We called out all those fast lowriders last month when we brought you the announcement that Castrol Syntec and Lowrider Magazine were joining forces again. Our first respondent to the challenge is Art Medina of Northridge, CA, and the thirty-five year old insurance salesman is certainly no stranger to performance.
When he was a teen, Art found a '65 Impala 4-Door Hard Top in the Recycler for $800. Being the shrewd negotiator he is, he talked the seller down from $800 to $550, not bad for a project car that actually ran! The car certainly needed some work, in his own words he considers it "a bucket to most", but this Impala taught Art how to focus on reliability as he had to keep up the classic machine. Once he graduated from High School, he in listed in the Army Infantry where he gained true insight and exposure to the working mechanics of vehicles. He spent 2 years in Germany in a mechanized battalion working on Hummers, Tanks, Bradley's and other motorized equipment. He also was exposed to German automotive performance as he had access to the Autobahn. As soon as he returned, Art enrolled at L.A Pierce College and majored in Automotive Service Technology.
Art has had several cars in his lifetime but now with speed in mind, he decided to build his latest ride. This car would match the classiness and style of a lowrider with the power and energy of a muscle car. The results came to fruition in the form of a 1968 Caprice with a motor that can keep up with the best. The engine block came from a '74 Chevy tow truck and it was bored .030 over by P.A.W in Chatsworth, CA. This allowed Art to build the small block around the blower. Art used a Forged crank, .565 lift Crane cam with 120 degrees of duration and high rev hydraulic lifters, roller tappet rocker Edelbrock 2.02/1.96 D-port aluminum cylinder heads, Edelbrock EPS high rise intake manifold mated to a Barry Grant Boost-referenced 750 cfm 4 barrel carb w/ mechanical secondary, blower top pistons, high compression rings, H-beam connecting rods, Clevite bearings, and Fel Pro gaskets to seal it all up. Trans Action of Sunland, CA built the 400 trans and hooked up a great deal on the Gear Vendors Over/under-drive giving the '68 6 speeds. Trans Action also built the 12 bolt rear end with an Eaton connicle locker, 36 spline Moser racing axles, and ring n pinion from Antonio Masiero.
Art's super charged white '68 Caprice has over 600 HP and can definitely give challengers a run for their money. For such an accomplishment and amazing results he achieved with this one-of-a-kind Caprice, Art is the perfect candidate to represent the lowrider community in this big challenge.
Keep on top of the Castrol Syntec Top Car Challenge by logging onto the www.SyntecTopCarChallenge.com If you do, you might have a shot at the $10K that Castrol is dishing out to one lucky reader who logs onto their website and votes for their favorite magazine, "Lowrider" as the winner.