1st Quarter 2005.indd

1st Quarter | 2005 | #01
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEPARTMENTS
04 | Our Garage
05 | How To - Install racing seats
06 | Readers Rides
09 | Event Coverage - Import vs Domestic at MIR
FEATURES
10 | Alf is back with 270HP
2004 Dodge Neon SRT-4
14 | The Sixth Planet
2004 Saturn ION2 Quad Coupe
Cartoons in this issue created by Chris Beach
WHAT IS
DOMESTIC DRIVER MAGAZINE?
A printed magazine covering all
Domestic Compact Cars. Including
(but not limited to) the:
- Chevy Aveo, Cavalier and Cobalt
- Dodge Neon
- Ford Escort, Focus and Probe
- Pontiac Sunfire and Sunbird
- Saturn Ion and S-Series
Domestic Dr i v e r | | | 3
OUR GARAGE
Welcome to Domestic Driver
Magazine, the new expanded version of
J-Body Magazine. We will continue to host
J-Body Magazine in the second portion of this
magazine for the remainder of 2005. Then,
Domestic Driver will take over completely.
Our Garage is our place to say what
we want. It will contain annoucements about
the magazine, but also information on what we
have done to our cars. This will be the only
page that may not always have just car related
information.
Last quarter in J-Body Magazine our
project 94 Cavalier was revealed and this car
is still under construction and we will have updates on the car as time goes on in future issues
of this magazine.
Until next quarter,
Domestic Driver Staff
GUIDELINES FOR SUBMITTING TO DOMESTIC DRIVER
Featured Rides - Must have at least 10 photos taken with a 4+ MegaPixel camera (set on the
highest setting) and must include an article about the car. Write the article as if you did not own
the car yourself and make the article more than just a history of the car. Be creative with it and
make sure it’s something you would like to read yourself in a magazine. Please be sure to give
your opinion of the car and how it runs compared to other cars. Include all the specifications that
you have for the car, and if you have them: 1/4 mile, 1/8 mile, 0-60 mph, 0-100 mph, and track
times. Dyno information is one of the best things to include if you have access to it, but it not that
is okay too.
Reader’s Rides - Must have at least 2 photos (taken with a 2+ MegaPixel or 35mm camera) and
must include a paragraph about your car that is brief and to the point. You may also include any
specifcations that you have, but space is limited and they might not be printed.
How To’s - Must have at least 4 photos (taken with a 3+ MegaPixel or 35mm camera) of the steps
taken in the how to. Must include a complete article that answers the readers questions about how
to do it themselves.
Computer Edited Photo’s - Must have at least 2 images (before and after) at a resolution over
STAFF
Owner and Layout Designer
Jonathan Maynard
Senior Editor
Christina Maynard
Associate Editor
Alycia Fink
ABOUT THE MAGAZINE
Domestic Driver Magazine is a place to
show what you can do to your own car
and see what others are doing as well. We
hope to help increase the Domestic Tuner
population.
This magazine will not feature halfnaked women or anything of the such, as
this magazine is intended for those who
are looking to see cars, after all it is a car
magazine.
We are a Christian owned and operated
Magazine and don’t want you to put cars
first in your life. That is not our goal. We
don’t want you to endanger yourself or
others becuase of stupid choices. After all
their are many more important things in life
than cars. Like having faith in Christ and
accepting him as Savior and Lord so that if
you were to die you would have eternal life
with Him in heaven.
THIS QUARTERS QUESTION
What car do you think has made the best
impact on the Domestic Compact World?
Send your response to
[email protected]
4 || | D o m e s t i c D R i v e r
2 MegaPixels (1600 x 1200 pixels). Please include any tips you might have for our readers and
how you made it.
Product Reviews - If you have road tested a new product then please send us as many pictures
that you have and write up a full article on what you thought about it, how it performed or looked,
and if you would buy it again or not. You may also give it a rating if you would like.
News - If you have any inside information be sure to send it to us first! We are all about
exclusive!
Club Insider - If your Domestic Car club would like some exposure, all you have to do is send
some photos of your club members in a group and individually with an article about the club, each
member, and their car.
Creative Idea - If you have any ideas that you have come up with and would like to share them
with other Domestic Car owners then here’s the place. Please include a drawing that has been
scanned or made on the computer. If you scan it and send it to us please scan it at 300 DPI. Also
include how it works, what it does, and what’s involved. If you have already made something, you
can take a photo of it at a high resolution and we will gladly accept it.
Events - If you have attended any domestic car related event, please send us all the pictures that
you have of the event. Please include a 1-4 paragraph article of the event describing the activites
and what went on. If it was a competition, please include any winners of the event.
Wreckage - Must have at least 1 photo (taken with a 3+ MegaPixel or 35mm camera) of a wrecked
or severely damaged J-body. Please include how it happened.
Letters - To be in the Letters section, Email us something about J-bodies in general or the
magazine.
