From behind, those big tires are able to take on what the engine can give with careful suspension tuning; the car clocked a 9.77 in a configuration with slightly wider rear meat.
 The interior is now equipped with lightweight buckets, a Grant wheel, and a Quicksilver shifter from B&M. |
Indy Cylinder Heads supplied a set on monster-port 440-1 heads, now equipped with Indy valves and Comp Cams springs. These are spanned by one of Indy’s 440-3 single plane intakes, which in turn hosts a Holley Dominator that’s been massaged by Pro Systems. Juice comes from the Optima battery (now in the trunk with the 10-gallon fuel cell) that cranks power to MSD and NGK ignition components. An Indy single-line external oiling system is in place to keep it all slick.
Mopar’s big Six Pack scoop never came on anything but B-bodies; thanks to aftermarket sources, fresh air can get right to the motor through this one.
 Ron Polidora is all business, whether at work or at play… |
The rest of the driveline is still hardcore but straight forward; a 727 Torqueflite full of good stuff from Cope Racing Transmissions, with Ron shifting gears though a Griner valve body with a B&M Quicksilver shifter. Out under the rear is a bulletproof Dana 60 using Moser race pieces and a barely streetable 4.30 gearset. Yes, streetable, because the car is tagged, but now radical enough that it is more of a strip machine than street beast. An 8” 5500-stall PTC converter gets the fuel moving through the big ports.
To set up the suspension, Ron pulled the leaf spring layout off the car and went with coil-over QA-1 shocks and a ladder bar set-up; this allows the suspension some adjustability on the racetrack and removes static. Four wheel discs (factory front and aftermarket Wilwood rear) make sure the car can slow down with no problem.
At the time of the original story, the car was down in the low 10s. With the changes that have been made since then, it has gone as quickly as 9.77 at 136 (60’ times are in the 1.29 range). This was done through the exhaust on a set of wide 325/R50-15 Mickey Thompson tires on Weld Wheels Draglite rims; we call that impressive.
So, as he finishes up the last few months of his current tour overseas, the car has been taken to Bob George Racing Enterprises in the town of Eighty Four, Penn., to get a complete 12-point cage installed and some minor upgrades in the interest of safety. The stock interior uses lightweight buckets, a Grant steering wheel, G-Force belts and Autometer gauging.
Still living in Jacksonville, N.C., Ron hopes to gets some serious time in with the car during 2008.
“As before, I can't wait to get back to the family and my newly updated
car,” he says. “I still have it tagged and insured and I drive it a few times a month to cruises and stuff on the street when I’m back. With all the new stuff, it will stay track legal, too.”