i can't believe they're closing down calspeed... one of the last weekends ill be back here 🥺

Karting action from CalSpeed Karting Track in Fontana. Leaving the dragstrip a few weeks ago I stopped for a few minutes to shot off a few photos before I headed home. • • • #karting #kartinglife #kartracing #kartrace #calspeedkarting #calspeed #chadclinephotography @calspeed_karting #kartphotography (at CalSpeed Karting) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1wXyiJnCVh/?igshid=1tsh6t9v5drq8

Trackday with Jenson Button at Calspeed

wet #Karting last week 🚙💨 definitely enjoyed the #adrenalinerush mixed w/ #gas and #rubber even though this was my third time riding these mean 2 inch to the ground go kart but I still felt I had the most fun! And I was soar for few days afterwards which means this was some wild workout 😆 (at CalSpeed Karting) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQwCHzwnN5U/?utm_medium=tumblr

Some epic moments in San Francisco with @calspeed and his epic 997 Turbo! .. . . Dream..... 🚗 💨 @Porsche 997 . . . . #porsche #911 #carrera #carreraS #german #auto #exotic #supercar #moyanophotography #carro #car #auto #997 #997s #oscarrera #turbo #eastcoasttowestcoast #travel #traveling #thegreatadventure #sunset #roadtrip #roadtrippin #usa #sanfrancisco (at San Francisco, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBKH7HQpvFb/?igshid=datea64uqfx8

A Twin Turbo’d GT3RS - does it make any sense to build this instead of just getting a GT2RS? Not at all. Is it still sick nonetheless? Absolutely. Beautiful job @edmond_mondi. Also saw you kart at Calspeed, you on Iame? I’m on CR125. See you around! • @ExceptionalBuilds promotes the most popular project cars on social media. These builds have an attention to detail that wins them best of show awards on a regular basis. Their modifications are pre-meditated, and meticulously hand picked, to materialize a machine that stands out from the crowd. The uniqueness of each build exemplifies our differences in preference, but any build that is methodically constructed deserves appreciation. • #Porsche911 #CarreraGT #Panamera #Cayman #Porsche #Carrera #Boxster #TurboS #GT3RS #GT2RS #Targa #RWB #GT4 #GT3 #GT2 #GT1 #997 #996 #993 #992 #991 #987 #986 #981 #964 #930 #918 #911 #718 #Ruf https://www.instagram.com/p/B8vIVQ0n1Fp/?igshid=12ahh4dzo3ss6

Shout out to the current points leader of the #trickarters #Tagmasters championship @bbell1974 from @strategykartracing can't wait for the final round! (at CalSpeed Karting)

Gangsta lean! @aseyeseethings and his #ElCamino are registered and ready to run our #V8BUILDS #Autocross & Carshow at #AutoClubSpeedway on May 20! . . Can't wait to see this #smallblockchevy powered beast maneuver through the #autox course! Sign up ASAP! Driver spots are filling up quickly! . . #classicmuscle #classicmusclecar #afrheads #musclecar #chevyelcamino #chevyrunsdeep #chevyfam #elcaminoonly #elcaminos #sbc (at CalSpeed Karting)

Happy Friday! Yes, it’s Friday but don’t let the weekend stop you from being productive. 🏎🌬 . . . . . #TeamWWR #Birel #BirelArt #KPV #F100 #GoKart #Karting #SKUSA #Racing #KartingLife (at CalSpeed Karting)

Calspeed rd. 6

Saturday after the drags I decided to stop and shoot some photos of the Karts at the track and being there where running the course backwards it made for some good shoots. #chadclinephotography #kart #kartracing #2stroke #canon #canonllens #calspeed #calspeedkarting #canon7d #ishootraw @calspeed_karting (at CalSpeed Karting)

No matter what. You have this one life, why settle for anything else? #AlwaysReady #JAWIndustries #WeightControlAndTheApplicationOfPower #CalSpeed #Karting #GoForTheGap

Wild 1969 Widebody Camaro is a Modern Custom

There are restomod Camaros, and then there’s this. There are Pro Touring Camaros, and then there’s this. There are widebody Camaros, and then there’s this. It’s not too often we run across a Camaro that carves a path all its own—especially when it comes to 1969 Camaros—but this one certainly does. The car you see pictured here is Josh Hodges’ ’69 Chevrolet Camaro built by Born Vintage of Bakersfield, California.

The goal of the build was, according to Kamaka Pocock of Born Vintage, “to produce a Camaro that was radical yet subtle and tasteful.” Not to downplay the first part of that goal, but “radical” is relatively easy these days. With the rise of the Internet, it’s become harder and harder to stand out because it’s easy enough to throw on a bunch of crazy aero and a bright paintjob. Building a car that’ll make people look twice without the flashy “look at me!” modifications, now that’s the real challenge and that’s exactly what Born Vintage was going for.

Their starting point was a pretty good, mostly rust-free ’69 Camaro that had been sitting at another local shop for quite a few years before its owner decided it was time to let it go. That’s when Josh came in and bought the car, which immediately went over to Born Vintage for the renovation to begin.

