Troy Trepanier Built Biscayne Pro Touring 540 V8 652 HP 4 Speed Automatic

SUMMARY

Pro-touring, or the ultimate culmination of classic style and modern performance, began to take off about 20 years ago. And today, with technology that continuously blurs the lines between old school and cutting edge, transforming vintage metal into multi-faceted cruisers is one of America's favorite pastimes. But, even with top-tier aftermarket firms and a who's who list of mechanical kits, there's still something to be said about raw talent. And even though many shops crank out very competent street machines, it's easy to find the hobby's true trendsetters. This sweet Chevy Biscayne is a carefully crafted pavement pounder that, commissioned by racer Jerry Crews and built by hot rod legend Troy Trepanier of Rad Rides by Troy, mixes a custom chassis and show stopping aesthetics with a Lingenfelter-built GM Performance Parts ZL1 V8. Looking for incredible performance, timeless style and an all-around cool car to own and enjoy? With this beastly B-Body, you'll have all three!

HISTORY/BUILD

Speaking of threes, this stunning custom, playfully nicknamed "Hurricayne", is the direct result of what happens when three dyed-in-the-wool car guys plan a spectacular project car. Our story begins with Jerry Crews, a well-established GM employee who raced a 1956 Chevy 210 called "Mad Medic" in D/Gas competition. For years, Jerry's favorite daily driver was a 1966 Chevrolet Caprice, sparking his idea of eventually building a fun B-Body thrasher. When Jerry's close friend John Lingenfelter tragically passed in 2003, he left behind a GM Performance Parts ZL1 crate engine that had been prepped for a strong street car. Jerry purchased the engine with the intent of bolting it in a clean driver and hitting the 2007 Hot Rod Power Tour in honor of John. However, the plan for the build quickly grew, eventually roping in our third party: Troy Trepanier of Rad Rides by Troy. As far as bodywork goes, this Chevy was impressively solid, needing only a bit of rocker work before getting prepped for paint. After that prep, tranquil Glasurit Metallic Medium Gray 2-stage, later nicknamed "Train Smoke", was sprayed across an exquisite profile. And in 2007, the car stormed the show scene on its way to becoming a Goodguys Street Machine of the Year finalist.

With that deep finish polished to a wet looking shine, Hot Rod Graphic Designer Bob Thrash drew up some slick "HURRICAYNE" call-outs. And the consensus became pretty much unanimous that this sedan should forsake all of GM's factory-spec trim to better highlight its subtle modifications. At the front of the car, a chromed grille hangs a small "Chevrolet" script between amber parking lamps, modern headlights and a smoothed bumper that was restored by the pros at Sherm's Custom Plating. At the sides of that grille, mandatory door handles and a bowtie-branded mirror complement slightly stretched wheel wells. At the tops of those handles, straight stainless trim and matte-finished window frames highlight smoked glass and a custom cowl. And at the back of the car, 'plain Jane' tail lamps reflect a second smoothed bumper that, like the front horn, was restored by the pros at Sherm's Custom Plating.

