News & Events Archive

Sep 27, 2019

Tom's Turbo Garage Project Firebolt: The Final Chapter

Yet another Tom's Turbo Garage project vehicle has been completed. Project Firebolt, the turbo LS-powered 2002 Toyota Tacoma, is alive and on the road. In this episode, we'll relive the highlights from the build and watch Tom put Firebolt through its paces, including laying patches and smoking tires.

This build series may be finished, but Tom is just getting started with Firebolt. He plans to strap it down to a dyno for some tuning and boost-cranking, take it drag racing, do some suspension and brake upgrades, and much more.

And when he does, you'll see it on our OnAllCylinders blog. In the meantime, read Project Firebolt: Episode 13 and watch the video.

Sep 4, 2019

Tom's Turbo Garage Project Firebolt: Wire, Fuel, Fire!

After 7 months of hard work, Tom Tharp of Tom's Turbo Garage was ready to light the fuse on Project Firebolt, his turbo LS-powered Toyota Tacoma pickup. But there were a few small items to address before turning the key like finishing the wiring, testing the connections, adapting a shifter for the 4L80E, adding oil, coolant, trans fluid, and rear axle gear oil, and--well, that was about it.

Aug 31, 2019

Aeromotive Schematics Make Fuel System Plumbing Easier

Thinking about plumbing a fuel system with Aeromotive components? Great idea--they are top-quality parts that will reliably deliver the fuel your hungry engine needs.

Aug 26, 2019

Project Car Update Tinman 2 Kustoms Tinmama 1940 Chevy

If Luke Merrill’s 1940 Chevy, Tinmama, looks familiar, that’s because we featured it last year as a Summit Racing-supported project slated for the 2018 SEMA Show.

As with all things project car, issues arose. Luke is a one-man shop, and even working 16 hour days for months wasn’t enough to have Tinmama ready. But that’s OK, because the extra time has been well-spent getting the Chevy perfect for this year’s SEMA Show.

Aug 21, 2019

Tom's Turbo Garage Project Firebolt: Wiring, Intercooling, and Alcohol Injection

Tom over at Tom's Turbo Garage is busy, busy, busy with Project Firebolt, his turbo LS3 Toyota Tacoma build. First was everyone's favorite job, wiring. He installed a Holley Terminator XMax engine management system and some other connectors from the Tacoma's engine harness, and is thinking really hard about wiring other items like the gauges, starter, cooling fan relay, and fuel pump relay.

Aug 7, 2019

Tom's Turbo Garage Project Firebolt: Plumbing

Tom Tharp's Project Firebolt, a 2002 Toyota Tacoma with a turbocharged 5.3L LS transplant, eats a liquid lunch--and breakfast, and dinner, and between-meal snacks. Fuel, oil, and coolant have to be routed to their proper components, and that means plumbing.

Jul 31, 2019

Ask Away with Jeff Smith: Transmissions, Making Torque, and Valve Spring Clearances

Lots of folks with lots of tech questions for Jeff Smith this month, so let's get to them.

Jul 31, 2019

Summit Racing Project Car Update: Cool Hand Customs 1960 Simca

When our friends E.J. and Amy Fitzgerald at Cool Hand Customs told us what their 2019 SEMA Show project would be, we raised a collective eyebrow. Somewhere they found a French-made 1960 Simca Châtelaine two-door station wagon, then decided to mate it with a 2007 Cadillac STS to create an autocrossing terror.

“We are so completely nuts,” Amy Fitzgerald explained.

She’s not kidding—much. For starters, let’s compare the dimensions of each car:

Simca
• Wheelbase: 96.1 inches
• Overall length: 165 inches
• Overall width: 61.8 inches
• Height: 56.7 inches

Cadillac
• Wheelbase: 116.4 inches
• Overall length: 196 inches
• Overall width: 73 inches
• Height: 58 inches

Jul 26, 2019

Summit Racing Project Car Update: Driven Restorations 'Mom's T-Bird' 1959 Thunderbird

The 2019 SEMA Show in Las Vegas is less than four months away...something the folks building display vehicles for the show know all too well. For example, Steve and Molly Gursky of Driven Restorations are hard at work getting this 1959 Ford Thunderbird finished in time to make the show.

Steve and Molly opened Driven Restorations in 2009. They’ve built everything from muscle cars to classic trucks, many of which have sentimental value to their owners. The Thunderbird is one of those cars.

Jul 24, 2019

Tom's Turbo Garage Project Firebolt: The World's Easiest Rear Axle Swap

Want to see the world's easiest rear axle swap? You've come to the right place. In this latest episode of Tom's Turbo Garage Project Firebolt turbo LS Tacoma project, Tom Tharp replaces the factory Toyota rear axle with a rebuilt Ford 8.8 out of an Explorer. And wonder of wonders, it literally dropped in place--no bracket relocation, no welding, no nothing. Lucky so-and-so.

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