California Autofest
July 16, 2023
THE AUTO BUILDER
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Literally Lightning
From showstopper murals to Nitrous Express-fueled speed, Darren Pellechia’s 2002 Ford SVT Lightning lives up to its name in every way. Don’t be fooled by the lowered stance and sleek custom bodywork – this truck packs a punch under the hood with a 75hp nitrous system and tuned Eaton-supercharged engine. Inside, Von Otto murals and premium sound complete the package, making this Lightning a true masterpiece on wheels.
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Spotlighter
SUM OF THE PARTS
A Little Of This, A Little Of That And Pretty Soon They Created A Monster Wagon
Jason Whitfield never intended to hot rod a station wagon. It just sort of happened. You see, he had this Mitsubishi Diamante wagon that Rage Performance and NuFormz used as a parts-getter. After a few runs, the guys decided that the car needed some better tunes. As the parts pickup runs got longer, they decided to add TVs. When a few extra parts were lying around—like a Turbonetics T04/T03 turbo and an intercooler—they just sort of made their way onto the car. The parts were already paid for, so why not use them?
Author
Bob Carpenter
Words & Photography
From Stock to Serious Horsepower
Before long the engine was blown—as in scattered. The crew didn’t want to just do a stock rebuild, but thought it should build the engine for strength. For about five minutes, that is.
Since the shop could get good parts cheaply and do the work in-house, there was no reason to build anything under 500 hp. With the car so fast, the crew then had to get better brakes and then some wheels … and why not paint it so that it looks the part of a car of this caliber?
Before they knew it, the parts wagon was a serious car. No one ever expected it to go this far, but we’re sure glad that it did. Maybe the Rage/NuFormz crew is on the leading edge of a new tuner trend and we’ll start seeing more hopped-up wagons. Or maybe this is a one-and-only “use-what-you’ve-got” that can pull it off no matter the body style. Time will tell.
Exterior Styling and Paint Detail
Since the exterior is what everyone sees first, let’s take a look at the car from that perspective. Whitfield at Rage has relied on Jason Gamble at GAMPRO for most of his big projects and every time the results are spectacular. The car was painted Tuscany Silver Metallic on the bottom, contrasted with DuPont Midnight Black on the upper portion. A quarter-inch band of Ferrari Red separates the two body colors.
As a nod to the complete detail that GAMPRO gives to every car, a multitude of parts were painted to match the wagon’s color, including door handles, side mirrors, corner lights and front grille. It makes a big difference when all the details are done right. Case in point: the rear taillights are painted candy-apple red.
Hyper Industries supplied the purple HID kit. Flat black RH Evolution GT-5 wheels are huge 19x8s with a polished lip that really sets them off. The hood, of course, is a major attention-getter too, with the unusual scoop all cockeyed on one side. Everyone who sees the car wants to know what’s going on there and the answer is horsepower. The scoop feeds air into the intercooler that is mounted in the engine compartment.
Under the Hood: Serious Turbo Power
Under the hood, Whitfield installed a Turbonetics T04/T03 turbo with an Accel DFI Gen VII computer to control the 3.0-liter SOHC V-6 engine. MSD’s 6A SCI ignition provides the spark and with 550cc RC injectors fed by an in-tank Holley fuel pump, you know there’s a bunch of fuel flowing through this engine. Crower rods and JE pistons are up to the task of spinning the 520 hp and 380 lb-ft of torque. An ACT six-puck clutch ensures that all the power gets to the Mitsubishi 3000 GT five-speed transmission.
Interior Comfort and Entertainment
The interior is very comfortable for those long parts runs. Full gray leather makes the ride nice and it looks good with all the plastic parts painted to match the exterior. Transonic Car Audio took over the task of making the stereo/entertainment system special. A custom center console houses an Alpine TV and DVD player. A 10-inch flip-down TV entertains the backseat passengers and the four Rockford Fosgate 10-inch speakers and dual Rockford Fosgate 1,000-watt amplifiers flood the car with music.
More Than a Parts Wagon
Far from a disjointed collection of odd parts, this Mitsubishi wagon is a well-thought-out car that changes what a lot of us may think a wagon should look like—and drive like. And that’s the idea.
A very unusual recessed scoop on the hood of the Mitsubishi feeds air to the intercooler.
The entire engine is polished and chromed by Metal Masters. Crower rods and JE pistons are used to handle the high horsepower. The intercooler is mounted in the engine compartment and that keeps it close to the turbo.
With 19-inch RH Evolution GT-5 wheels, the Mitsubishi takes on a serious look.
Brandon Oshiro at DAZZ thought up the 19x8-inch flat black RH Evolution GT-5 wheels with polished lips. Serious stuff for a wagon.
If you’re going to pump more than 500 hp into a car, you have to be able to stop it, too. NuFormz custom-made the rotors and calipers for the car while G.J. Aircraft supplied the braided-steel brake lines and fittings.
The full gray leather interior features power-heated front seats. All the plastic interior parts are painted to match the outside color.
A custom gauge pod holds four Auto Meter liquid-filled gauges, including an EGT, oil pressure, fuel pressure and a boost gauge.
The Accel DFI Gen VII helps tune the 520 hp and 380 lb-ft of torque.
The automatic transmission was ditched in favor of a stick. NuFormz used a ’95 Mitsubishi 3000 GT five-speed trans and axles. Transonic custom-made the center console to hold an Alpine TV and DVD player with A’PEXi electronic boost controller.
A 10-inch flip-down TV keeps passengers entertained during long drives.
Transonic completed the stereo system with four 10-inch Rockford Fosgate speakers in a custom box, powered by two Rockford Fosgate 1,000-watt amps.
Aircraft-style hose clamps ensure a complete seal on the exhaust system.
The sound of more than 500 hp can’t be beat. A good muffler tones the crack out of it and lets the monster roar.
NuFormz custom-made the mandrel-bent exhaust tubing, which is super efficient and fits the car perfectly.
