From 6-Second Street Car To Disassembled Shell - Devin Vanderhoof Guts His Drag-and-Drive Winning Mustang!
He secured three major drag-and-drive wins in 2023; one with Jordan Tuck driving at Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive, and two with Josh Davis behind the wheel (Sick Summer Presented by TBM Brakes and Hot Rod Drag Week).
Then he made big changes, and still started 2024 with a pair of wins. So with Sick Summer Presented by Motion Raceworks around the corner, what is Devin Vanderhoof up to? He’s changing the game in a big way.
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2023 witnessed Devin and Jordan Tuck set the bar at a whole new level for the 235 tire (26-inch x 8.5-inch width) with a 4.60 at 171 mph in route to winning the Rowdy Radial title at Sick Week. Then despite adding on two more wins on 275 tires with the Mustang convertible known as ‘Big Ern’, Devin decided changes were on the ‘to-do’ list for 2024.
A new hood and a new front bumper cover took their place to work with a new center-mounted radiator, and the void from the single 118-millimeter turbocharger was replaced by a pair of HPT 88-millimeter turbos to feed the big block Chevrolet.
The results were an improved 6.41 at 212 mph on day one of Sick Week, but damage caused them to withdraw and head home earlier than expected.
It didn’t take long for Devin and Josh to bounce back, scoring a win at No Mercy’s Street Car Braggin Rights class at South Georgia Motorsports Park in February. Most recently, the duo captured the Run What Ya Brung class at the annual Street Car Braggin Rights event, held at Carolina Dragway at the beginning of the month.
With just a couple weeks to go until Sick Summer Presented by Motion Raceworks, most figured Devin and Josh were preparing for a trip to Illinois to defend their overall win. So you can imagine the shock and surprise when Devin posted a video yesterday with the ’93 Mustang convertible stripped to a bare shell and roll cage!
“After Street Car Braggin Rights, we realized we needed to move to the next level,” said Devin. “Unfortunately, the timeline worked out where we had to do it now, or in December, which would ruin Sick Week for next year.”
After stripping the car of its electronics, driveline, and pretty much anything else, Devin tackled the layers of paint, of which there were many.
But that’s just one thing on the docket as part of lightening the Mustang, as it will go to a spindle mount front brake and wheel combination, and the rear suspension will get chopped off in favor of an aftermarket 4-link.
“We just need to address the chassis problem that is holding it back from the 3-second zone,” said Devin, who tuned the car to a 4.10 at 186 mph eighth-mile pass during Street Car Braggin Rights.
The end goal is to have the car under 3000 pounds, and with the increased adjustability of a modern 4-link rear suspension, Devin plans to invade the 3-second zone in the eighth-mile. As before with upgrades and changes, HCR Innovations will post updated videos on its YouTube channel.
The project overview video is below:
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sick the Magazine, Sean Chartier Media, and Devin Vanderhoof.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com