THE AUTO BUILDER
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Shop Truck Makeover
It’s a classic type of buildup: a big-block 396 in a ’66 Chevrolet El Camino, sprayed a glorious red with in-your-face yellow flames. Meticulously created by Bob Nation of Twin Falls, Idaho, like so many great builds, this one comes with a story.
High Speed Med Machine
Starting from the ground up, Chamberlain and his good friend Owen Hopes created a new chassis for the truck using 2X4 boxed steel tubing. Since he was intrigued with the Pro Street look, Chamberlain located some of the widest street legal tires made at the time, knowing they would set the tone for the rest of the project. Almost fat enough to qualify for separate zip codes, the 21-inch wide Mickey Thompson tires were rolled into position and Chamberlain began adjusting everything until they fit.
WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE
Now, it may seem crazy that anyone would take sandpaper to a new paint job, but if you want to have a glass-like finish that is exactly what happens. Of course, it is special sandpaper, and the person doing the work needs to know exactly what he is doing or that paint job can be toast. One of the things that makes color sanding possible is that the paper used is meant to be wet while the job is taking place. The water not only works as a lubricant, but it also removes the fine paint sludge from the area. The problem is getting that water in the proper place and having enough of it to do the job. After all, who really likes sticking his arm into a cold bucket of water time after time?
Spotlighter
Best Of Show
DARA SORDANO AND HER HONDA CIVIC BATTLE IN SEATTLE
Author
Thae Auto Builder Staff
Story & Photography
HOT IMPORT NIGHTS : SEATTLE
When Hot Import Nights strolls into Seattle, typically two cars end up battling it out for Best of Show honors. Earlier in the year, Kelly Williams, one of the two competitors, took home the Best of Show honors when HIN first rolled into town. His Civic has been cleaning house for several years up in the Northwest and there hasn’t been a Honda to touch what he has built. Until Dara Sordano showed up and surprised them all— including Williams.
This young lady made the long journey with her Civic all the way up from California. She was hungry for some good Northwest competition and she was not disappointed. Going in, she wanted to learn how her Civic would fare in a new environment.
The first thing we noticed was how clean and well-built the car was. Obviously, also others noticed , because it blew everyone away. Of course, the car had to be stout to beat out Williams’ Civic.
Sordano’s Honda was sporting a complete candy-red paint job, custom body armor, slick bodywork, Lamborghini doors and 19-inch chrome Racing Hart wheels. And those were only a few of the mods on the exterior. In addition to taking home the coveted Best of Show honors, Sordano also cleaned house in the 2-Door Wild class and the Best Honda Class. As if that wasn’t enough, she also won the Maxlife award for the longest distance traveled. (In case you forgot, Southern Cal is a good 20-hour drive to Seattle.)
So, what else made this car so outstanding? Anyone who has been in the scene for any length of time knows the company STR. Well, STR happens to be Sordano’s main sponsor and it makes some killer engine parts. Besides the motor being built, her Civic also features tons of toys from STR, a full NX setup with a couple of carbon fiber bottles just for fun and enough chrome and bling-bling to be seen from space. The car is also set up on air suspension and the entire undercarriage and suspension components are chromed and painted to match the rest of the car.
The interior is decked out with tons of cool toys and the trunk is all done up, housing the canisters for Sordano’s suspension. We all know that no Best of Show car would be complete without some sick ICE and of course, she had that going on, too.
This car is definitely the real deal. So guys, get ready! We think it is a great thing seeing women building their own cars and we hope to see this trend develop.
If you think Sordano’s Civic looks good here, you have to see it for real. This car is a masterpiece and 100-times more impressive in person.
To Sordano and all her sponsors, congrats on your winnings and for taking it all the way up to Seattle for a serious battle. No doubt the Northwest bad boys are still in shock. And thanks for setting a great example for all us builders—both men and women.
