Oct 24 - 2006Another loony is here!
It's my old friend and former drag racer Kent Edin in Umeå who
just received his 1996 SS and wants to go drag racing ASAP!
Originally the plans was that our common friend Lennart "Bagarn"
Bergqvist at Autoshop Racing Engines in Orlando, Florida, would
build him a real "Bostic Killer" engine, but since Lennart sadly
passed away, it felt natural that Karl Ellwein of Ellwein Engines
should build this stroker. Very very interesting!
So another blackout'ed Impala SS is aiming for the Quartermile!
The owner also has a BLACK belt in Kyokushinkai karate!
Kent has already invested in a kompressor but wonders
a little about the installation.
No no Kent, not there! The socket is under the PCM box but you'll
need an US adapter as well... Welcome to the wonderful
world of Impala SS! And God Bless! =)
Gentle Giant
Kent has chosen to name his project after our
absolute favourite band in the early 1970's.
English Gentle Giant consisted of enormously
talented musicians who were more like music
experimentalists. The group's purpose was to
"expand the frontiers of contemporary popular
music at the risk of becoming very unpopular"
And they never became a group for the big
audience, instead they were called "the
musicians group".
And Three Friends back in Umeå - Kent,
Per "Sicke" Wiklund and me - found them
and a lot of beer vanished to this music.
Wikipedia on Gentle Giant
Jan 6 - 2007
Déjà vu!
We've seen this before! Kent Edin has bought EXACTLY the
same rear end kit from Alston Chassisworks as I did! They
were ordered to send same EVERYTHING! Kent is smart!
Kent wants to have a run in 2007. Hurry hurry! Yahoo! Fun!
Jan-Åke Norberg of Norbergs Race Cars in Umeå is a nice guy
who will help Kent to make a quicker SS than mine! I will too.
But just how did they get that led boat up there...?
This is no stupid! (drag racer himself) Already having a chassis
jig in his garage... Keep us updated guys!
Yes, you maybe know that Kent has ordered a blown "Bostic
Killer" from King Karl Ellwein's ELLWEIN ENGINES...the most
powerful engine built by Karl so far!
1200 hp or bust.
Dang it, I have to update a few things... =) Looove it!
Jan 7
Another SS-floor gets holes made for a 4-link...
They use my website as an installation instruction but that doesn't
necessarily mean they will follow it to the letter.
Fab9 is fixed to the jig with the help of aluminium profiles. SS is
welded to the jig. Yes, they fixed this rear end in the middle of the
wheel wells, a 3/4" backwards compared to the stock rear end.
Jan-Åke has the tools and the speed. He has built rollbars, rollcages
and chassis stuff on quite a few race cars so the SS is in good hands.
Crossmember here...hm...yes...
Jan 16
Karl sent a picture showing the F.A.S.T. XFI system that Kent Edin
has bought for his Gentle Giant project. Also the Service Manual
for the B-platform, the "Bible" which will come in handy many times.
Jan 25
Now they have a Manual!
Jan-Åke Norberg holds the manual that Kent Edin has made.
Will this help them to achieve their goal?
Interesting contents in their Manual =)
I wonder what Page 3 says...?
No one can escape the dirty work of removing undercoating
to be able to weld. It's a mission of a real Hero.
Rear end and suspension is finally fixed in the Gentle Giant SS.
Looking good!
Aha! An interpooler! Different from mine but it will work.
Are you buying it or making it?
March 2
"UH UH ARRRGHHHH!! UH UH!"
Since Jan-Åke's new investment in a hydraulic tube bending
machine hasn't arrived yet, Kent Edin needed all his Karate
skills to help out with the tube bending... I sent them my
cardboard dummies but I don't see them using them in any
picture?
And dzhiz a little little more...jaahhh!!!!
Jan-Åke was very keen on the tube bending and therefore he
could be very happy when fitting the 1 5/8" chrome moly main
loop in the Gentle Giant SS of Umeå, Sweden.
Floor box covering the 4-link looks all right. Maybe a little
too high in back or is it only my memory? Can the rear seat
really go enough low, in furthest back...?
March 25
Looki looki! They've been working in Umeå! All pieces of the cage in Kent's Impala SS are in place, except
the small ones which will be strengthening the corners. When all are TIG-welded it's time to raise the
body to weld underneath.
Three pictures of the swing out solution
Kent forced Jan-Åke to show the swing out's function. The bars can also be removed from the car which was
what Kent wanted for his personal needs. This is the design also I thought about having in the Blackout SS,
but that was before Mr Al Holt changed my mind. So Kent bought my Chassisworks 1 5/8" swing out kit.
