Pro-Touring" at all. That phase would not enter the lexicon for at least another 20 years or more. These cars are rare, fast, and fun....and were developed in the late 1970's! Here's the fully story.

1980 Fire Am

In the mid 1960s road course racing was starting to get big and the big three were taking notice of the activity. Pontiac, as a performance leader, knew they had to do something about it. In the early 1970's Herb Adams was a Pontiac engineer and decided to modify his wife's 1964 LeMans to take it racing - the in the Trams Am series! This car was the (now) legendary "Gray Ghost" that nearly humiliated the factory teams on the Trans Am circuit. Herb bought it initially for his wife to drive daily (and she did). Conclusion: Herb knew what he was doing and could make cars handle.

Later on in his engineering and racing career at Pontiac, he was commissioned him to build a set of race cars to use in a celebrity racing event. This event was later cancelled but since he had already engineered and built the cars he wanted to make them available for customers. Pontiac gave him the go ahead to keep building the kits and parts so Firebird owners could make their cars faster and better handling. He then used his company, VSE to build the kits and went into full production on the "Fire Am" package for the Firebird. Just to prove the mods were worth it, Herb drove a Fire Am to the 24hours of Daytona and then used it in the race unchanged. This caught the attention of Goodyear who offered to sponsor him the next year.

Herb worked hard over the next year to produce his next race car, the Cheverra Camaro. It utilized his VSE suspension kits from the Fire Am and his own body modifications to build an even better racer for his next trip to Daytona. He once again drove it to the race, entered the event, and then proceeded to blow out a tire and hit the wall during qualifying. Herb fixed it later and used it at many other races across the country and firmly established the Cheverra's place in history. Many people consider this vehicle as the start of the Pro-Touring movement and there is a huge cult following even to this day.

There is a lot of interest in both the Fire Am and Cheverra and it was even featured in a recent Hot Rod magazine. Facebook groups and websites still talk about the originals and many people have been creating their own custom cars using these parts. NPD actually teamed up with Herb Adams and VSE to exclusively license official parts for the Fire Am and the Cheverra which you can find on the NPDLink website. You can LITERALLY build your own Cheverra!

You can find out more about NPD at the website National Parts Depot, or on social media  Twitter.com/npdlink. If you would like to "adopt" (for a slight rehoming fee) the Cheverra you can contact Rick at the NPD headquarters.

Thanks Rick!

-Rob Kibbe

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This interview sponsored by our pals at National Parts Depot – your premier source for muscle car restoration parts!





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Presented with Good Guys!

As announced in this episode, we're working with GoodGuys this spring to promote their upcoming car shows and autocross events! Of note to many will be the all new "Challenger" class at the autocross,

If you've been following this show for a while you know that 1970's and 80's TV cars (and trucks) have had a huge influence on the cars we all love today. From the General Lee, to KITT, to the A-Team, all of those shows featured a hero vehicle that was just as much a character as any one of the individual actors. Today's episode is a full take on yet another beloved classic...and features a full rundown of everything you'll need to know to build your very own "Fall Guy" Square-Body GMC truck! Even better, our guest Nathan Warren has more passion for this topic than anyone I know. Buckle up for takeoff!



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Presented with Good Guys! Upcoming events include:



Goodguys 6th Griot’s Garage North Carolina Nationals Presented by Griot's Garage April 23-25, 2021

**Use Our Custom Link for Signup Discount!**

www.eventbrite.com/e/138860897683/?discount=GGMUSCLE



Goodguys 2nd RaceDeck Salt Lake Nationals May 21 - 23, 2021 Utah State Fairpark

**Use Our Custom Link for Signup Discount!**

www.eventbrite.com/e/138872376015/?discount=GGMUSCLE

This week, we get a chance to catch up with a previous guest and friend of the show Garrett Daniels. When I interviewed Garrett three years ago in episode 351, he was just starting out on his own trying to make a business out of his passion of fabrication. Specifically, he wanted to specialize in roll cages and off road suspension for the trucks he loved most. Since then many things went well, some things became "difficult learning lessons", but it all helped him to adapt and thrive to where he is today!



Big News: GoodGuys is promoting upcoming events and we have discounts for two of them!



