Down The Path To Perfection -- Technical -- Popular Hot Rodding

Consider yourself lucky. For centuries, history's greatest engineering triumphs have baffled the scientific community. People today have tried to replicate the pyramids of Giza and failed miserably, and no one knows for sure just how some Brits dragged dozens of 50-ton boulders over 20 miles in 2,000 B.C. to erect Stonehenge. Some say aliens did it, which could also explain how the G-Force 'Cuda was built. After all, the magnitude of its technical achievement is so far beyond the capacity of human ability and modern technology that an advanced extra terrestrial civilization must have intervened. Fortunately, there will never be a need to come up with such silly conspiracy theories because the craftsmen at Johnson's Hot Rod Shop documented virtually every aspect of the build up. Strangely, rather than diminishing the mystique of this unique '71 'Cuda, seeing how it was built only reinforces the sense of awe.

To help transform their ideas into a viable blueprint, Alan and Bob enlisted the services of designer Chris Ito. Although the game plan required the same level of attention to detail that goes into an America's Most Beautiful Roadster competitor, it also had to shatter the 200-mph barrier and remain a genuine streetcar. For Chris, while this served as a big challenge, it provided even greater inspiration. "The more the car came together, the more we realized that it was very purposeful, so we took cues from racecars, exotics, and aircraft," says Chris. Consequently, while some styling cues are strictly for aesthetic purposes, emulating the design elements of wind-tunnel-honed machines meant the 'Cuda's body panels were functional as well. Furthermore, since the car would be built to go, chroming it wasn't an option. Chrome and polished aluminum are non-existent, and brushed metal surfaces are as shiny as it gets. As a result, the overall design and engineering of the car do the talking, not the bright work. "I'm not into that billet and polished crap," deadpans Bob.

Being innovative isn't easy, and the project spanned 10 months and over 10,000 man hours of intense labor. That's a whole lot of hours, but what's truly astonishing is how much was accomplished within that window considering the quantity of parts that were made from scratch. Other than the steering wheel, shifter handle, and seats, the entire interior is custom. All the panels were pounded into shape by hand, and the gauges, pedals, door sills, dash, instrument panel, and center console are all custom as well. There are no exotic five-axis CNC machines at Johnson's Hot Rod Shop either. All the custom metal trim bits were whittled away using good ol' hand-eye coordination. Needless to say, Chris never had to worry about compromising his designs due to the degree of fabrication difficulty. "I had seen a number of Alan's cars and had a lot of confidence in his ability, but his skills were actually far beyond even what I expected," says Chris. "The guys at the shop would just knock stuff out like nothing based on my sketches."

With all the hard work completed, the final product is an amalgam of trend-setting innovations. Granted, few people have the mechanical acumen or massive bankroll required to replicate a car of the G-Force 'Cuda's caliber, but it's almost inevitable that hot rodders will pick out certain aspects of the car and integrate them into their own projects. In addition to showcasing functional elements of the car, here's a closer look at some of the most standout features and how they were built.

Firewall
Firewalls serve the simple purpose of keeping the nasty byproducts of the engine bay out of the passenger compartment. Since its function is so utilitarian, the most attention firewalls receive are patching and painting. It obviously never dawned on anyone to use a firewall as a styling cue, but the G-Force 'Cuda's firewall is anything but a mere dress-up ploy. It's actually a piece of 3/4-inch thick billet aluminum milled to give the appearance of being cast in a foundry. The biggest challenge was managing the sheer size of the firewall on the mill. The process involved creatively rigging up clamp fixtures, machining, relocating the piece, re-clamping, and then re-machining over and over again. It was then painted gray to match the color of the interior, wheels, and other underhood accessories.

Designer profile: Chris Ito
Being raised the youngest of three boys might be one of the best things that ever happened to automotive designer Chris Ito. As a kid growing up in Eastern Oregon, he recalls missing the school bus on purpose to catch a ride in his brothers' hot rods. Not a bad plan considering they drove big-block Chevelles, a '62 Corvette Fuelie, and a 392 Hemi-powered Model A. Naturally, he picked up on the hobby and kept warm during the winter by turning wrenches. Chris was already welding by 8 years of age, and built his first hot rod, a '40 Ford, at 15. Blessed with a natural affinity for art, his mother noticed his talent at an early age and signed him up in a college painting class when Chris was still in grade school. He eventually decided to pursue both of his passions as a career, and enrolled at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. There, he received the GM scholarship his sophomore year and got a job with ASC (American Specialty Cars) in Detroit after graduation. During his stint at ASC, he started doing freelance automotive design work on the side. Although Chris probably sacrificed some notoriety by doing so, he didn't sign any of his sketches since they could have possibly created a conflict of interest with his day job. Today, Chris lives in Dallas, Texas, where he designs big rigs for Peterbilt and never passes up an opportunity to sketch up a hot rod.

Bezels
It's impossible to miss the recurring theme of brushed aluminum bezels throughout the car, which definitely toughens up its overall look. They're found on the headlights, hoodpins, gas cap, gauges, air vents, valve covers, shifter base, and the steering wheel hub. "I originally came up with that design for the base of the hood pin assembly," explains Chris Ito. "Everyone liked it so much, we ended up using it several places in the car. The idea was to accentuate the brutal and purposeful nature of a musclecar." The fabrication process starts with a blank cylinder of billet aluminum. The center of the cylinder is then machined out before being cut horizontally to create individual rings. The rings are then beveled to the desired angle before the dimples are machined out.

Top Fuel Bellhousing
It really wouldn't be an issue for a trailer queen, but the 'Cuda was meant to be driven hard, and that means eating up clutches. However, the C5's torque tube setup requires dropping the entire transaxle assembly to access the clutch. Not good. The solution was adapting a Top Fuel Style direct-drive bellhousing. This allowed ditching the torque tube in favor of a conventional driveshaft so the clutch could now be serviced with the trans in place.

Flat Underbelly
It's no secret that removing obstructions from the underside of a car yields cleaner aerodynamics. That's why everything from Indy cars to land speed racers feature flat bellies. However, it's a feature rarely found on street cars due to space constraints and the questionable benefits for the effort put forth. Alan Johnson admits packaging everything into the 'Cuda's chassis to achieve the flat bottom was the most difficult aspect of the build, but the effort was more than justified considering the car's high-speed endeavors. The idea is to reduce turbulence and speed up airflow beneath the car; it ensures there is a greater volume of air flowing over the car than underneath it, and that helps keep the car planted to the ground. Getting all the parts stuffed into the chassis was no short order, which took a lot of creativity to pull off. For example, the transmission tunnel doubles as an exhaust tunnel for two 3.5-inch pipes. Despite the shortage of space, the belly is still functional, as the center braces can be unbolted for easy access to the clutch, exhaust, driveshaft, and rear suspension.

Rear Diffuser
There's good reason why the rear profile is one of the boldest styling exercises on the entire car. A 'Cuda destined to run over 200 mph can't look like any other 'Cuda simply out of principle, and vehicle stability critical at those speeds requires something a bit more advanced than Chrysler's '60s aero technology. The solution is an air diffuser, which is just as functional as it is fashionable. Its strakes and center ground-effects tunnel are modeled after a Formula One car and help speed up air flowing from below. Louvers echo the theme from the hood, and relieve air pressure buildup. Simply removing the grille on the center tunnel reveals a parachute mount.