With an engine that was capable of such enormous potential, it was paramount that the safety of the car and the suspension were up to the challenge. Because the car would pull so much street duty, creature comforts such as power windows and door locks remained along with the rear seats. After pulling the interior, Wizard Racing fabricated a custom six-point rollcage, and a set of Corbeau Racing seats with five-point harnesses were bolted in. Although still portly at 3,677 lbs without the driver, some weight savings were achieved with the removal of the A/C system, airbags, and front and rear bumper supports. To further lighten the front end, a BMR K-member and upper and lower control arms were sourced, and the power steering rack was converted to a Madman & Co. manual rack. QA1 coilovers and shocks round out the front end. Out back, the 'Bird has received a complete Madman suspension makeover. An Outlaw drag race torque arm and integral transmission crossmember are tied into a set of BMR welded-in subframe connectors. Chrome-moly double-adjustable lower control arms and Panhard bar feature aircraft grade rod ends, while stock springs and AFCO adjustable racing shock absorbers provide the dampening adjustability for street or strip duty.
A Moser-based Ford 9-inch rearend previously installed was inspected and required only a fresh fluid fill to be deemed race ready. Equipped with 33-spline axles, a set of 3.70 Pro Street gears and an Auburn posi, the rearend now accepts power from a steel PST driveshaft after the factory LT1 driveshaft broke at the front yoke during testing. A similar fate fell upon the race-built TH350 as the input shaft to the transmission sheared off under the tremendous power of the engine during full boost. Now equipped with a TH400 built by Tranz King, the racing unit features a billet input shaft and drum, Kevlar clutches, and a B&M transbrake and manual valvebody. A PTC 3800-stall torque converter provides the torque multiplication, while a B&M SuperCooler transmission cooler keeps the fluids from boiling over. Because safety is such a concern, a steel TCI flywheel and transmission scatter shield provide extra insurance in case of failure.
Although not certified to date for 9-second duty, the TA ran a 9.55 quarter-mile time at a staggering 148.6 mph on only 8 lbs of boost. "Owning a pump-gas-friendly car that has this much power is exactly what the goals were," Omahar says. "I just love the power of the custom turbo setup, and I am street driving it every chance that I get. The 'Bird is quite stealthy, and only after racers start crawling under the car will they fully realize that it is turbocharged and truly an engineering tour de force. Of course it's only after they are thoroughly humiliated that they want to figure out how a little LT1 put that much of a beat-down on them." One of the largest indicators of how stealthy the car is was when GMHTP witnessed a 9-second pass during testing. Other than the crew from Thunder Racing/Madman & Co., the car drew little attention on its first pass. By the time the 'Bird was back in the pits, a crowd descended upon it intent on determining how the TA had posted such impressive numbers. Omahar was perfectly in his element, being self-effusive and allowing many a racer to smack-talk him about his little LT1. Even seeing a small glimpse of what the car was capable of couldn't distract a certain Pro Bike wanna-be racer from letting his mouth overload his racing ability. That's all right as Omahar took it all in stride and eventually allowed the gentleman to bait himself into a challenge. Omahar walked off a few nights later with a baseball-sized roll of hundreds lining his front pocket and a million-dollar smile. If you ever find yourself down in the Bayou, be wary of just another 'Bird featuring custom paint, as it is a mighty stealthy 'Cane!
 Custom aluminum panels effectively...  Custom aluminum panels effectively hide the insane turbo packaging under the front corners of the car. Each side features a Limit Engineering GT67 ball bearing turbo and TiAL wastegate. A FAST XFI computer controls the three-bar tune aided by wide-band 02 sensors on each turbo setup. A coolant catch-can is plumbed in under the passenger side while the opposing corner has an oil catch-can. |  Omahar proudly poses beside...  Omahar proudly poses beside his purple Hurricane machine. |  Holeshot Pentastar billet...  Holeshot Pentastar billet aluminum wheels measuring 15x10 inches in the rear are wrapped in 325/50/15 Mickey Thompson ET Street Radials, while matching front wheels measure 15x4 and carry 26.0/4.5/15 MT ET Street front tires. |