Goodguys 6th Griot’s Garage North Carolina Nationals Presented by Griot's Garage April 23-25, 2021

**Use Our Custom Link for Signup Discount!**

www.eventbrite.com/e/138860897683/?discount=GGMUSCLE



Goodguys 2nd RaceDeck Salt Lake Nationals May 21 - 23, 2021 Utah State Fairpark

**Use Our Custom Link for Signup Discount!**

www.eventbrite.com/e/138872376015/?discount=GGMUSCLE

It's the first show of April, and once again time for our monthly Ask Rick segment with Rick Schmidt! This time I wanted to know more about the unusual and rare vehicles in his collection. On our family trip to Florida we had a chance to stop in at NPD and were shown around the incredible collection that Rick and his father have amassed over the years. The "personal luxury car" segment of giant Buicks, Olds, Lincolns, and Fords is second to none....but the 1987 Firebird that really caught my eye was produced by a huge company in the 1980's that is nothing but a memory today!

Larry Callahan is back! For 2021 Larry will be joining us quarterly in a feature interview to bring the latest Pro-Touring event information straight from Pro-Touring.com. Larry is the "OG" of the Pro-Touring social media movement and a dear friend. You can take what he says to the bank!



Upcoming Events: Larry was able to get a comprehensive list of events for this quarter and I have posted it below. He also said he would be adding links to it and hosting it on the Pro-Touring.com website. It is exciting to see so many events listed including many that are brand new while some events are older established events that are going to see a huge upswing in interest due to pent up frustration. It will be very interesting to see what new vehicles emerge freshly built and ready to race as well as old familiar vehicles with new updates bursting forth from sequestering garages. People are anxious to use their cars after a completely missed summer in 2020 and this year will be the one to watch and attend.

FEATURE INTERVIEWS:

Damon Sampson:

Why MAST Motorsports is the LS and LT Powerhouse!

MAST Motorsports engines

In the past 15 years many engine companies have come and gone, but Horace Mast's "MAST Motorsports" became the go-to place for many top builders and racers to source their extra hot LS engines (and today, LT engines). While nothing speaks higher than customer loyalty, I really wanted to know why - who - and how MAST was, what specifically they were doing, and why they are so revered. In today's interview with MAST's own Damon Sampson I finally got my answer!

Damon Sampson works at MAST Motorsports as the sales and tech guru and otherwise known as a jack of all trades. Some have called him the walking wikipedia of all things LS and LT related. He is a born and bred Texan that grew up around motors and getting his hand dirty. In 2008 Mast brought him a project to figure out and they were impressed enough that they hired him and he has been there ever since.

Brian Hobaugh's MAST Factory LST

MAST Motorsports is named for it founder Horace Mast, a Texas A&M grad and super smart engineer. His love for making this work - and work better - is what led to the development of the company.

Damon said the he is a very engine focused person that loves to be at the dyno working and designing to get every bit of power and quality he can. You can find this difference in the products they sell. For example the in house MAST designed, cast, and machined LS aluminum head is actually six pounds heavier than the OEM version due to beefing it up in the areas it needs more strength to be a high quality part worthy of the MAST name.

They also sell original equipment parts that have been massaged and modified to bring out the best in those parts as well under their "Factory MAST" line. These parts are a great option for those looking for an upgrade at a more affordable price point.

With all of his years working with LS engines, Damon has answers to all of the burning LS and now LT questions for us and customers. He has setup and run over two thousand LS engines on dynos trying out different combinations and learning what makes the power and what is best for different situations. This helps MAST customers as he has experienced almost every intended purpose and can help you with your next project. 

Mast Motorsports offers a full line of products for both LS and LT engines. Under the Factory MAST line they even sell LST port injected LT conversion products (see the picture in this article of Brian Hobaugh's engine). These are good for the person wanting to upgrade to new engine styles but are still apprehensive about direct injection.  Damon said a surprising advantage to LT products is actually cost. The LT products are cheaper, especially when it comes to upgrades. Even truck engines are higher horsepower and very attractive to hot rodders. The L8T truck engine has many advantages and Damon walked through one potential combination on that engine and how an LT can be configured as a port injected stroker engine for less than an LS.

Damon Sampson - MAST

The real secret to MAST Motorsports however is that what you see on the website....isn't the whole story. You BEST bet is to call them directly, share your application, and work together to find the best solution for your car, truck, race car, airboat, etc. In the case of my Chevelle Damon gave me several recommendations - only one of which was really an "off the shelf" variant from the website. 

You can find out more about MAST Motorsports and the selection of LS and LT parts at MastMotorsports.com or follow them on Facebook.com/MastMotorsports or Instagram.com/MastMotorsports. They also produce some funny and informative videos on Youtube.com/user/MastMotorsports. You can call them at 1-866-551-4916 or Email at info@mastmotorsports.com .

Thanks Damon for the amazing LS and LT