DRAGGED UP

The magic numbers for Dan Southall that flashed up on the timing boards at Napa Auto Parts Dragway at the fourth comp meet of the season were 7.98 at 182.92mph. As you will have seen in the last issue, the man was on a mission to run a seven in his smalltyre, small block–powered ’69 Camaro. After he came tantalisingly close to the seven-second zone previously, the stars aligned to make it all happen not long after the last issue went to print.

We all know that running a seven in a dedicated drag car is a great achievement, but running it in a small-tyre street car takes a whole different level of dedication. Just in case you missed it last issue, the car runs a Fish Family Racing–built 406 equipped with Air Flow Research heads and a pair of BorgWarner S400SX-E turbos fed by a Holley Dominator EFI system. A lot of work has gone into the driveline, not to just handle the power but to help with it being applied progressively as the car moves down the track. For this, an M&M Transmissions–built ATI-cased TH400 has been used to feed power to a Moser M9 sheet-metal diff. Running comparatively skinny 29.5/13 Hoosier tyres means that Dan turned to Gazzard Brothers in Australia to help sort the suspension set-up — which, surprisingly, still runs leaf springs.

The car is no lightweight, retaining a full steel body utilising composite doors and hood. Dan’s put in the hard yards over the years, becoming one of the most dedicated racers in the country, living in Christchurch, and having most of the work done on the car in Auckland. Obviously, he’s got a long list of people that he’d like to thank for making it all possible, including C&M Performance for all the tuning and fab work; Reece Fish for building the engine; M&M Transmissions; Burke’s Metalworks for making the car look so good; and, of course, his family, who have tolerated his dedication to working his way up the street car list.