Cris Gonzalez' Challenger is Plum Crazy Purple, but it might have Mopar lovers seeing red.
Cris Gonzalez, owner and operator of JCG Restoration & Customs (JCGRestorationandCustoms.com)
in Oxnard, California, has built some of the baddest Pro Touring cars
around, including the Blu Balz Camaro, an over-the-top muscle car that
left Italian supercars in its wake. Cris’ latest project, a 1970 Dodge
Challenger, moves down the color spectrum from blue to purple, but it
might have Mopar lovers seeing red.
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The team built the car
to the proper ride height, mounted the wheels without fenders, and then
custom-built fenders around the wheels. The widened sheetmetal houses
huge Forgeline ZX3 wheels: 19x11s in the front and 19x12s in the rear.
The LS in the Dodge makes 605 hp to the flywheel at 6,500 rpm
along with 540 lb-ft at 5,500 rpm. The big challenge is putting that
power to the ground, even with 12-inch-wide tires. “We’ve pretty much
found [their limit],” Cris said. “It grips so hard in the front, we
don’t have many issues. Now it’s about playing around with [the rear]
springs. When we get some springs, we can get some forward launch.” A
Holley EFI Hi-Ram intake (installed after our photo shoot) moved the
torque curve higher into the rpm range and made the car manageable on
the bottom end while exiting corners. “I don’t have the torque trying to
spin my tires [now],” Cris said. “On the road course, rolling through a
couple esses, I want to be able to roll on the throttle and not get
sideways.”
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No, it’s not a Mopar,
but the power and ease of parts acquisition make up for the lack of
brand loyalty. The Mast Motorsports LS3 aluminum block has a 4.070-inch
bore and 4-inch stroke, resulting in 416 ci. Callies forged crank and
H-beam rods round out the bottom end with 11.2:1 compression.
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Kooks stainless-steel longtube headers let the LS3 breathe into 3-inch Borla and custom X-pipe.
How did Cris end up building an LS-powered, road-race
Challenger in the first place? He teamed up with long-time friend and
owner of Blu Balz, Karl Dunn, with the goal of building a car
specifically for the Ultimate Street Car Invitational. Karl had been
competing in Optima events with a 2007 Saleen Mustang. If you’re a Ford
guy and weren’t offended by an LS-powered Mopar, you may not want to
know where the LS was before the Challenger: Karl’s Saleen. When a
customer of JCG expressed interest in the Mustang, Cris put the original
drivetrain back in the Saleen and traded the Ford for the Challenger.
Then, since he had the LS ready to go, it went right in the Dodge.
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Sparco racing seats
hold Cris and passenger in place. A complete Safecraft fire-suppression
system, when pulled, can douse flames under the hood, interior, and
trunk simultaneously. JCG built the four-point rollcage.
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Speedhut gauges handle
rpm and speedometer duty while an American Autowire system takes care
of the wiring. The car uses a complete AIM Sports data-acquisition
system to report back from the track.
The Challenger was a 10-year-old restoration with decent paint
and a straight body. JCG built the suspension basing it on Blu Balz’ C6
front clip. JCG builds a C6 spindle of its own design and assembles
them in a jig. Cris worked with JRI (JRIshocks.com)
to produce a special set of JRI/JCG coilovers with Eibach springs for
the Challenger. The only part on the front suspension not built in-house
are the Speedway Engineering sway bars. It took the team only 10 months
to finish the complete build.
Operated by the Ultimate Street Car Association, the Challenge is a two-day event where street-legal cars are put to the test with a poker run, speed-stop challenge, style judging, and road-course race. Entries collect points on how well they do at each challenge. The Challenger haswon the Lingenfelter Performance Engineering Design and Engineering award while chasing overall class points for the series. Lightened to 3,350 pounds, the car is designed for a road course, so for the autocross Cris removes the rear swing arm so the Challenger can transition weight faster for tight back-and-forth turns. On the road course, however, the car needs to be stiff. “We don’t want a big ol’ sloppy car,” Cris said. “Right now, we’re dealing with a four-wheel drift.”
Fabrication, suspension, and mechanics—Cris is good
at everything, except Mopar engines. Under the hood of the Challenger
is a Mast Motorsports LS3. “I get a lot of disappointment at the track
when they find out it has an LS engine, but then they’re amazed at how
fast it is,” Cris said. People tend to forgive a lot for the sake of
more horsepower.
Operated by the Ultimate Street Car Association, the Challenge is a two-day event where street-legal cars are put to the test with a poker run, speed-stop challenge, style judging, and road-course race. Entries collect points on how well they do at each challenge. The Challenger haswon the Lingenfelter Performance Engineering Design and Engineering award while chasing overall class points for the series. Lightened to 3,350 pounds, the car is designed for a road course, so for the autocross Cris removes the rear swing arm so the Challenger can transition weight faster for tight back-and-forth turns. On the road course, however, the car needs to be stiff. “We don’t want a big ol’ sloppy car,” Cris said. “Right now, we’re dealing with a four-wheel drift.”
At the Optima event in Daytona, the LS starved for
oil on the long, steep banks. Currently, the engine is awaiting its
return after fixing a spun bearing. For the last couple races, a
Chevrolet Performance 525hp LS3 crate engine has filled in. It’s down by
80 hp compared to the Mast Motorsports mill, but that engine will
return to the car for future races.
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