Tag: Terminator
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2019 Ford F-150 – Whipple 3.0L Supercharger
With 600whp at your right foot, the utility aspect of a truck, and the notorious Whipple whine under the hood, August’s may have the perfect daily driver! Once the truck was pulled into the shop, John got to work preparing the 2019 Ford F-150 SSV to get it’s Gen-III Coyote 5.0L Whipple 3.0L equipped! Modifications below:Performed by us:• Whipple Superchargers Stage-II 3.0L W185ax twin-screw system• Whipple Superchargers billet 132mm throttle body• Whipple Superchargers Crusher air-intake system• Whipple Superchargers 55 lb-hr fuel injectors• Boundary Lubrication Systems billet oil pump gears• Boundary Lubrication Systems billet crankshaft sprocket• All the miscellaneous OEM and aftermarket components to bring it all togetherPre-existing:• Stainless Works 1.78″ ID long-tube headers• Stainless Works X-pipe• Magnaflow cat-back exhaust systemWith the mechanical work wrapped up in the shop by John, Matt strapped her down to the rollers to flash a tune from Whipple Superchargers via HP Tuners. With 93 octane in the tank and the Whipple 3.0L delivering ~11psi, the Coyote’s output was increased to a solid 619.22whp & 513.54lbft! Needless to say, August is now having much more fun on the daily commute. -

C8 Corvette – AWE Cat-Back Exhaust
In addition to the recent cold-start video that was posted, we also wanted to share some behind-the-scenes action of the cat-back install on Christopher’s C8 Corvette. With this being our first C8 in shop and on the lift, we were all a bit excited to have a glance at the new mid-engined machinery that Chevrolet has been teasing us with for the past few years.With the C8 pulled into the shop and on the lift, Andrew got to work removing the rear bumper and OEM exhaust system. With the OEM exhaust system unbolted and out of the way, Andrew started piecing together the new 3” CNC mandrel-bent, U.S.-made .065” wall T304L stainless steel cat-back exhaust from the fine folks over at AWE Tuning. With this exhaust being designed, engineered, and manufactured in-house at AWE here in America, it’s nice to see American parts being used on American vehicles.Once the install work was completed, the C8 was brought back down to the ground, and the initial turn of the key handled, it was evident that this exhaust system was exactly what Christopher, and the entire shop, wanted. The mild growl of the factory exhaust was replaced with an instant roar of the AWE, leaving Christopher with grin from ear to ear! -

2021 Infiniti Q60s – HKS Exhaust
Ken brought us his brand new, 2021 Infiniti Q60s to have us install a beautiful exhaust system from HKS Co., Ltd!Modifications performed by us:While not an overbearing exhaust compared to most, this Q60s left the shop with a refined, smooth note that enhances the VR30. With titanium tips and the option to cap off the secondary Helmholtz resonators, it’s the perfect upgrade to a street-driven daily driver. -

2017 Chevrolet SS – Whipple 2.9L
On this installment of Whipple Wednesday, Jesse brought us his 2017 Chevrolet SS to create the perfect American family sedan, injected with a little bit of Aussie spirit! Following the desired Holden HSV GTS setup that we never got stateside, this SS features something the SS’s should’ve come with in America……BOOST!Pre-existing modifications performed by us:• AIRAID air-intake system• Stainless Works 1.78″ primary ID catted long-tube headers• MSD Performance spark plug wires• Design Engineering, Inc. Protect-A-Boot sleevesPerformed by us:• Whipple Superchargers 2.9L Gen-IV W175FF supercharger system (customer supplied)• Whipple Superchargers 4″ upper supercharger pulley• Siemens Deka Fuel Injectors 63 lb/hr fuel injectors• NGK Spark Plugs TR6 spark plugsWith the mechanical work wrapped up by Alex in the shop, Matt strapped her down to the rollers for Vlad to perform a custom calibration via HP Tuners. The results? 592.52whp & 547.68lbft on 93 octane!With the added power under the hood, Jesse can fully immerse himself in not only the vicious growl of the LS3 6.2L V8, but also the sweet sweet whine of the Whipple 2.9L W175FF supercharger system, all the while manually shifting all six gears though the Tremec Transmissions TR6060, fully creating an intoxicating experience that Jesse will be sure to enjoy. -

