Godzilla Fairmont Preparing for Drag-and-Drive Debut at Sick Summer
The inaugural Sick Summer Presented by TBM Brakes will host drag-and-drive veterans and first-timers alike. Nate Strunk will bring out his 1978 Ford Fairmont to Sick Summer for the car’s debut drag-and-drive event.
The Fairmont has quickly become a popular platform due to sharing the same suspension set up as a Fox Mustang. Nate’s features one of the new Ford Godzilla 7.3-liter engines, but this one has been treated to upgraded connecting rods, pistons, camshaft and cylinder heads. A Forced Inductions TDI GT55 94-millimeter turbocharger adds the extra atmosphere, and the powerplant is backed with a FTI Performance Turbo 400 3-speed transmission.
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Although Sick Summer marks the first time the Godzilla Fairmont will participate in a drag-and-drive event, the car has already seen some local racing events to get some shakedown time. “This will be my very first drag-and-drive, and the main goal is to survive the week,” Nate said. “At the moment have not looked into other events yet due to the fact I don’t know how the car will handle a drag-and-drive. I like the event idea because I enjoy driving the car, and what’s cooler than a 1000+ horsepower car on the streets?”
“I feel this setup is special,” Nate continued. “To my knowledge, I was the first one to have a 7.3-liter running on a Holley Dominator using OEM sensors, thanks to Scott Clark at Real Tuners. I had to enlist the help of Jolt Systems to wire the car, and do what people said at the time couldn’t be done.”
The current setup makes 1130 rear-wheel-horsepower at 5500 rpm at just 11.5 pounds of boost, and the Fairmont has run a best of 5.48 at 131 mph in the eighth-mile so far. “The biggest challenge to me is going to be the heat and keeping the car running cool and happy,” he said.
How will the Godzilla fare on this first drag-and-drive trip? We’ll know in about a month’s time!
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sick the Magazine.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com