POWERTRAIN
A big part of Russell's performance combination is weight, or the lack of it. At 3,100 pounds, this relatively small mass is easily serviced by a large-displacement small-block engine. Russell founded his on a Dart Iron Eagle tall-deck block after the machine work had been processed by Bob Lambeck (Van Nuys, California) and Burbank Speed. A 4.185-inch bore and a 4.00-inch stroke yield 440 cubic inches.
A Cola forging starts the rotating assembly, goes to Bill Miller aluminum rods, and then Ross custom-built pistons fitted with a Total Seal ring pack. Russell carefully chose GM semi-finished 18-degree cylinder heads (PN 24502580). The aluminum castings accept 2.20- and 1.650-inch valves, have 60cc combustion chambers, and whistle through 215cc intake ports. With the specially designed Ross pistons, Russell built a whopping 16.0:1 compression ratio. The heads have "various porting profiles" as applied by Ron's Porting Service and Russell himself.
The motor went together with Clevite bearings, Fel-Pro gaskets, a Moroso vacuum pump, an Edelbrock water pump, and a Titan oil pump inside a Jeff Johnson oil pan. One of Danny Jesel's timing belts connects crank and cam. A custom-ground Crane roller (more than 0.800 inch lift) moves Manley pushrods against T&D shaft-mounted rocker arms, thence to Manley springs and Del West titanium valves.
Induction fumes with a Hogan sheetmetal intake manifold and a Holley carburetor of undetermined size. An MSD 7AL box provides fire for timing set at 34 degrees total. Then Russell trucked it out east to Ontario, where Jack Davis built his signature stepped headers (2- to 21/4-inch primaries). On the way to the outside, the 3-inch system howls through Borla mufflers.
Russell's kinda vague about the two-speed tranny, though. Says it's a GM unit with stock gear ratios and that he makes the single gear change with a B&M Pro Stick shifter, sending a massive amount of torque to the 8-inch Continental converter that's been buffed out with a slingshot 5,600 stall speed. Grunt zooms down an Inland Empire 31/2-inch-diameter aluminum driveshaft to a 9-inch housing bolstered by a Mark Williams aluminum section fitted with a Detroit Locker differential, Currie 35-spline axles, and 4.86:1 gears.
WHEELS & BRAKES
Weld forgings all around, 3.5-inch skinnies and modest 8-inch Drag Lites, carrying Goodyear 25x4.5 and M/T ET Drag 30x12.50 rubber. Though the feather-light 15-inch-diameter wheels don't offer much in the way of big brake clearance, there are some serious Wilwood discs posted at every corner.
INSIDE
Typical working man's interior says little and therefore speaks a great deal, and certainly leaves no clue as to the hideous thing living under the hood. Under the heading "upholstery material" Russell put "not much." So we got tan and we got more tan. The instruments are Auto Meter. The dashboard is stock. The wiring is original. The seats are JAZ race decked out by the owner.
PERFORMANCE
As you might imagine, Russell's Nova makes quite a ruckus. People look around and say, "Where's all that ruckus comin' from?" His car's right there but they can't see it--not really. On the engine stand, the mighty 440 cranked out 897 hp at 7,500 rpm and 675 lb-ft of torque at 6,400 rpm with no outside help, no juice, no blower. In the car, ol' Russ has slammed an 8.93 at 151 mph!
BODY
Beginning with pure, straight metal is right away going to save a whole bunch of time and scoots. Russell's 60,000-original-mile heirloom got sprayed one night by the members of the Road Peasants, "Matriarch" Bob Shrode presiding. Bob applied the PPG two-stage original factory gold in the Road Peasants Garage in Burbank, California.
CHASSIS
Here Russell mainly addressed the unibody's structural weaknesses, laying in an eight-point rollcage and spanning the space between the front and rear "chassis" with frame connectors of his own concoction. He also narrowed the axlehousing 1 inch and put up some mini-tubs "as small as possible, for tire clearance," and then notched the rear framerails 1/2 inch for more of the same.
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