Aaron Hodgson of Oxnard, California, kills 'em when he pulls out his '57 Chevy Bel Air. The aptly named "Lethal Injection" at first glance appears to be just another '57 on wires. But lift the hood and it becomes obvious that this is probably not the '57 that you want to get into a stoplight battle with.
The heavily massaged 350-c.i.d. engine originally in an IROC Camaro found its way into Lethal Injection and then received an ATI ProCharger. The centrifugal supercharger/intercooler combination makes for efficient, reliable horsepower and a clean-looking engine compartment. Custom brackets were fabricated to place the supercharger in the area that was once occupied by the air conditioning compressor. A shortened posi rearend makes sure that both wheels get equal turns spinning on the asphalt. This combination puts out 500-plus horsepower, but with 13-inch wheels and tires, you know that's an exercise in futility. Four-wheel disc brakes get it stopping in a hurry.
But let's rewind for a moment and find out how Aaron got to this point. The car was originally at a body shop in Aaron's hometown of Oxnard. Aaron came across this '57 while rolling around town one day. The previous owner was in the process of having the car restored and Aaron became very interested in it. The owner was actually going to restore it and then "flip" it. On finding that out, Aaron made him a deal that he couldn't refuse.
The car was then moved out to Temecula, California, where it received the TLC and custom work that Aaron wanted. They say that it takes time or money to complete a custom car, but most of the time it's a combination of them both. With a purchase price of $7,000, an additional 100 "large" and three years of his time, Aaron's dream car got built.
Aaron is a fairly unassuming kind of guy; not the kind that you'd think would be the owner of such a powerful monster. With that, we know that it catches many people off guard when he romps on the throttle, the sound of the supercharger whine gets started, the wheels spin and the car launches. You have to know that he's grinning from ear to ear as the smoke billows from the rear wheels.
Like all projects, Aaron has many people to thank, including his fellow Connected Car Club members, his mom and dad, daughter Angela and Arnold Ikeda for an incredible looking and performing engine. But like most projects, this one is not complete, and the next time that you see the car it might very well be sporting a hydraulic setup. And just when you thought that it couldn't get any deadlier.
Lethal InjectionOwner: Aaron HodgsonVehicle: '57 Chevrolet Bel AirCity/State: Oxnard, CaliforniaClub: Connected C.C.-Ventura
Engine/Drivetrain: A '91 Camaro IROC 350-c.i.d. gave its soul. Features include tuned port injection combined with an ATI ProCharger, Crane cam, roller rockers, lifters and pushrods. Trickflow 23-degree aluminum heads flow into stainless steel headers that expel the spent gas into a Flowmaster exhaust. All of this pushes a little more than 500 horsepower. A 700R4 transmission and shortened posi rearend with a 308-gear make up the drivetrain. Arnold Ikeda in Ventura, California, handled the build.
Body/Paint: The car received many subtle touches like a molded firewall, inner trunk lid and radiator support just to name a few. Albert B. handled all of the bodywork and two-stage Florite silver was applied by Albert B. and Abbey D. (of Hanko's Auto Body in Ventura). The car was painted in Temecula, California. Bob Coslet of Ventura pinstriped the car, adding fatal lines to the body.
Interior: The interior was done in the stock pattern and material with custom beige to accent the silver paint. A Dakota Digital dash was added to illuminate and accent the color-matched dash. The quality work was performed by Celso at Quality Upholstery in Ventura.