BIG BLOCK POWER!

Tristan Teki is a familiar face at the pointy end of Group 2 behind the wheel of his street-legal ’69 Camaro. He’s a big block fan at heart, though, and he’s set to bring that love to the CMC grid with a 500ci big block–powered Group 1 Camaro. As with all his builds, Tristan is hands-on himself, along with his usual crew of supporters, although, this time around, he’s also roped in professional help — in the form of Ken Hopper — to sort the Race Products Fab9 diff, brake brackets, and some suspension components. The diff is a work of art and includes a full-floater 900-series camber kit, offering two degrees of camber. Tristan says that this and the three-link are the most expensive parts of the build, and he’s probably not joking. The suspension that Hoppy is helping out with is ex-Nascar with a mix of Koni and Moton shocks pinched from another successful Group 1 car. This will be paired with the latest Nascar six-pot brakes all round. Once Hoppy’s finished, the team at Mitchell Race Xtreme will add their touch to the steering aspect of the build. A G-Force GSR gearbox has been purchased, being the strongest H-pattern that the company offers, in an attempt to harness the 750lb·ft of torque that it’ll be subjected to. The engine itself is based on a Dart Big M CNClightened block previously used in Grant Dalton’s Camaro, although with reworked internals for added cubes and compression. A Callies crank and rods have been slotted in, along with Diamond pistons, while the heads are 18-degree items. The powerhouse will be lubricated by a five-stage dry-sump system and fuel is care of a custom-built Dominator carb. The best part of the build, however, is the fact that Tristan told us that the “car will be like most my other cars — road legal. It’s currently having a repair cert done to get all paperwork in line for VINing!”