ENGINE

Toss the glossy hood and you'll find a rare GM Performance Parts ZL1 big block that's been punched out to a massive 540 cubic inches! Built by performance legend John Lingenfelter for use in one of his personal projects, this brutal mill is fitted with an impressive roster of hardware. At the top of the all-aluminum engine, a trick Rad Rides by Troy cowl induction system drops wind in to an MSD Atomic EFI throttle body. Under that juice box, a Dart single-plane intake feeds Dart Pro 1 heads that, built and CNC-ed at Lingenfelter Performance Engineering, pivot Comp roller rockers over Comp lifters, Comp pushrods, Comp springs and titanium retainers. Beneath those heads, a Comp hydraulic roller cam, custom-ground by Lingenfelter Performance Engineering, caps a Callies crank, forged Manley rods and JE pistons that are finished with Total Seal rings. At the back of that cam, an MSD Pro-Billet distributor bounces spark between two Optima batteries, MSD 6AL ignition and a web of MSD plug wires. Beneath those wires, custom Rad Rides by Troy headers make quick work of spent gases. At the front of those headers, a Billet Specialties Tru Trac serpentine drive spins a polished alternator, a modern AC compressor and a polished Meziere water pump above Cloyes timing components. And in front of those ancillaries, a color-keyed radiator cycles coolant around a large puller fan and color-keyed expansion tank. Aesthetically, the matte-finished engine bay is very pleasing, mixing a smooth firewall with tubular bracing and a fully finished hood. Details like stainless lines, a Melling oil pump, big breathers, quality ARP fasteners and custom valve covers are well planned and well executed. And, at the end of the day, it all adds up to stout 9.5 to 1 compression, an impressive 652 horsepower and a whopping 657 lb./ft. of torque.

DRIVETRAIN/SUSPENSION

As you might imagine, that aluminum powerplant eliminates a lot of mass. In fact, as this Chevy sits, it rides four inches lower than stock and achieves a perfect 50/50 weight distribution. Trepanier originally equipped the car with a tough Tremec 5-speed, but, eventually Crews opted for a smooth-shifting 700R4 4-speed. That auto twists power to a 2-inch narrowed Chevrolet 12-bolt that's built with Moser 31-spline axles, big Ford ends, an Eaton limited-slip differential and friendly, 3.42 gears. Those gears ride a modified 4-link, which balances a beefy sway bar above boxed Hotchkis control arms. Opposite that clip, a custom front-half hangs modern Koni coil-overs and a big Hotchkis sway bar between heavily modified control arms: the uppers being 1968 Camaro units sourced from Detroit Speed. At the front of that chassis, Concept One power steering makes easy work of quick turns. At the corners of the chassis, 6-piston Baer/Rad Rides by Troy calipers use a hydrostatic master cylinder and braided stainless fluid lines to squeeze 14 and 15-inch drilled and slotted rotors. Charred dinosaurs float from the aforementioned headers in to a custom, stainless exhaust system, which wraps 3-inch pipes around an H-shaped crossover and throaty Flowmaster Hushpower II mufflers. Torque transitions to pavement through custom Billet Specialties wheels, which spin 255/40ZR19 BF Goodrich g-Force T/As in front of 295/40ZR20 BF Goodrich g-Force T/As. And everything, from the car's deep-sump oil pan to its Powermaster XS Torque starter, is clean, lucid and ready to roll.

INTERIOR

Grab the doors and you'll find a tasteful custom cockpit that, installed by Jim Griffin Interiors of Bend, Oregon, was affectionately nicknamed "Baked Bean". Front and center, custom-built benches stretch plush leather surfacing under AmSafe aviation harnesses. In front of those thrones, a body-matched dash hides modern Painless Wiring behind pushbutton ignition, Classic Instruments telemetry and hardware for the car's modern climate system. At the base of that dash, clean carpet floats a long Lokar shifter between billet foot pedals, thick floor mats and color-keyed door sills. At the edges of that carpet, custom side panels frame cool knife-edge pulls in bright billet trim. Above those panels, a suede headliner frames a subtle roll cage, a built-in radar detector and a multi-function rearview mirror. In front of the driver, a petite steering wheel laps a tilting column. And behind the passengers, a custom-upholstered trunk frames a "HURRICAYNE" branded amplifier that, integrated into the car's 2,000-watt sound system, powers Kenwood infotainment and 10 Rockford Fosgate speakers.

Featuring spectacular aesthetics, tasteful upholstery and an outrageous powertrain that's wrapped in a custom chassis, this broad-shoulder Chevy simply has it all! Executing a ground-up build of this quality would easily cost two to three times our asking price, and likely require several years of pro-level work. Why not have it all, right now, in a proven package that's ready to cruise the show and own the street?