Project Mangum R/T - First time to the track

[poweradmin]

Even web guys like speed. I thought I'd profile Kevin's first trip to the track in his Hemi Magnum. This 4,000 lb station wagon has a Hemi heart, specifically the 5.7L Hemi that comes in the R/T. We're going to be building it up in Street Legal TV over the next few months, but really, Kevin needed to get a baseline on the dragstrip. I know this was his first time down the track, so it was pretty cool to actually see him learn to do it after filming so much drag racing.



A predominantly red car crowd showed up for the first powerTV track day at Irwindale Speedway!

Most of these cars are new, with one in particular, Kevin's ride -- titled “The Limo”: a 2007 Dodge Magnum RT. There are a few striking similarities between an actual Limo and the Magnum RT. One of these would be the Magnum’s long wheelbase of 120 inches, a full foot and a half longer then my 350z. Standing at the rear bumper and looking towards the front wheel almost requires binoculars to see it. Having 350 horsepower and weighing 4100 pounds gave the Magnum a less then desirable power to weight ratio. But time would only tell the fate of The Limo and Kevin's driving abilities.

Check the video blog below of Kevin's drag strip virginity. He sounds so official...



It does have an auto - so that's one thing that couldn't be screwed up! But we all remember our first passes at the track...



Some of the other cars at the track included James's 2008 LS3 Corvette with full exhaust, which was going to be no contest to any of the other cars in the powerTV entourage. The other end of the scale brought in Lloyd's Dodge Ram Mega Cab with a power to weight ratio equaling a Honda Civic.

Our middle ground cars included (along with the Magnum) our New Take off V6 Mustang and a pretty stock 2000 Modular Mustang that belongs to Melissa Lawrence that has Dynomax exhaust. On the Ne Take Off Car - the 2006 V6 Mustang sports the appearance of a V8 with the heart of a V6; helped by a X-Charger roots supercharger. This puts the performance of the V6 close to a stock V8 Mustang.

We thought the Magnum would be a great race for the New Take off car.

Staring through a viewfinder of a video camera at drag strips across the US made Kevin’s experience at the track far from amateur. This time it was a little different though, he was going to be piloting his car down the drag strip for the first time. This was Kevin McIntosh’s first drag racing experience.



Before his first run I gave him some pointers on loading the torque converter to help his 60 foot times.

First Run

First run out Kevin loaded the car to 2,500rpm and left solid with a light chirp of the tires resulting in a 2.182 60 foot time. Not bad for a first timer. Being an automatic car, Kevin kept the foot in as the car shifted through the gears. First run netted a final E.T. of 9.358 at 76.71 miles per hour. This would net a quarter mile time of around a 14.5. Magazine times on the car weigh in at a 14.3. Two tenths off for the first time out? Not bad Kevin.

Try 2...

The second time down the track resulted in a slightly slower 9.543 at 76.32 miles per hour. With a little air pressure adjustment and loading the converter down a little more would have pushed the car a little closer to the 8 second barrier. Overall, Kevin was pretty happy with his first experience... even though the reaction times needed a little work..





The Magnum has huge plans in the very near future. The Magnum will start with a Diablosport tune to test power improvements on a stock Magnum. Shortly after the tune, the car will be sent to Vortech where it will get a V3 blower. Expected power numbers after the blower will push it over the 400whp mark. Some other future goodies will include a header back, big brake kit, and suspension modifications. We hope to eventually get this land yacht into the 450+ horsepower mark while producing solid 12-second quarter mile times.

And hopefully Kevin will get some more seat time in the future!