2017 Corvette Grand Sport – A&A Supercharger
Over 550whp on tap, and sporting a new form of fun hidden under the skinny pedal, Don’s 2017 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport is one killer daily driver. While the LT1 is a great performance engine in its own right, Don desired more, so a plan was implemented to add something most every C7 owner wants under the hood…..BOOST!Modifications performed by us:• A&A Corvette Performance supercharger system• Vortech Superchargers polished V3 Si head unit• A&A Corvette Performance 8-rib 3.80″ upper supercharger pulley• Innovators West, Inc. 7.650″ lower supercharger pulley• A&A Corvette Performance oil feed and return lines• Gates Corporation HD Fleetrunner “Green” belt• A&A Corvette Performance 38mm Turbosmart blow-off valve• NGK Spark Plugs LTR7IX-11 spark plugs• Lingenfelter Performance Engineering 160° thermostatWith the mechanical work wrapped up in the shop by John, Matt strapped her down to the rollers for Vlad to perform a custom calibration via HP Tuners. With 93 octane in the tank, and the Vortech YSi delivering ~9psi, Vlad increased the LT1’s output to a solid 571.37whp & 554.79lbft! Some pretty outstanding numbers considering this C7 is still on the stock fuel system! -

2019 Honda Civic Type-R
The newest generation of Honda’s Civic Type-R boasts some obtuse styling, something that can be hard for some to handle, but hop in the driver’s seat of one of these and you will find out just how much fun Honda’s latest iteration of the Type-R lineup is to drive. Featuring great performance and practicality, this hot hatch seemed to tick all the boxes for its owner Rueben.With the helical limited-slip differential keeping both front wheels under control, an extremely rigid chassis, joyous 6-speed manual transmission, and Honda’s known reliability completing the whole package, the FK8 CTR’s are considered one of the best-performing cars in the front-wheel-drive market today, consistently receiving positive praise from journalists, owners, and enthusiasts alike.While good enough for most, Ruben wanted to enhance his FK8, so a decision was made to bring us his bone-stock 2019 Honda Civic Type-R to get the K20C1 breathing a bit better and making some more jam! Modifications performed below:With the mechanical work wrapped up by Andrew in the shop, Matt strapped her down to the rollers for Vlad to get the FK8 dialed in via Hondata‘s FlashPro. With the stock turbocharger delivering ~23psi, Vlad increased the K20C1’s output to 333.43whp & 320.60lbft on 93 octane! Considering these cars normally baseline between 280-290whp in stock form, that’s a difference Ruben will definitely notice! -

2019 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport
Rick’s 2019 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport, finished in a fitting Sebring Orange Tintcoat, comes out of the box as a great platform, sporting loads of performance straight from the factory. With plans to track the car on road courses, Rick wanted more. The objective for the C7 was simple: increase throttle response, allow the engine to breathe better, and increase power. With a plan in place, the car was pulled into the shop and the build commenced. Build list below:Pre-existing modifications:• aFe POWER air-intake system• CORSA Performance cat-back exhaust systemPerformed by us:• MSD Performance Atomic intake manifold• Katech drive-by-wire 103mm throttle body• Kooks Headers and Exhaust 1.78″ primary OD long-tube headers• Kooks Headers and Exhaust 3″ X-pipe w/ high-flow catalytic converters• MSD Performance spark plug wires• Design Engineering, Inc. Protect-A-Boot sleevesWith the mechanical work wrapped up in the shop by Andrew, Matt strapped the C7 down onto the rollers for a custom calibration by Vlad via HP Tuners. With 93 octane in the tank, Vlad increased the LT1’s output to a solid 449.15whp & 455.32lbft, sending power to the rear wheels through an 8-speed automatic transmission. With the upgraded dry-sump lubrication system in the Grand Sport models keeping the oil pumped into the engine during sustained cornering and the added width of the fenders and body in contrast to the base model, you can say that Rick made a great choice when choosing the Grand Sport as a weekend cruiser and track car. -