A lot of cutting in the floor awaits in the whole car before raising the body.
Kent wants to go racing NOW!
And Kent decided already in the early 80's when visiting my Whiplash Camaro garage...?
March 29
Oh my... Oh my...!
I just got an email from Karl Ellwein of Ellwein Engines in
Maryland U.S.A. There were some pics of the things that
Karl will build Kent Edin's engine from - "King Of Spades"
Karl wrote:
"All of Kent's motor parts are arriving. His cylinder heads are the best
I have ever seen. Advanced Induction is the company that ported the
heads and installed the valves and springs. All of it is NASCAR
endurance quality components. I'm very impressed with the quality.
They use the Newen top of the line valve seat machine".-
Karl: "Also Jesel shaft rockers, Morel endurance solid roller lifters, Billet core solid roller cam,
ported LT1 intake. I'd like to build a motor like this for myself soon".
April 21
The world is out of grey Impala A-pillar instruments pods. If you
get hold of a black one, you need to paint it grey like Kent did.
Autoshop-delivered TCI 4L80E. Just like mine. The converter is a
TCI Super Street Fighter.
This ProCharger intercooler is dimensioned for 1300 hp. They
will rebuild the inlet and outlet when engine and blower
is mounted.
A little less weight on the frame with some artisticly made SS.
Soon time to engage the body to the frame again.
April 22
Follow the build "live" daily!
Good friend Karl Ellwein in Maryland USA is now working full
time to finalize Kent Edin's Bostic Killer-LT1 "King of Spades".
1200+ HP
And we're also awaiting dyno results in the beginning of May!
Click logo above to be transferred to the exciting engine build!
May 3
Very good Kent and Jan-Åke!
I'm so happy to see how they follow my idea and that it works, again! We're all so excited to
meet on a drag strip again! It's been at least 20 years ago, we both had Camaros and I was
untouchable. I don't think Kent, or Jan-Åke or actually the whole racing community of Umeå,
or engine builder Karl Ellwein of Maryland, USA, will settle with that again!
Now it's a REAL PAY BACK TIME! =) I just LOVE IT! And I wish our common friend and mentor
late Lennart "Baker" Bergqvist had been involved in this! Maybe he is after all? Who knows?
Well, he built Jeesus in 2003 on a trimmed budget (my choice) so he is absolutely in!
Kent's engine "King of Spades" built by our friend Karl Ellwein of Ellwein Engines. NASCAR and
Pro Stock-companies are invited with their state-of-the-art-products after Karl's ideas!
On its way to the dyno (on carb). Will it exceed Jeezus dyno result of 500 hp w.o. supercharger?
You'll very soon find out! Follow every move here, click the logo:
May 4
545 HP on motor!
A satisfied Karl Ellwein called me after the dyno session of
"King of Spades" at Engine Master's #4 McKeown Motorsports.
Yes, Yes and Yes, they're on the right way and will have one
of the absolute quickest Impala SS racers in the World when
sorted out on a track!
They exceeded my Jeezus 500 hp on motor - LOW compression
(static, they 8.7 me 8.5) NO blower - with a 545 hp @ 6300 RPM
and torque was a 520 ft.lb @ 4800 RPM! AND they will have the
larger F2-blower (mine is a smaller F1R). Hooolyyy shiiiit! =)
Video from Karl here: ellweinengines.com
A new motor is born!
Why am I happy when I'm the target?
Because I like both Karl and Kent and the state of progress.
May 7
F2
Karl Ellwein holding the ProCharger F2 that'll power up Kent's "King of Spades" 383. I still use
the F1R (reversed) on Jeezus but have reached and exceeded the limit for it - too much blower
revving - and should also step up to the F2. I told Kent and Karl about it early on in their
planning so they could choose the F2 to Fast Forward to the right level from the beginning -
less revving and more volume instead. McKeown Motorsport will fabricate a crank support.
That's also a good idea: >Jeezus Crank Support
May 15
And Kent is following
Kent Edin and Jan-Åke Norberg are moving the whole trunk floor (and fuel tank) 3"
backwards just like we did in Blackout. This to get the needed space for the Anti Roll Bar.
It's nice when it's done. Congratulations guys!June 1
Gentle Giant going back together
See! Kent even has the original floor cover mat left.
Mmmm. The swingout design looks good!
Is that the original carpet? Good condition!
Kent is more complete than me, he has the speaker covers. I still haven't got mine from Hawaii...