Everything Else - We are always looking for new stuff to put in our magazine. Just send us your
ideas. Rally action, drifting, burnouts, track race photo’s and information are always good.
Important things to know when submitting
All pictures that you send to us must be your own pictures that you took or have permission to give
us. Please include who we should give credit to for the submission. You may also include your
Email address so people can contact you with any questions they have. By giving us your articles
and pictures you are giving us FULL rights to it. Please keep all submissions as exclusive as
possible and try not to release your car to other magazines or other places on the internet until it
has been printed in our magazine and until the magazine has been sold for a few weeks.
Send all submissions to [email protected]
HOW TO: INSTALL RACING SEATS
S
o you saw these racing seats you really
liked, but were concerned how you would
get them to function properly in your car without
spending an arm and a leg having brackets
fabricated for the install. Look no further this
step-by-step guide will walk you through how
to fabricate your own mounting brackets and
install your seats in no time. No professional
shop is needed, just a trip to a local hardware
store and an afternoon later you can be showing
off your new seats. No welding or bending of
metals needed.
Materials Needed:
- Steel L Brackets w/ pre-drilled holes
- Enough to cut 8 approximately 18” sections
- Flat Steel (Enough to cut 4 approximately 19”
sections)
- 20 ½ inch length & ¼ inch thick nuts & bolts
- 40 Locking Washers
the shape of a U. Take 3 nut/bolt/washer
combinations, and line up three holes to screw
the brackets together, one on each end and one
towards the middle. When you have all three
nuts and bolts installed loosely, you may wish
to try to adjust the brackets. Some of the predrilled holes are in different shapes, allowing
you to move the bracket some. If this is the
case, the area where the front bolt is installed
should be as close together as possible. The
rear should try to use the oval shapes to spread
it apart a little, this will eventually make the seat
sit a little higher in the back, so the front of the
seats do not make your legs fall asleep while
driving. This is not a necessary step, but more
of a comfort aspect.
After assembly, take it into your car,
and test fit it. You may need to grind or file
down some of the holes to get it to fit on the
bolts properly. Repeat the steps above to make
the brackets for the other side of the seat make
sure to re-measure the distance between the
bolts for that side.
When both U brackets are constructed,
measure the distance between the mounting
holes on the sliders. Take the flat steel, mark off
is aligned, take a little white out or marker and
make markings on both the U brackets and the
flat steel where they cross each other.
After you mark all four corners,
remove the seat and the U brackets. Lay the
seat down with the bottom facing up, and hold
each U bracket so the markings line up again.
Pick a hole in the U bracket where the flat steel
attached to the seat covers up the hole. Mark
this spot and the other corner as well. Do this
with the other U bracket as well. Remove the
flat steel which is bolted to the seat.
Now you have 4 more holes on the flat
steel which need to be drilled out. Once drilled,
bolt the bars back on to the sliders. Align the
holes again and bolt your U brackets to the flat
steel.
Before you put the seat back inside of
your vehicle, it is a good idea to take the seat
belt locking device off the stock seat, and there
is a very large bolt on the side of your racing
seat. A large wrench or pliers will remove the
bolt. Bolt the seatbelt locking device to this
large bolt, and screw it back in. This ensures
that your seatbelt light will not come on because
it is hooked back up to a grounded source.
Put the seat back in the car, and
Now that you have your materials, we
can begin. The first step is taking out the stock
seats. The easiest way to do this is to remove
the 4 nuts that hold the brackets to the floor of
the car and simply take the seat out. Do the
same for the other seat. This is a good time to
vacum out those hard to reach places as well.
Take a measuring tape and measure
the distance between the front and rear bolt in
the carpet on each side. At this time, you want
to also measure the length between the holes on
the sliders of your racing seats.
Compare the two measurements.
If the bolt measurement is longer, use that
measurement plus 2 inches when cutting the L
brackets. If the slider measurement is bigger,
use the slider length plus 2 inches.
Now that we have the length needed,
it is time to cut the brackets. A simple hand saw
with a metal cutting blade will do the job. You
will need to cut two pieces of the same length to
make the bracket for each side of the seat.
Once you have the first two sections
cut, hold them together and make them into
Domes�
a section 1.5in. longer than this measurement,
and cut two pieces at this length.
Once you have both of your pieces cut,
take the measurement of each of the slider holes
again, and mark them on each piece of steel so
you can drill the holes. This metal will be very
difficult to drill through, but use a ¼ inch metal
drill bit to drill at that distance apart.
After those four holes drilled, adjust
the sliders so you can get to the inside track so
you can bolt them onto the sliders. Drop the
head of the bolt through the inside of the slider,
and the nut will be on the bottom side of the
bracket you cut. Do this for all four holes.
Now that you have these brackets on
the seats, go back inside the car and bolt the U
brackets to the frame of the car. You will need to
bring in your seat and place it on the U brackets.