2019 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Michael brought us his 2019 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 with the goal of adding 130-150whp on 93 octane while maintaining stock-like drivability. The solution? Our Stage-3 package! Modifications below:
Performed by us:
• Kong Performance OEM supercharger/snout porting service matched to 103mm throttle body
• ZPE GripTec 2.30″ upper pulley
• Dedicated Motorsports 10mm wider 6061 aluminum tensioner pulley
• Gates Corporation HD Fleetrunner Micro-V “Green” belt
• Nick Williams Performance drive-by-wire 103mm throttle body
• ATI Performance Products Super Damper harmonic balancer
• ATI Performance Products 8.295″/3.25% overdrive pulley
• Roto-Fab, LLC Big Gulp air-intake system
• Stainless Works 2.00″ primary ID long-tube headers w/high-flow catalytic converters
• Stainless Works axle-back exhaust system
• NGK Spark Plugs LTR7IX-11 spark plugs
• MSD Performance 8.5mm spark plug wires
• Design Engineering, Inc. Protect-A-Boot sleeves
• Lingenfelter Performance Engineering 160° thermostat
• DSX Tuning auxiliary fuel pump kit
• Mightymouse Solutions Mild catch can setup
• PWR North America 27mm heat exchanger
• Cordes Performance Racing & Sales supercharger expansion tankWith the mechanical work wrapped up in the shop by Tim, John strapped her down to the rollers for Vlad to perform a custom calibration via HP Tuners. The results? 695.29whp & 746.95lbft on 93 octane! Considering these cars normally baseline between 540-550whp on our dynos, this is right in line with our expectations. Solid outcome and killer value for what we consider to be our Stage-3 performance package for these cars.
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King Cobra: Anthony Veneziano’s Terminator-Swapped 1999 SVT Cobra
Certain icons stand out in history as pillars of automotive history. For Ford and Shelby, the Cobra is one of those very icons. From the original Shelby to the current GT500s, that snake has always represented one thing, unrelenting performance.
The key to unrelenting performance is, of course, making that performance reliable and steadfast. When building beyond the capabilities from the factory, this key becomes all the more important.
Anthony brought in his new-to-him supercharged 1999 SVT Cobra looking for a built bottom end to keep his Cobra’s performance unrelenting. On such a special build, featuring a full Terminator swap with rare parts, including some super rare euro tail lights, we knew that we would be able to make this Terminator-swapped Cobra a force to be reckoned with.
With the stock block not able to handle the current power efficiently and reliably, he worked with our performance consultants and build designers to figure out the best way to keep the power pumping and his motor running like a champ.
The solution sounded simple, a new short block built to withstand the new power and more. However, the reality was much more interesting.
Instead of just any new short block, we sourced a MMR Romeo Short Block, cast iron but with forged I-Beam rods and Manley Forged Pistons. This new beefed up short block would be more than capable to handle the extra power and boost the twin screw blower would send through the 4.6L DOHC V8. Andrew got to work resealing the engine with Fel-Pro gaskets and ARP hardware to make sure that it was sealed and torqued properly. Process is a huge part of what makes a difference during a build and we’re always focused on doing things the right way.
Forged internals are a great way to make the most of any standard cast iron block. And by pairing forged internals with a short block designed specifically for forced induction, Anthony’s Cobra was stronger than ever and ready to be back in business!
To give the Cobra some extra grunt, some PaceSetters full length headers, ceramic coated by our friends at Wild Things Powdercoating, and a custom-fabricated X-Pipe were added while the motor was out. With the engine setup ready to go, we got the car buttoned up and ready for the dyno!
After getting strapped in, dialed in, and a custom tune from our calibrator Vlad via SCT X4, Anthony’s Cobra put down an impressive 492whp and 450lbft of torque!
We couldn’t let this one go without a full shoot out back at the shop in Wilmington. For a closer look at this build, take a look at the gallery below.
Reach out to National Speed today to see what we can do for you!
Parts List:
- MMR Romeo Short Block
- Ford Racing Crankshaft
- Forged MMR I-Beam Rods with ARP Hardware
- Manley Forged Pistons & chromoly piston pins
- PaceSetter Ceramic Coated Full Length Steel Headers
- Custom Fabricated X-Pipe
- ARP 2000 Hex Head Stud Kit
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Greg's Dream Garage
You know, I figured it’d be a lot easier to narrow it down to 5 cars I wish I had, but alas it seems almost impossible. I could probably narrow it down to a top 20, but that’d still be tough. Either way, I’ve tried to narrow it down to a top 5. For some reason when formulating this list, I came to the conclusion that perhaps I like European cars a bit too much. These are in no particular order, and all of them will crush Casey’s pansy list.
