Year One project car 2003.Complete details may be found at http://ghostworks.yearone.com/1967-chevelle/
Sponsored by Gear Vendors: https://www.gearvendors.com/hotrod-sept03.html
A modern interpretation of a 60's style Super Stock drag car built for touring and racing.
Year One project car #5 documented with YearOne VIN tag.
Featured in the movie "Dukes Of Hazzard" in 2005.
"Top 10 Cars of the Year" 2003 Hot Rod magazine
CHP "Top 10 Chevelles"
Designed and owned by the YearOne project car designer.
Built by YearOne and BRP
The car that started the Drag Touring trend.
Driven across country twice on the Hot Rod Power Tour.
Has run a best of 9.81 at 138mph in the 1/4.
Appeared in the following TV shows and publications:
Hot Rod TV
Horse Power TV
My Classic Car
several Rides shows
several TV commercials
several times in Hot Rod magazine
6 page feature and cover Hot Rod Sept 03
Chevy High Performance
Featured at SEMA
several catalogs
several national advertisements
Rust free Georgia car with its original sheet metal. Mini tubbed to fit 14 inch wide tire inside wheel-well and semi channeled to get a low ride height and cool stance without dragging the ground. 12 point custom cage that is tucked up and away and through dash design makes it very unobtrusive. Full back seat and all interior trim.
Air conditioning! Separate fuel system for nitrous - Pump gas in the tank and race gas for the Nitrous. Ram air cleaner with Super Stock style headlight ports. Custom bumpers, tail lights, dash, and much more. This is a well thought out and ground breaking street car.
540 Merlin Big Block Chevy that was inspected and recently freshened. 9.5 to 1 - 670 hp engine only and 850 hp with current very conservative Nitrous tune. The pump gas engine has great road manners but has a very intimidating idle. Indestructible 400 turbo with trans brake allows for a tighter converter for street driving and wheels up 1.4 60-ft. times at the track. The Gear Vendors overdrive has no problem taking the torque and is responsible for the great highway manners. The rear end is a new cast Moser 12 bolt narrowed 3 inches from stock. The gears and Posi unit was just inspected and serviced last year. The adjustable shocks and suspension make it easy to switch from street to drag set-up in just a few minutes.
Custom Headlights with integrated turn signals Pro-stock style ladder tube chassis from the firewall back designed for the most ground clearance and traction without modifying original floorpans. Engine moved back in the chassis 2 inches for optimum traction. The car drives and hooks like a performance car should. It's an unbelievably fast street car that has the adjustability in the suspension and Nitrous control to be set up for any conditions.
Comes with photos of the car on movie set and documentation from production company. Photos of clone stunt cars that were built to jump in the filming of the movie.Also have a complete set of new decals which where used on the car in the movie. Several magazines and copies of TV shows it appeared in.
This is not a show car it is a real car that is driven and raced (it has the rock chips to prove it) but it still shows well at national events. It's always a crowd favorite. The more you look at the car the more you notice the time and effort and all the little tricks that were put into the car. Real car guys really appreciate it.
* 540 c.i.d. Merlin 4-bolt main block
* Eagle 4340 forged steel 4.250" stroke crank
* Manley 6.385" rods
* JE forged 4.500" pistons
* Merlin Rectangular-port aluminum heads
* Comp Cams solid roller camshaft
* Comp Cams full roller valvetrain
* MSD ignition system
* NOS Nitrous kit with digital controller
* Evolution Industries billet bottle brackets
* custom tucked Hooker SuperComp headers
* exhaust cutouts for drag strip use
* Hooker Aero Chamber mufflers
* Earl's Pro-Lite lines and fittings
* Aeromotive fuel pump
* RCI fuel cell
* Be Cool aluminum radiator, electric fans
* 400 turbo with trans brake
* TCI 3500 stall torque converter
* Gear Vendors overdrive unit
* Moser 12-bolt rear with 3.73 gears
* Eaton limited-slip differential
* Dynotech Metal Matrix driveshaft
* House of Color paint Blue Blood Red and Orion Silver with Tangerine and Gold Flames
* Year One composite cowl induction hood
* Powdercoated molding and trim
* BRP tubular back-half Pro-Stock ladder style frame
* Flaming River steering rack, steering shaft, and tilt steering column
* SSBC drop spindles
* Global West tubular front upper and lower control arms and body mounts
* QA1 front and rear 9 way adjustable competition coil-overs
* 1998 Firebird bucket seats with custom Year One 1967 Chevelle red seat covers
* Hurst Pistol-Grip Quarter Stick shifter
* ACC floor mats, carpet, underlay
* Detroit Speed & Engineering prototype delay wiper motor and switch
* Vintage Air HVAC system
* Billet Specialties steering wheel
* RCI 5-point harnesses
* SSBC front and rear brakes aluminum master cylinder
* front wheel line lock
* 17" x 7" front, 18" x 10" Billet Specialties Strip wheels
* Brand new 245/40 17 Nitto 555 radial front and305/40 18 Nitto 555R Drag Radial rear
Runs and drives great on the highway. It will run 90 mph all day long, with the AC on in 100 degree weather, then run in the 9s at the drag strip. Proudly one of the most aggressive pro-touring cars to go on Power Tour and attend national shows.
