CAMARO 1971

1971 Chevy Camaro
Brian Finch, Hermitage, TN

If there is such a thing as a "star" on the Pro Touring circuit, it's probably Brian Finch and his '71 Camaro. Equally prolific as a car builder and driver, Brian and his almost famous Chevy once lived a fairly mundane life. Back in 1991, he was a Navy man stationed in Alameda, California. When a '71 Camaro was abandoned at the base's hobby store, the Navy base decided to auction off the second-gen. Brian put in the winning bid for $325, and after a new carb, battery, and rear window, he was cruising it. When Finch moved to Oregon, he parked it under a eucalyptus tree for five years, where it quickly rotted. Then the Pro Street bug bit him, and some ladder bars, a back-half conversion, new paint, and full wheeltubs followed. Brian enjoyed drag racing it (it ran steady 11.30s with a 454 big-block and a ProCharger), but then in 2006, Goodguys held its first autocross event in Nashville where Brian was now living. Going up against Bob Johnson's famous g-Force 'Cuda, Finch won his very first autocross. That first event changed Brian's world forever, and the result is that he now makes his living building and driving handling hot rods. A big piece of that puzzle was getting the opportunity to drive Detroit Speed's '70 Camaro test car. The experience made Brian an immediate disciple of DSE, and a full DSE subframe and Quadralink rear suspension followed. Soon, Brian was winning everything in sight, both on the road course and autocross. Recently, Brian and his Camaro were asked to be in a new reality show on the Speed Channel, called Are You Faster Than a Redneck. While filming the pilot episode, a loose fuel line hosed his engine down with petrol, resulting in a major fire. Brian was not hurt, but the car needed rebuilding. By the time the series began filming in earnest, Brian had the Camaro repaired, and you can see it on prime time this fall when all eight episodes air.

By The Numbers
Engine: 418ci LS3, Holley HP fuel injection system, ported L92 heads, COMP Cams hydraulic roller cam (.614-inch lift, 239 degrees duration at .050), 50-lb/hr FAST injectors
Transmission: T56 six-speed manual out of a Dodge Viper
Rearend: Ford 9-inch with 3.89 gears, TrueTrac posi
Suspension: DSE full front subframe (front), DSE Quadralink (rear), JRI double-adjustable coilover shocks
Brakes: Baer 6S 6-piston calipers on 14-inch rotors (front), Corvette Z06 four-piston rear brakes
Steering: DSE rack-and-pinion
Wheels & Tires: Rushforth Livewire (18x10 and 18x12), BFG KDW (295/35R18 and 335/30R18)

Read more: http://www.popularhotrodding.com/features/1210phr_36_real_world_street_machines_that_do_it_all/#ixzz2xj0Gjfp9