[Click on all pictures to see extra sexiness.]
First up: The Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 Roadster.
[Sure sure, hate if you will, but if you don’t like my first choosing, something makes me think you won’t like the rest of them either.]
Hell, it’s an outrageous exotic supercar. What more can I say? I find the vehicle absolutely stunning in every way. It’s as wide as a hummer, the interior looks like a fighter plane, and it sounds like a hurricane. It’s Aesthetically pleasing, Aurally pleasing, and women find it sexually pleasing as well. Screw your hybrids, they bore me. This thing gets friggen’ 8 miles per gallon. If you can pony up the $336,000 for one, I doubt you really care about gas mileage or stereotypes. It’s powered by a 6.5 liter V12 and it has AWD and 100 miles per hour can be achieved in 2nd gear. Practical? It’s impossible to park, gets horrible gas mileage and weighs too much. I don’t care. I love this car.
Next up is: The Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione.
I picked this car for no more reason than appearance. Some find it hideous, I find it beautiful. A combination of Maserati chassis with a Ferrari derived 4.7 liter, the Alfa sounds only like a Ferrari could. Rather than exhaust, pure sex emits from the tailpipes, causing many problems driving around highly populated areas. It’s no limit pusher as far as performance goes, but it was never intended to be. The 4.7 pushes out 450hp and 354lbs/ft torque and it has an LSD and a sequential gearbox, but in all honesty that’s not what’s important. Just look and listen to it. You can see that this Alfa produces pure emotion. That’s worth the price of the $200,000 admission itself. Only 84 of these will be brought stateside.
Next is: The Brabus Rocket.
Everyone needs something a little more practical for daily driving, right? I suppose this car depends on your view of the word “practical”. With 730 horsepower and a ridiculous 970lbs/ft torque, it has more horsepower and torque than anything you’d ever need, but at least it has 4 doors. Based on the Mercedes CLS series, they took the already powerful standard CLS 600 Bi-turbo and stroked it to 6.3 liters, added cams, larger turbos, bigger intercooler, and exhaust. Brabus wanted to maintain stock manners while having a ridiculous amount of power. Walk softly and carry a big stick they say. All of this power is routed through a 5 speed automatic and maintains comfortable air suspension or coilovers, depending on what you want. Oh yeah..perhaps I forgot to mention that this thing broke the 4 door sedan speed record at a ridiculous 227 Miles Per Hour. Price to pay for super baller status for you and the family? $490,000. Ouch.
Next up is: The Ferrari F40.
Not much is needed to be said about this one. It’s a Ferrari F40. Mid-engine, Twin Turbo, Legendary. It’s the last car that Enzo Ferrari ever commissioned himself. With a 2.9L Twin turbo V8 producing 471 horsepower, it was king of it’s time. With a plastic windshield and windows, no carpet, sound system or doorhandles, the Pininfarina designed kevlar, carbon fiber and aluminum chassis was truly a racecar for the street. Many stories have been told about the F40’s almost random turbo lag. 80’s turbo technology was not quite as advanced as it is today and boost was said to hit like a hammer all at once. The F40 was the first road legal production car to break the 200MPH barrier with a speed of 201. This is truly a legendary car and a timeless classic. Current price is to be debated, but the original MSRP when the car debuted was $400,000. The F40 is simply a legend.
Last up is: The ’03-’04 Mustang Cobra.
Do whaaaaaat? Out of all of these other cars, this one is mild. I’ve always loved the Terminators, and it’s the only one of these cars on my list that is attainable in any realistic mindset. With a factory blown forged 4.6L making 390HP (Underrated from the factory!) and routed through a Tremec T56 6 speed, the Cobra was nothing to mess around with. Ditching the archaic live axle, Ford threw in Independent Rear Suspension and Bilstien struts. In stock form with a good driver, they are good for mid 12’s and the Eaton blower sounds nasty. With minor bolt-ons you can easily have a reliable 500 horsepower car that not only looks good, but performs just as well (or you could just whipple it and be done with it). People definitely recognize one when they see it and I think a Cobra would make a really good daily driver (as opposed to everything else on my list.). This is the only car that you can modify on my list without paying out the ass or getting killed by a fanboy. They only made around 19,000 of these between ’03-’04 so good luck finding one. Price for a Termie Cobra? It depends, but expect a little under 30k for a nice example.











