Tag Archives: Battle of the Builders

SEMA 2023: 1968 Chevrolet Camaro ARDUOUS by Tyler Nelson

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Based on how many amazing cars are at the SEMA Show, you might think that restoring a classic car is easy. Just order the parts and put it together! But the truth is that when it comes to parts and labor, it costs a lot to get quality work. If you ask Tyler Nelson of Revision Rods & Rides, he might say that building a car is an arduous process.

His 1968 Chevrolet Camaro is nicknamed “Arduous,” which is defined as: involving or requiring strenuous effort; difficult and tiring. I think that is an accurate description of the work that goes into building a top-tier car for SEMA.

With any project, there are always unforseen problems and challenges. Parts don’t fit, dealing with back orders and shipping delays, things break during removal and installation, and introducing custom-made parts adds a whole world of new challenges. Such is the case with this 1968 Camaro. At his shop in Rapid City, South Dakota, this Camaro was completely taken apart and rebuilt using new parts and plenty of upgrades as well.

The Camaro’s original chassis has been replaced with an Art Morrison chassis with a fully independent rear suspension. Under the hood is a GM Performance LT376/535 crate engine producing 535 horsepower, coupled to a GM 8L90E 8-speed transmission. The engine is hidden beneath a custom made air intake and engine cover that were fabricated for this car, giving it that show car look when the custom built hood is open. Everything from the fender liners to the radiator support was custom made for this car, then painted to match the exterior body color, which is a custom mixed BASF Refinish blue with accent stripes.

The interior is completely custom with the dashboard, center console and door panels made out of aluminum and wrapped in two-tone Hydes leather. While I am not generally a fan of white seats, I think that the contrasting gray and white interior looks really sharp for this car.

The car also features tons of one-off machined parts. Look closely and you will see a hexagon pattern, which is repeated in the front grille, the brake reservoir cover, the machined AC vents, the hood cowl vents, the speaker grilles in the rear dash and even the inserts of the front bucket seats. Even the gauge cluster has a subtle 6-sided surround to it.

The drip rails have been shaved and the glass is flush mounted, giving the car a more modern look. It rides on Billet Specialties wheels.
The car was a Top 12 finalist in the Battle of the Builders at the 2023 SEMA Show, and a Top 3 finalist in the Hot Rod category. Arduous has received plenty of recognition including Meguiar’s Magnificent Masterpiece and GM IRON Builder of the Year finalist at the GoodGuys Heartland Nationals in 2024.

This car was truly a labor of love for the clients, Mary & Clayton Graham who own this beautiful Camaro. It really was a treat seeing it in person at the SEMA Show. Congratulations on your well-deserved success! I can’t wait to see what comes next from the talented team at Revision Rods & Rides.

SEMA 2023: 1998 Chevrolet C1500 Truck by Carson Hendershott

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I have long been a fan of the GMT400 platform, having owned 1997 Chevrolet and 1988 GMC truck. When I saw this custom C1500 single cab at the 2023 SEMA Show, I could tell it was something special.

The truck was built by Carson Hendershott of Ontario, Canada. At just 26 years old, he was a finalist in the Young Guns category and a Top 12 finalist in the Battle of the Builders competition.
As you will see, his customized pickup is anything but stock. The metallic red paint really pops against the Steve Stanford Designs paint scheme that has a “rad minitruck” feel to it. Additional bodywork includes a shaved tailgate, roll pan rear bumper, extended wheel tubs, and a narrowed front bumper.

The showstopper is under the hood – an LSX 376 engine with a Harrop TVS2650 supercharger and titanium intake that is pumping out 1,000 horsepower. Coupled to that is a Tremec T-56 Magnum transmission, so that you can row your own gears.

The rest of the driveline is built to handle the power: a carbon fiber driveshaft, Custom 9″ Moser rear differential, and 6-piston Baer disc brakes at all four corners. The truck rides on Forgeline wheels that measure 19×10 in the front and 20×12.5 in the rear, wrapped in Michelin tires.
The front suspension has tubular control arms with drop spindles, QA1 coilovers and a QA1 front swaybar, with a custom 5-link suspension with QA1 coilovers in the rear. The modified box floor of the bed conceals a 20 gallon fuel cell.

The interior looks better than stock, too. A dashboard and door panels from a 1993 C1500 was sourced, then wrapped in black leather. The steering wheel features an OEM design, recreated in Carbon Fiber with black leather accents and contrasting red stitching. The Cobra carbon fiber bucket seats with diamond stitched inserts provide plenty of grip during cornering. A set of Dakota Digital gauges round out the interior.
This is an impressive build for anyone, let alone someone who is just 26. Huge congratulations to Carson and his team on making it to Battle of the Builders – what an achievement!