6000 miles since build. Appraised for $160k in 2006.
In as-built MINT condition, driven rarely and always covered and stored in a climate controlled facility.
By: DAVID FREIBURGER
Photography: Wes Allison & Phil Brewer
Reprint from Hot Rod Magazine, September 2003
t was a tale of a mad trash, a big fire, and something about trans parts shooting through the floorpan during a chassis dyno test. And that was just in the last few days before Power Tour ’03, but they made it.
Here’s the complete chassis, which was fabricated on the bare body tub as it was spun upside-down in the BRP shop.
Page Two
That was the culmination of a plan that the Year One guys had hit us with after their Innovator ’69 Camaro ragtop first appeared at Tour ’02 and then on our September cover last year. The company known for GM, Mopar, and now Mustang resto parts has caught the street machine bud, and after moving the Pro Touring thing up a notch with their sweet-potato-orange-and-white Camaro, decided it was time to put the same rub on old-school Pro Street. Tubs were out of the questions, but the guys wanted to revitalize the drag-race vibe and performance of the early ’90s in a modernized capable cruiser worthy of Power Tour and another HOT ROD cover. We bench raced a while, us mostly just nodding confirmation of YR1’s rock-solid ideas for the car, and came up with this: a ’67 Chevelle that’s Pro Touring at a glance, drag racy on closer inspection, and road-trippable as proven on the recent 2,300-
mile trek from the company’s Atlanta headquarters to Nashville then Dallas and back during the mayhem of HOT ROD’s annual Power Tour. There’s also a street-rod build quality, and with all those themes thrown into one A-body, we call it Drag Touring. The Brewers Restoration and Performance guys call it a Muscle Rod.
Who’s BRP? As with the Camaro last time, this Chevelle is a homogenous blend of the efforts of Year One and Brewers in Cumming, Georgia. And to keep nepotism alive, the car is actually owned by Phil Brewer the younger, who is both Year One’s Creative Director and the son of Phil Brewer the elder, owner of BRP. Concepts flowed from Dennis Roberts and Phil Jr. in the Year One office, and sparks flew at BRP. We find the chassis construction most notable, using gennie Chevelle rails from the firewall forward and a BRP-fabbed tubular
Page Three
1The drag scheme meant big-block, aptly filled by the World Products 540-incher tht runs on pump gas but with a suitably grumpy idle thanks to a Comp 260/268-at-0.050 solid roller. All the ram air stuff was fabbed at BRP.
2The guys felt that EFI would tame the driveability, and chose Holley’s Commander 950 controller along with a 2,000-cfm throttle-body and custom-plumbed manifold fitted with injectors and an NOS NOSzle nitrous system.
3The finished trunk includes all the standards. Your only question might be the 1-gallon Moon tank to the far right it carries 116-octane race fuel for use only during nitrous blasts. The nitrous bottles are mounted to the rollbar with brackets from Evolution Industries.
Quick InspectionPhil Brewer Jr.
