At the moment, Bob still runs the stock 10-bolt outfitted with a 4.10 gear, which helped enable an impressive 10.7 at 126 mph run in the quarter-mile. If he does decide to upgrade to a stronger rear, thankfully he already has the supporting components, including a ZOOM Stage 3 Kevlar clutch, BMR torque arm, lower control arms, Global West subframe connectors, and a Hotchkis Panhard bar. BMR Fabrication 35mm front and 25mm rear sway bars, as well as Eibach lowering springs, tighten up the Firebird's handling, with Kumho Ecsta Supra 275/30ZR19 rubber providing the grip. The lowered stance also doesn't hurt the TA's looks, especially when combined with high-class HP Design Lightning 19x9.5 rims.
Had Bob not just bought another Pewter TA for his wife, this probably would have been the end of the story, but because the two were the same color, he decided to take his TA to Expectations Custom Paint in Easley, South Carolina, for a unique paint job. Painter Doug Johnson added three coats of Hot Lava to the top half of the car, including the Ram Air hood, before going six coats deep in clear. Extensive prep and polishing removed even the slightest hint of orange peel from the Spies Hecker paint. The wheels,gauges, and FAST LSX intake were also painted to match the unique shade of red. Doug also decided to translate Bob's fascination with Betty Boop into modern art by airbrushing the character onto the wing, airlid, and Rahl's helmet. A few interior elements tie the theme together tastefully using the same color scheme on the WS6 floor mats, embroidered stock leather seats, billet pedals, and a Betty Boop white knob for the Pro 5.0 shifter. As the result, while Bob may still be called Rahl, his TA is certainly polished.
The Vengeance Racing-built motor has only a .005 hone on the cylinder liners to up its displacement slightly, yet it still makes 10-second power with the help of a VRX cam, TEA CNC-ported LS6 heads, Dynatech long tube headers, GMMG exhaust, a FAST LSX intake,Nick Williams throttle body, and a custom tune. The FAST intake and the airbox have been painted to match the exterior, while displaying the reoccurring Betty Boop theme. | 
Billet and red accents set off the interior including the pedals, gauges,embroidered seats, and a Betty Boop shift knob.The headrests on the seats read "Papa's 99 Car," much like Bob's license plate, for his 2-year-old grandson. | 
HP Design Lightning 19x9.5-inch wheels were accented with Hot Lava paint and wrapped in Kumho Ecsta Supra 275/30ZR19 rubber. |
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