SEMA 2023: 1969 Ford Mustang Fastback “Bleu Bayou” by Goolsby Customs

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It takes a team of people to restore and build a custom car, and the team at Goolsby Customs in Alabama is one of the best in the business. Regular attendees of the SEMA Show, GoodGuys, and Shades of the Past Rod Run will be familiar with Jonathan Goolsby and his work as a premier custom car builder.

The Goolsby Customs team entered their 1969 Ford Mustang Fastback, nicknamed “Bleu Bayou” in the 2023 Battle of the Builders competition at the SEMA Show, after it debuted at the BASF booth.
When people come to SEMA, they expect to see crazy, custom-built cars done to a very high level, and this car certainly fits the bill. The ’69 Fastback has been transplanted onto a Roadster Shop Fast Track chassis, which offers vastly improved handling and cornering over the original frame.

Braking is also improved thanks to the Baer disc brakes at all four corners, which are tucked behind the Forgeline GB3C three-piece forged wheels measuring 19×9.5 up front and 20×12 in the rear, wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires. The wheels have “Anodized Champaign” centers and polished outers.
The real excitement is under the hood, where a Roush Performance Coyote supercharged V8 engine sits, making 666 horsepower.

The car has undergone extensive modification to the sheet metal, including a chopped roofline and custom rear end treatment that blends a lip spoiler into the trunk lid. New wheel wells, floor pans, trunk flooring and a new firewall were all custom fabricated for the car. Extensive work was also done to the hood when shaping the custom scoop. Rocker panels were extended and integrated to match the bodywork. A front chin spoiler was also custom made for the car.

Machined parts include custom door handles, taillight trim rings, and much more. The car is finished in a beautiful shade of BASF blue paint.
This build really shows off the skill and expertise for which Goolsby Customs is known. The car has so many custom touches, it’s hard to list them all! This car really caught my eye at the SEMA Show, and I am proud to feature it here on Generation High Output.

View the build gallery: https://goolsbycustoms.com/builds/blaines-1969-mustang/

SEMA 2023: 1987 Merkur XR4Ti by Jordan Henke

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Captive Imports

A “captive import” is an automobile that is produced in a foreign country and imported and sold in another country under a different name or brand.

In the 1980s, Ford Motor Company Vice President Bob Lutz felt that the Ford brand should have a small, luxury-sports car to compete with European rivals like BMW. Rather than develop a new car in-house, they leaned on Ford’s European division instead.

A Sierra By Another Name

The Ford Sierra was sourced from Europe and brought to America, with an increase in power thanks to a turbocharger. Engine output was 145 hp with the automatic transmission and 175 with the manual transmission (this was the 1980s after all).

The cars were sold in North America as the Merkur XR4Ti from 1985-1989, during which time 42,464 units were built. The car failed to meet Ford’s sales goals and was retired after only four years on the market. More than 30 years later, I am always surprised at how many people within the car community have not heard of the Merkur XR4Ti.

1987 Merkur XR4Ti Custom

I’ve been a fan of the bodystyle for years, as well as pretty much anything with a turbo from the 80s. When I saw this XR4Ti in the Battle of the Builders area at SEMA 2023, I was immediately drawn to it.
The first thing I noticed was the color – Ford’s “Area51” Blue with highlighter orange accents. They coordinate well together and provide a unique look to the car. It rides on a set of American Racing VF529 wheels finished in black, though personally I feel that silver would have stood out better. A set of Toyo Proxes tires provides the necessary grip when cornering.

The next thing I noticed was the wide flares over the wheel arches. The XR4Ti was never available in a widebody version – this one was completely custom made by Jordan Henke and his team at JH Restorations in Windsor, Ontario. They 3D scanned the car and made their own widebody kit and carbon fiber hood – technology that is commonplace today but would have been unimaginable in the late ’80s.

Every inch of this car has been upgraded with modern components and technology. The original engine was replaced with a Ford 2.3L Ecoboost turbo engine coupled to a Tremec TKX five-speed transmission and an 8.8 rear differential from a 2018 Mustang. I like that the 2.3L Turbo engine remains true to the original spirit of the car.

The suspension was also completely re-engineered and is based on Corvette C6 hubs with QA1 coilovers. Integrated into that are 14-inch disc brakes from Wilwood, front and rear.

The interior is a comfortable place to be. The retro-style Recaro racing seats are wrapped in leather with Recaro fabric seat inserts. A set of custom Dakota Digital gauges provides the driver with all of the necessary information.

Jordan Henke made it to the Top 10 Finalists at the 2023 Battle of the Builders at SEMA – an impressive achievement!

For more information, check out JH Restorations: https://www.facebook.com/jhrestorations