Janne checks the fine handicraft from the fine people of Gothenburg.
Time to put it together.
And get that Rossler Brake into the 4L80E. And get me a couple of these T-shirts Karl! I want XXL.
(On a second thought after my own 2007 season with this transbrake...keep it outside of trans!)
September 19
Hail The King!
An exciting moment in Umeå! Janne and Kent open the flown engine
box from Karl Ellwein of Maryland, USA!
"King Of Spades" is finally here!
It's here to help Kent Edin in his Impala SS "Gentle Giant" to conquer "Jeezus" in the Blackout SS
beginning in 2008 season...we guess it will be a Norrland Tour - races at Pite Dragway, Skellefteå
and Sundsvall...and then European Finals at Santa Pod in September...
Kent will have a much smarter (?) fuel system in his Impala SS. No fuel cell in the trunk, only this
aluminiumbox in the right front corner of the engine compartment and a 7.0 Magnafuel pump etc.
Anti Roll Bar is finished.
Looking very good guys!
November 10
The King is in
Kent Edin and Janne Norberg in Umeå are constantly working to get the Gentle Giant SS ready for next
summer so they can race against Blackout Full Size Racing when we show up and look for them...
Today the King of Spades engine and the 4L80E transmission is finally in their place! Now only the rest.
Electronics, headers build (x2), crank support, water, intercooler...oh!...it is a lot to do, now I
remember =)
The crossmember is done in Kent's Impala SS which means that they finally can ground the car on
its wheels. Congratulations to a rolling car guys!
2008
Kent has a new garage. Too...
Hey, Kent seems to follow me in everything! Not only is he building an Impala SS, now he also has a
new garage for it! Actually, we'll have three Impala SS parked here in July! Check it out: >RACES 2008
Good investment Kent!
A little too much hardener, maybe?
JANUARY 7
This is Kent's F2 kit for his "King of Spades" engine. These parts will propel the torque and power to new
exciting levels. Can Blackout SS and "Jeezus" really meet this threat? I see something wrong though,
it looks like rubber belts!? What length are they Kent? We must get you something better...
(Nice to have a newly painted garage floor to take pics on, isn't it?)
Wow! What a spectacular kit this is! The F2 is much larger than my F1 for sure. And Kent is mounting
it on the engine instead of on the frame which I did. Both good and bad issues whichever way you
choose as I see it. The best thing about this set up is of course the steady alignment, for belt life.
But it looks like the belt has to be quite long? Hm? But another thumbs up is that it seems that the kit
can clear the hood and Kent doesn't need to make a hole in it...nah...what will it be like with some belt
clearance on that blower pulley? Anyway, it will be interesting to follow all the needs of
Hot Rodding you have to do in order to get this to work. It's never a bolt-on.
A first concern is where ATI damper is sitting visavi the distance to the block in comparison to my
engine and the Crank Support which we've made for Kent's application. I don't use Optispark anymore,
but I'm not sure that has affected the distance of the hub? I guess we're talking millimeters of a
difference between our engines and I had the Crank Support kits made with an extra length for the
customers to cut down to their specific lengths. Smart huh?
One problem for Kent though is that the whole F2-kit has to come out forward from its mounting on the
engine a full 80 mm - more than 3" - for the pulleys to line up! That is much!
Some misalignment could be spotted at Kent's setup. About 80 mm of it. That's a little more than 3".
Of course they need to rework the ProCharger bracket a great deal...what's it made for anyway???
If he also could lower the package in order to shorten the belt which now is incredible 1584 mm
(compared to mine 1280 mm). You shouldn't use the belt tensioner on the outside of the belt.
That can also be solved with a shorter belt.
Oops! Through the hood! Another reason for lowering the whole package. This is also one of my reasons
that I choose to put my ProCharger on the frame: >BLOWER_MENU
Kent's blower relocation
The F2 is now mounted as low as possible in Kent's Impala. Only the
rear bracket is used, together with tube distances and long bolts.
The brackets are cut both here and there to give more space.
Outlet is straight down for an tube going forward to the IC. But where
will you take all the incoming air from? A hole in the hood maybe?
The view from underneath. They're now down to a belt length of
around 1500 - 1550 mm (from 1584 - 1600 mm)
Even if some cutting is done to the ProCharger brackets there can
still be some work needed to give that water hose clearance.
Hmm...much better! But will it be clearance enough Kent?
February 27
Kent's broken camera, but still a report
Wow! This will be the look of the Gentle Giant SS - hungry!
So this is the chrome moly framing which Jan-Åke has made for the Gentle Giant front.