’67 Chevy Chevelle
Conners, GA
ENGINE
Type:540ci big-block
Block:Word Products Merlin II, 4,500 bore
Oiling:Milodon
Crankshaft:Eagle forged, 4,250 stroke
Connecting Rods:Manley 6.385
Pistons:JE, 9.5:1 compression ratio
Cylinder Heads:Merlin rectangle-port aluminum, 350cc intake ports
Camshaft:Comp Cams solid-roller, 260/268 duration at 0.050, 0.671/0.671 lift, 114-degree LDA, 1.7:1 Comp Pro Magnum roller rockers
Induction:Holley 2,000-dfm throttle-body, Holley 50-lb/hr injectors, Holley Commander 950 engine management, NOS NOSzle direct port nitrous injection with NOS progressive controller, Aeromotive fuel pumps (11101 for engine, 11106 for nitrous), Earl’s plumbing
Ignition:Mallory Hy-Fire
Exhaust:Hooker Super Comp headers (tucked to body for ground clearance). QTP electronic exhaust cutouts,Hooker Aero Chamber mufflers
Cooling:Be Cool aluminum radiator, dual electric fans, Aerospace Components electric water pump
DRIVETRAIN
Transmission:TCI reverse-pattern TH400 with trans-brake, TCI 2,500-stall torque converter (stalls to 3,500 on trans-brake), Gear Vendors Over/Underdrive unit
Rearend:Moser 12-bolt rear with 4.10 gears, 33-spline axles, Eaton limited-slip differential
CHASSIS
Front Suspension:Stainless Steel Brakes drop spindles. Global West tubular front upper and lower control arms, QA1 coilover conversion
Rear Suspension:BRP tubular back-half frame, BRP-fabricated ladder bars, track locator, NASCAR-type rear sway bar, QA1 coilovers
Brakes:Stainless Steel Brakes 12-inch front and 10-inch rear discs, Hurst Line/Loc
Steering:Shock front clip modified by BRP to accept Flaming River steering rack, Flaming River steering shaft, and Flaming River tilt steering column
WHEELS & TIRES
Wheels:Billet Specialties Strip design, 17×7 and 18×10
Tires:245/45-17 Nitto 555x front, 305/45-18 Nitto 555R Drag Radials rear
BODY & PAINT
Body:Year One composite cowl induction hood, BRP-modified tailight bezels, Powdercoated molding and trim by Buford Painting and Powdercoating (Buford, Georgia)
Paint:House of Kolor Blue Blood Red and Orion Silver with Kandy Tangerine and Pagan Gold Frames
INTERIOR
Full rollcage by BRP, ’98 Firebird bucket seats with Year One ’67 Chevelle red seat covers, Hurst Pistol-Grip Quarter Stick shifter, ACC floor mats and carpet, Detroit Speed & Engineering wiper motor and switch, Vintage Air HVAC system, Custom Autosound hidden stereo/CD system, Billet
Specialties steering wheel, RCI five-point harnesses
THANKS
Jimmy Kerlin, Jeff Georges, Nick Reed, Chad Fezatte, Dave Gravley, Kevin Orr, Dennis Roberts, Kevin King, Keith Maney, A.J. Brewer, Pat Staton, Brad Brand (Atlanta Chassis Dyno)
Page Four
4The dash full of Auto Meter says Pro Street, as does the Hurst Pistol Grip shifter, but the seats say “drive me comfy style.” They are late Firebird units recovered in Year One’s stock of red Chevelle vinyl.5The NOS progressive nitrous controller is on a
remote, flip-down panel for easy access, yet is hidden when driving. The custom Autosound stereo is also concealed.6Recalling the Super Stock days, the inner headlights were chucked in favor of fresh air. We also like the screen detail in the bumper
opening.7The wheels and tires are 17×7 and 18×10 Billet Specialties Strip billets with 245/45-17 Nitto 55s up front and 305/45-18 Nitto 555R Drag Radials on the rear. The brakes clear 15-inch wheels if pure strip meats are needed.
combination of square and round tubing designed in a lower-than-stock profile to drop the body lower on the chassis-kind of a modern version of channeling, or what the sport truck guys call a body drop, but without the sheetmetal butchery of recessing the stock frame into the floorboards. The chassiswork also allowed for dropping the engine 2 inches and setting it back 1 ½.
From there on, the Pro Tour and drag-race metaphors get mixed, with Global West tubular front A-arms and QA1 coilovers riding alongside a modified crossmember with a Flaming River manual rack and fabricated tie-rod ends mating to the spindles. Smallish 12-inch-front and 10-inch-rear Stainless Steel Brakes rotors were chosen specifically to thwart a road-race look, and to accommodate the inevitable 15-inch wheels to be used on the dragstrip. The rear suspension blends BRP-fabricated ladder bars and a track locator with a NASCAR-type rear sway bar. So there’s something from every venue, all working together to deal with the Holley-fuel-injected World Products 540ci big-block
on NOS sniff. More of the mixed message: Power transmission includes both a TCI trans-braked TH400 and a Gear Vendors Over/Underdrive unit taming the 4.10s out back.
Reports from the maiden voyage reveal 80-mph cruise speeds at 2,800 engine rpm, 200 degrees in the Be Cool radiator with the Vintage Air system set on freeze, and pure reliability with the exception of some fuel-map bugs that were laptopped into submission during Power Tour. Dragstrip times? Sadly, that’s the one thing we can’t claim as yet. We know the World Products 540 makes 600 hp, and even with all those planetary gearsets between the flywheel and the rubber, it made 515 at the tires. And that’s without the nitrous. Year One hopes for low 11s on motor and high 9s on spray. Assuming that happens, this car could define a new trend of driveable drag cars. The technology is out there.
Muscle Rod? Modern Pro Street? Drag Touring? Whatever. Just follow.HR