1968 Chevy Caprice - Top Car Challenge

Art's car was ready to be... 

   

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Art's car was ready to be worked on.

In a quest to find a Lowrider fast enough to compete in the Castrol Top Car Challenge, presented by Castrol Syntec and Lowrider Magazine, we sifted through hundreds of submissions looking for the perfect contestant. Our answer to that search has come to us in the form of Art Medina of Northridge, CA., and his super charged white '68 Caprice. The ideal candidate, Art's Caprice pushes over 400 horsepower, fusing together the explosive blend of American Muscle Car speed and classic Lowrider styling. A lifetime builder with several cars to his credit, Art is certainly a candidate worthy of representing the Lowrider community in this big challenge.

This month, we followed Art as he worked at a break-neck pace to meet the deadlines necessary in order to get his car ready for the contest. Making the transition from the show to the quarter-mile is not an easy one, and Art had to make sure that his car met the safety requirements needed to get track clearance. With this in mind, Art realized that minor modifications were necessary to ensure that the 5,000 pound plus car would be safe enough to race during the grueling competitions that undoubtedly lay ahead. Upon the completion of these minor upgrades we'll take the Caprice to the track, but for now, follow along as Art prepares the Chevy for the contest.

Remember to stay tuned next month as the contest is set to begin. 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 our website and votes for your favorite magazine as the winner.

The 400 turbo transmission...        read full caption The 400 turbo transmission was disassembled and analyzed, to make sure that all the internal chambers of the transmission could handle the torque.	To make sure that the car...        read full caption To make sure that the car was going to stop, we used an electric brake booster from ABS Power brakes.	The stock booster did not...        read full caption The stock booster did not work well for this engine application, as it needs a lot of vacuum for it to work properly.
After removing the booster,...        read full caption After removing the booster, the wall was ready to have the new performance booster installed.	This modern booster will help...        read full caption This modern booster will help produce 1,500-1,600 psi of braking pressure, well over the 400-500 psi pressure that the stock booster and master combination produces.	The master cylinder gets its...        read full caption The master cylinder gets its power with the help of the electric powered booster.
The rear ABs brake kit was...        read full caption The rear ABs brake kit was outfitted with Posi-Quiet brake pads for better stopping power.	The front kit will also receive...        read full caption The front kit will also receive a rotor and pad upgrade.	Art removed the stock bucket...        read full caption Art removed the stock bucket seat from the car to allow the race seat to be installed.
This Aero design seat will...        read full caption This Aero design seat will keep Art behind the wheel.	The Aero design seat bolted...        read full caption The Aero design seat bolted up to the stock seat tracks, making the install a breeze.	Art was ready to head to start...        read full caption Art was ready to head to start the competition.