And this is the mounting. Looking good! You guys make me look second already.
Very very good looking! Both carbon fiber shaft, safety ring and x-member! Full points!
Simpson is OK.
March 4 - 2008
Kent's differences more and more clear
We see more and more the differences between Kent's project and mine. Like the intercooler.
Much smaller than the one in Blackout. Will it work? According to ProCharger it will.
But will this 90 degree silicone tube still be sitting there after the first run? Luckily the worst pressure
is on the hot side of the intercooler...
Since Kent still will use the Optispark distributor (the MSD version) the crank support of my design
couldn't work straight out of the box, because of the interferrence with the spark plug wires, which
I don't have there anymore myself.
Same thing on the passenger side. But gladly we can now see their solution by drilling new holes to
move the bars away from the distributor. Good solution. Makes this kit still workable on all LT1 Gen II.
It's also needed to grind off some material from the tube sitting by the alternator bracket. The bracket
also needed some carving as you can see on the picture just above this one.
March 12
Titanium into the fight!
More and more signs of an important showdown to come! Kent sent these pictures of his newly
fabricated titanium bolts for the 4-link! It makes a total save of 8 hg...is it 28 oz? Weight Watchers
are now into this! But it was not only for weight, Kent didn't like that the threads of the bolts in
the kit met the uni-balls. "It's getting grinded over time"
King of Spades now also have the same engine plates as Jeezus.
May 19
Kent has fixed his camera, at last
Race fuel tank and pump in their places! Looking good.
Janne also seems to be keen on programming and mapping.
Kent's boxes for the engine management and the transmission management are in the same place
as my boxes. Perfect, but no place left for gloves....
Smart guy Janne Norberg holds a World first LT1 product for the Optispark ignition, so it can work with
the sequential cam signal. It's a 0.3 mm thin stainless wheel that is manufactured with the help of a
computer program made by Janne himself! Janne also found the laser company that could make the
wheel. Hello LT1 tuners from around the world, Norberg Race Cars is ready to take your orders!
Now Kent's window net installation is done also. Neat net. Nice together with the swingout and all.
On / Off. The Janne Norberg solution to the lower bar hook up in the front.
May 28
Kent's shocking shocks!
This is unfair! Kent never told me! =) He had this pro Robert Cameron
to secretly build new exclusive adjustable Street/Strip front shock
absorbers for his Impala SS "Gentle Giant". His friend and
neighbour (!) Robert is a well known shock engineer in the worlds
of Rally, Racing and Boats... Damn Kent, my neighbors are a retired
Physics Teacher, a retired CEO of a private hospital, a pair of
Company Psychologists and a Priest!
Well, I'll take help from the Priest I'm telling you!!
Hmf! So what is the cost? Or is it only for neighbours?...
The re-bounce will be adjusted by the knob on top (left). Original Impala SS absorbers - de Carbon - were
used to measure the right gas pressure, for the manufacturing. Curves are shown on a computer monitor.
Kent hopes for the best. Just receiving my Job Spetter-tuned F.A.S.T.
mapping file by email. Remember that it also went a couple of miles
on the roof of an old Volvo...
Hope it works in your machine, Good Luck!
June 3
Slicks are in the mail
A very nice and serviceminded lady at the Post office at Lindholmen
helped to get my Hoosier slicks shipped in a hurry to Kent in Umeå
who hasn't got his ordered slicks delivered yet - and they're going
racing with Gentle Giant already this coming weekend!
Spring Nationals at Piteå Dragway! This will be their first real test of
the whole car so Good Luck guys! But don't drive too quick... =)
E X C I T I N G !
June 6 - Swedish National Day
Gentle Giant loaded!
This looks good! Welcome out of the garage "Gentle Giant"! Hungry?
"Klonk" Oh!? Is it that low now?
Kent Edin and Janne Norberg have had some busy hours to make Gentle Giant ready and to load it on
the trailer. It's time! Yes, I've even asked the local pro photographer Richard at Ulkhyvlers
to have a special eye on them this weekend so you all will see it!
Ready to go racing! You have been following this Gentle Giant project on this site for 18 months and
now you'll watch the first attempt at the drag strip at their first test at Pite Dragway this weekend
June 7-8! No idle, rich plugs, flexi blower belt, this'n'that...but now they have to get out and try it all!
Hm..these Hoosier slicks...I just saw them here in Gothenburg recently...strange...
Good work guys, break a leg! Call me anytime on anything! On which color on the christmas
tree you should go'n'things! Begin with an 11 something ET. I did.