004 Doin it for ‘Merica
Daniel Records 15th July 2020
My birthday was June 13th, and my wife had given me permission to buy a newer nicer trailer. The opportunity to join the AMCM series came up the following weekend and I got her to agree to another racecar of similar or lesser value than a new trailer. I spent hours on the internet and racingjunk scouring for a car that was a good candidate for the series. Knowing myself, I couldn’t start with a roller. As I waved goodbye to my failed SpecE46 project it impressed on me that I’m better at buying a running car and developing it from there. Why I chose not to build the SE46 is another store for another time, but on 6/25 a car was posted to the AMCM builders Facebook group that was finally well advertised, running and looked great, and priced right for what I needed.
It’s a 2001 ASA Monte Carlo with the ASA Dry sump LS1 Bottom end, fuel injection, a Jerico, and a tiger quick change rear end. It also came with a dyno sheet good for 420whp which means we’re close to the AMCM limit and can build on it easily.
The only problem was that it was in St. Paul Minnesota and I had some work commitments that meant getting it that weekend was the best chance at having it home before about August. The seller agreed to meet me in Kansas City and I started searching for a co-driver to make the trip. First call was to my Dad who immediately said “what time we leaving?” So Friday the 26th we left after work and drove to Gainesville TX to stay overnight and continue in the morning. Saturday we woke up at 3am and drove from Gainesville to north of Kansas City to pick up the car and then back to Gainesville for the night. The major bonus of the trip was getting to have dinner with my brother whose a surgical resident in Dallas currently in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic! Then back to Houston on Sunday morning. Ended up with 1700 miles on the truck and trailer, both of which performed flawlessly...maybe we don’t need that fancy new trailer after all!
Car looks awesome, sounds incredible, and should be on track in short order. It needs some wiring cleanup, an ECU mount, and a good nut and bolt job to be track ready and I can’t wait to get it out!