Being that they were relatively local to our office in Southern California, we hopped up I-5 to Bakersfield and checked in on the build midway through. At the time, much of the heavy fabrication was done and the car sat in bare sheetmetal ready for paint. So we know firsthand that the guys at Born Vintage (formerly HED Industries) didn’t take the easy route when creating this beastly machine. Some might have used fiberglass or stuck-on fender flares to achieve a widebody look, but they kept it all legit to show off their metal-fabbing abilities. Furthermore, they didn’t go easy on the custom body modifications, they went all out with 2 1/2 inches added to each side of the car making it a total of 5 inches wider overall than a stock ’69 Camaro. They also brought the whole suspension and chassis up into the body 2 1/2 inches, giving the car a static stance that you just can’t replicate with simple lowering springs and drop spindles.

Kamaka admits that while actually executing the custom fab work was time-consuming and had its challenges, the real challenge was the game plan. As he rhetorically asked, “What do you do to a ’69 Camaro to set it apart from the rest?” That’s what made their goal of a standout ’69 Camaro so difficult and that’s why they touched practically every inch of Josh’s car. “All of the custom metalwork from the body drop to the widebody, scratch-built bumpers, hood, rollcage, headers, exhaust and so much more we did to try and separate our Camaro from the rest.”

So instead of asking, “What did they do to set it apart?” the more appropriate question might be “What didn’t they do?”

On top of the body drop and widening, Born Vintage also fabricated a custom front bumper and splitter along with a one-off grille. The hood, too, was completely custom and includes a large center vent to evacuate hot air from the engine bay. Out back are more custom touches, including a diffuser and a flush-mounted rear bumper with the exhaust tips hiding behind mesh vents that match the front grille. Then, when all the metalwork was completed, the car was sent over to TL’s Rods & Resto in Bakersfield, California, for paint. TL’s sprayed the car in a pure white from Axalta to keep the subtle and tasteful vibe going.

The guys at Born Vintage didn’t stop at the fancy metalwork either. Underneath the Camaro, they basically pulled out all of the stock components and built in a custom framing structure with crossmembers to support suspension systems from Detroit Speed Inc. Up front is a complete Detroit Speed subframe with JRi coilovers—a solid setup but nothing as trick as what they did out back. In the rear, they fabricated new framerails that were much narrower than stock to accept some seriously meaty wheels and tires. It gets even more interesting because instead of just bolting in the Detroit Speed QUADRALink like most would, the guys at Born Vintage made a choice modification, namely converting it to a 1:1 ratio cantilever setup. That meant the JRi coilovers were then mounted in the trunk. Because, why not?

The wheel and tire combo they went for were a set of staggered Forgeline CV3C wheels and Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires to match. The front rollers are 18×9.5s with 275/35R18 tires while the rears are 19x12s paired with 345/35R19s. Behind the Forgelines are Wilwood disc brakes with 14-inch rotors at all four corners.

The rear 345-section tires might seem a bit overkill, but they planned on making some serious power so those big, sticky Michelins were a necessity if Josh was ever going to get his Camaro to hook. They started off with a nice and stock LS7 powerplant but it was never going to stay that way. The block went over to ERL Performance for some machining. There, the cubic inches were taken up a notch from 427 to 441 and then passed along to Jim Voyles of CalSpeed & Performance in Bakersfield, California, for the rest. “The rest” entailed putting everything back together and bolting on a Magnuson Heartbeat supercharger paired with a Wagner front drive. When the engine came back to Born Vintage, they made a set of custom stainless headers that dump into a 3-inch custom exhaust system and out a pair of MagnaFlow mufflers. Finally, an AutoRad radiator keeps the LS7 cool while a Vintage Air A/C unit chills the occupants. When it was all said and done, this combo produced 730 hp and 750 lb-ft of torque.

Sending the power toward the rear is a TREMEC T-56 Magnum six-speed transmission assembled by Born Vintage. A McLeod clutch was used to make sure all that supercharged power made it to the gearbox reliably. Continuing rearward, Born Vintage put together a Ford 9-inch rearend that could handle all the torque and grip that would be thrown at it.

If you haven’t figured it out by now, there’s not one inch of this Camaro Born Vintage wasn’t going to go all-out on, including the interior. Ron Mangus Hot Rod Interiors of Rialto, California, were tasked with putting together a highly unique experience inside the ’69, and that they did. Brown and black leather cover most of the cabin, such as the Procar by Scat seats, the custom door panels, and even the center console and underside of the dash. The top of the dash is another standout custom piece that flows around the interior, across the tops of the doors, and back to the rear package tray. Dakota Digital VHX-1100 gauges and a Budnik Chicane steering wheel, along with a Bowler shifter, tie together the custom and sophisticated look. A custom rollcage built by Born Vintage blends seamlessly into the background so as to not pull your attention away from the rest of the interior.

So when Kamaka asked, “What do you do to a ’69 Camaro to set it apart?” the answer was all of what you just read. Regardless of whether you think this is the baddest Camaro you’ve ever seen or sacrilegious because it’s so far departed from original, you have to admit Born Vintage most certainly delivered on creating one radical 1969 Camaro.

The post Wild 1969 Widebody Camaro is a Modern Custom appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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Congratulations to Michael Avansino for an excellent first place in xX-30 senior at this weekend's Pro Kart Challenge at Calspeed Raceway!! Nice job Michael, well done! (at CalSpeed Karting)

I’m still sore from the karting but a lot better than yesterday, this time was pure fun and I actually know what I was doing 😂 until the next time 🚙 💨 (at CalSpeed Karting) https://www.instagram.com/p/CbaYYZsL9TH/?utm_medium=tumblr