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Monster!
Tony Bartone's 705ci '69 Camaro
By Cameron Evans
Photography: Rich Chenet
Longtime PHR readers should know this car simply from seeing how tall the valve covers stick up under the hood. No, that engine isn't raised in the chassis--it really is that tall. Where a normal big-block Chevy has a deck height of 9.8 inches, and a "big" big-block measures 10.2 inches, what do you call one with a height of 11.7 inches?
"Unbelievable" was the cover blurb when we featured Tony Bartone's Bill Mitchell-built 705, the biggest engine ever covered in these pages. Back in that February 2000 issue, we presented some scary facts about this crazy Merlin setup. This engine made 800 lb-ft of torque on the dyno's first sample, just off idle! Since then, Tony had Pat Musi convert the engine over to EFI, mostly to make sure it would fit in the car. That car is this '69 Camaro, which is part Pro Street, part g-Machine, and completely nuts.
A winner of 25 NHRA National Events in Top Alcohol Funny Car and holder of the all-time NHRA record for consecutive round wins (37), Bartone is no stranger to sick power. He's been reading PHR since his teenage years and had his share of hot rods, but never owned a feature-quality car or something that set a precedent within the hobby. In fact, Tony's automotive interests (beside drag racing) have focused on European exotics up until now, and his heavily modified 993 Twin-Turbo Porsche with AWD boasted 650 hp and plenty of thrills. Still, he wanted a car like this.
The project started with a visit from yours truly, where Tony and his younger brother Michael asked what would re-set the curve for street machine excellence. Since their race shop is near Bill Mitchell's Hardcore Racing Products and World Products engine facility, we went down the street to see the inspiration, aluminum Merlin Superblock. This wasn't to be a racing engine, but a true street engine that could tear the driveline out of any ride on the street. Using a Callies 5.300-inch crankshaft, Crower's 7.750-inch forged billet rods, and a set of Lunati's 4.600-inch pistons, the foundation was laid for a $30,000 dream engine that makes 893 lb-ft at 4,600 rpm and 829 hp at only 5,300 rpm. The engine only revs to about 5,500 rpm on its best day, since those heavy parts are hard to get moving and the Brodix -4 cylinder heads (which start with a giant 390cc intake runner before porting) just can't keep up with such a giant port. The giant intake valves, measuring 2.350 inches, are a major hindrance, too. Would they go this route again? Though it's not the most efficient engine around, the "wow" factor makes it worthwhile if you have the means.
Now, back to the actual car. Michael Bartone found the victim in the Bronx, and within hours of calling the kid who was driving a blue '69 Camaro to work, that same kid was then riding the bus, looking for another car! Since they used so little of that original car, they could have actually built this project from scratch. After graffiti party, where everyone took turns spraying their favorite sayings on the Camaro, it was disassembled and Joe Collazo's Magnum Force Race Cars, in Ronkonkoma, New York, started on the chassis. Collazo built a 12-point cage from .038 x 1-5/8 chromemoly and used traditional 2 x 3-inch box tubing upon which to attach the suspension systems. Chassis Engineering supplied the four-link and back half foundation for the rear, while Tony purchased a fabricated front clip from the late Art Rasmussen (whose business is now run by Wayne Due). Wilwood supplied gargantuan brakes for this car, with 13-inch NASCAR rotors and huge, 6-piston Wilwood Grand National calipers, but using these parts required special hats machined by Doug Rippie to attach to the C4 Corvette spindles. Adjustable QA1 coilover shocks are found all around, mounted with attachments from Chassis Engineering, from where nearly all of the subsystems were located.
Under the hood you'll find the industry's best parts, like Aeromotive's fuel pressure regulator, 1000hp/45psi electric fuel pump (a must for an engine this big), and two of Aeromotive's billet fuel filters. All the fuel lines and fittings are from XRP, and the FAST computer for the EFI is mounted along side a FAST transmission controller for the TCI 4L80E electronic automatic transmission. When this engine was carbureted, it had a Hogan sheetmetal manifold with two Hardcore Dominators on top. Now, it has a similar Hogan manifold that's chopped five inches and routed Viper style, with a front inlet featuring two Holley 90mm throttle bodies. March Performance pulleys are everywhere, with the kit including the alternator pulley and bracket, A/C pulley and brackets, idler pulleys, front crank pulleys, and the rest of the parts that make up March's serpentine belt system. Flex A Lite's dual fans keep down the heat, as does a TCI transmission cooler.
Though the engine in this car is what gets people's attention, it's the interior that keeps them looking. Collazo shaped the door bar down around the Momo seats to make ingress and egress that much easier. Auto Meter's Ultra-Lite series of gauges fill the cockpit, including a 200mph speedo (don't laugh--with such a tall tire and a 3.55:1 gear, they're serious). A line lock button is built into the B&M shifter handle, while various Lokar accessories fill in the rest (like the gas pedal, e-brake handle, etc.)
Paint and body work required a ton of time, most of which went into shaping the quarter panels to look right with the various wheels and tires that the Bartone's would run on this Camaro. Credit Auto Body Specialties and Bona Fide Auto Collision, both from Patchogue, New York, with getting it right, including the work on the fiberglass bumpers, the giant fiberglass hood, and laying down the PPG Mitsubishi Silver paint.
The car's stance took some tweaking to reach its killer look. Picking the correct front springs for the coilovers was tough, as they needed a bit more length than imagined to avoid coil bind at ride height. The Budnik Fontana wheels took some tweaking too, as they need more backspacing to tuck correctly under the front fenders. Going with Nitto's 450-series (front) and 404-series (rear) rubber did wonders. That's 33-inch tall, 315/60/18s on the rear, and damn it looks right! It's Pro Street with a big rim, and we think you'll see it more and more as street machine fans try to have it all. Tony Bartone's Camaro took more than three years to build and it involved a bunch of special people. Though Michael, Joey, and Tony's contributions have been mentioned, Top Alcohol Dragster racer (and Michael's father-in-law) Tony Lebor kicked in his skills by wiring the entire car and troubleshooting the various systems. EFI pioneer John Meaney and local standout Dale Cherry had big time contributions, too.
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