Most military personnel in the Army are just happy not ever having to deal with the stress of combat, let alone being shot at. Most of them are content to sit quietly after the ugliness is over and listen to the wind blow and watch the grass grow. Free from the dust and grit of Iraq. Most of them aren't conceived on the hood of a '78 Z28 either. Key word being: "most." You see, Staff Sergeant John Blossick of Colorado Springs, Colorado, isn't your typical staff sergeant. He's a Bronze Star-decorated soldier about to embark on yet another tour in Korea. He doesn't want a parade or a slap on the back. When asked how he got the Bronze Star he nonchalantly said, "just a bunch of stuff." Some guys just aren't made to sit still; guys like John are nitro-blooded adrenaline junkies who thrive on power and going fast. What John wants is a two-ton bullet to throw him back in the seat.
As fate would have it John would get his chance when Hurricane Isabel took his beloved, if underpowered, V-6 Camaro in 2003. This twist of fortune allowed John to purchase the most aggressive-looking car he could have ever dreamed of, a triple black '00 Trans Am. At this point you'd think that would be it, the car of his dreams, complete. John racked up five years and a giant chunk of his hard-earned cash from multiple tours in Iraq to turn this bone-stock Trans Am into a tire-shredding projectile putting down over 525 lb-ft of torque and just shy of 520 rwhp.
The power comes from a stock-block LS1 stuffed with a GT2-3 Lingenfelter hydraulic camshaft and an intercooled Magnusson roots-style supercharger puffing out a conservative 6.5 psi of pressure. All that air needed a Racetronix fuel pump; a set of Ford 42-pound injectors; a 90mm Holley throttle body; and a custom, functional Ram Air hood, fabricated and all installed by the pros at RMCR Performance in Colorado Springs. An efficient combustion and reduced backpressure is enabled by a set of Kooks long-tube headers backed by a MagnaFlow catback system with a 3-inch cutout and Random Tech cats act.
Cramming this particular supercharger under the F-body's cowl certainly wasn't a 12-pack and a weekend job on the jack stands. The team at RMCR spent three weeks cutting and replacing part of the cowl in order to shoehorn the positive displacement power adder. Spacers were added to the K-member and transmission crossmember for additional clearance, before a speed density tune was supplanted. Rocky Mountain Competitive Research was careful to dial in a 12.8:1 air/fuel ratio. The blower provides gobs of low-end torque, which John says makes the car feel like a big-block. Anything less than a drag radial while blipping the go-fast pedal results in instant tire spin on the street.
All that power is put down through a Monster Stage III clutch matched with a billet steel flywheel, bolted up to the stock T56 with a Pro 5.0 shifter managing the gear changes. John plans on swapping out the stock 3.42 gears this year, but in the meantime is sure glad he added a driveshaft loop knowing the raw power this beast is capable of. Planting the grunt of all that supremacy is a UMI adjustable torque arm, BMR boxed subframe connectors, and UMI lower control arms. Meanwhile, a Ground Control coilover kit with Eibach springs and Bilstein shocks at all four corners gives the TA its low stance, but John certainly didn't choose them for aesthetic reasons only. He wasn't happy with the way the car transferred weight during hard launches, and the folks at Ground Control came to the rescue by dialing up a custom spring rate to match his combo and desired performance. Up front, a Thunder Racing line-lock helps the 18x9.5 Z06 wheels wrapped in 265/40/18 Mickey Thompson drag radials heat up nicely. A pair of Rotorpros drilled and slotted rotors grabbed by Hawk brake pads help bring the bullet to a halt.