The ‘Boostmaster’ Wagon Returns, as Steve Morris Prepares the 6-Second Rocket for Drop the Hammer Drag-and-Drive this Weekend in Michigan
From the early days of heads-up drag radial class racing, so its re-introduction for a Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive debut in 2022, Steve Morris has seen a lot in his ‘Boostmaster’ 1993 Chevrolet Caprice station.
Over 25 years of memories has carried the car from its purchase in 1999, through its first drag-and-drive appearance on Hot Rod Drag Week in 2005, to coming back from a devastating crash earlier this year.
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It was a hectic week for Steve leading up to this year’s Sick Week in January, as early testing at Orlando Speed World led to a lack of oil pressure as his big hurdle to overcome in the middle of the week before Sick Week started.
He managed to get everything rebuilt in time to participate in the Sick Shootout during Cadillac Attack on Saturday January 27th, but that’s when the tides turned wrong.
Steve got a single pass for round one, where he shook the tires, causing a transmission line to separate from its fitting, getting fluid on the rear tires, sending the wagon on a wild ride that ended with the front and rear of the right side of the car getting into the wall. Steve emerged from the incident with no injuries, but the wagon was damaged badly enough to not make Sick Week.
Four months later, the wagon is seeing the light in Steve’s latest video. Todd’s Extreme Paint was tasked with not only repairing the damage from the accident, but Todd Zeller took on the unique challenge of the woodgrain as well.
“I actually changed the wood color a little bit,” said Todd about the painted woodgrain sections. “It has a little bit of a peach color to it.” Originally done from the factory in vinyl, Todd took the time to paint all the woodgrain sections, and even showed how the graining process is done!
Steve made a change to different doors, and although the new ones are steel versions as before, they have different mirror locations, as well as new glass and new power window door regulators. Fellow drag-and-drive competitor and friend Clark Rosenstengel helped get all the car’s glass installed.
Since the engine wasn’t damaged in the incident, the car just needed a lot of clean-up from the extinguisher aftermath, as well as some new transmission cooler lines, and new exhaust piping from the Harts 110-millimeter turbo on the right side after it was crushed against the wall at Orlando.
Steve figured more woodgrain is better, so he asked Todd to also paint and grain all the engine accessories, including the valve covers and turbo piping.
The car was due to be on a hub dyno this week in preparation for the new Drop the Hammer drag-and-drive event, put on by fellow drag-and-drive runner Carl Stancell. It starts at US 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan Friday, May 31st.
The latest video detailing the wagon’s ‘rebirth’ is below:
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sick the Magazine and Steve Morris Engines.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com