Align the seat properly, a friend is a huge help
because they can stabilize the seat while you test
that it is in the proper position. Once the seat
replace the four nuts which hold the brackets to
the floor. Follow these instructions for the other
side, and enjoy your new racing seats.
You may also want to grind down
the edges of the metal so you do not cut or tear
anything on a sharp corner. You can also take
the brackets out of the car and off of the seat and
paint them to match your color scheme in your
car.
Pictures & Article by Jeff Vanis
Domestic Dr i v e r | | | 5
READERS RIDES
Owner: Aaron Brueckman
Car: Saturn ION is a 2004 Redline
I purchased this sweet ride in June of ’04 and have loved
every mile in it. I added a “Superman” emblem to the hood
of my car because the ION Redline as a “Super”charger,
and because “S” stands for Saturn! The spoiler is a custom
wing my dealer found. I have been so happy with this car,
and the jump to 205 horsepower from my 1994 Saturn SL1
is just too much fun. Feels like I’m going faster than a
speeding bullet!
Owner: Kevin Berg
Car: 1996 Ford Probe GT
Location: Salem, OR
Ford Probe is a name that is often forgotten by sport compact
enthusiasts, but it is still a stout contender in this market. This 96 “GT
2 NV” has been treated to a range of bolt-ons, including headers, a
cat-back exhaust system with a Borla muffler, and a custom built cold
air intake. It has also been treated to Tokico lowering springs and
performance struts, a rear strut tower bar, and a larger rear sway bar.
This car spends its time mainly as a daily driver, but it gets treated
to the occasional sprint around the track or a spirited trip through
a twisty mountain
road. No specs yet,
but it is suspected this
thing makes about
180 horsepower and
should run high 14s in
the quarter-mile.
Owner: Steve Barry and Krystal Kerrigan
Car: 2004 black oynx Saturn Ion quadcoupe
Location: Port St Lucie, FL
Modifications: Progessive 2” drop springs, 18” konig ap-
peals with 225/40/khumo ecsta’s, Tsudo 2 and 1/2 stainless exhaust, AEM cold air intake, Plasma booster bye ignition solutions,
Polished valve cover and motor mount, Tinted windows,carbon
fiber dash, authentic lisa kubo sigsteering wheel, signed at nopi
event moroso motorsports park.dealer seatcovers added factory foglights, 2 peice grill kit kicker competion 12”, powered by mtx pro
150 amp wired into stock head unit. Custom”FASTION” inserts in
valve cover and dash.
6 || | D o m e s t i c D R i v e r
Specifications:
Owner: Wade Murray
Car: 2004 Saturn ION•3 Q
Location: Midland, Texas
Color: Chili Pepper Red
Engine & Exhaust:
-2.2 Ecotec (4-Cylinder)
-AEM Cold Air Intake
-Ractive Performance Muffler
Suspension:
-Progress Technology (1.8” front - 1.5” rear)
Wheels & Tires:
-17” ADR Valkyrie (Gunmetal)
-Blacked Out Center Caps w/ Saturn Logo
-Kumho Ecsta 711’s - 215/45-17
Exterior:
-Saturn EFX/Xenon Bodykit
-Custom Side Vinyl by SignsPlus in San Antonio, TX.
Audio:
-Kenwood KDC-MP819 MP3 Head Unit
-Kenwood Sirius Satellite Tuner / Antenna
-Bazooka 350W Amplifier
-10” Rockford Fosgate Hi-2 Subwoofer
This 2004 Saturn ION was purchased on Oct.
28th of 2003. Upon driving it off of the lot it immediately started receiving looks and stares even
though nothing had been done to it yet. Just 1
year later, and you can imagine the questions I get
asked. Probably the most freqently asked question would have to be: “What is that?” I love that
question because when answered, the immediate
reaction is: “That’s a SATURN!?” If a car is capable of raising someones self-esteem, this one
has certainly done the job. I love driving around
and meeting all sorts of enthusiasts and going to
the car wash. In closing, I would have to say that
not ALL Saturns are “Family Cars”. You can have
fun in a Saturn, and I think this RED HOT Chili
Pepper Proves that!
Owner: Ludovic Chouraki
Car: 2004 Saturn ION quad coupe
Location: Port Richey Florida
I was planning on driving this as an everyday
car. Then I started going to car shows and
getting into the tuner world and started seeking
out aftermarket parts for my Saturn. I have
since become part of STC (Saturn Tuners
Club), a Saturn club through out America. I’m
doing a transmission swap in January from an
automatic to a 5-speed, and also doing some
motor work for a future turbo kit. It’s about
time the domestic crowd got their own magazine, I’m so sick of Hondas.
Modifications:
-Razzy lip kit
-Custom grills
-Cat-Back Flowmaster 60 series exhaust with center
exit in rear
-AEM cold air intake
-Plasma booster from saturn motorsports
-2.5” sprint lowering springs
-18” motegi MR7 racing white wheels
-Graphics sponsored by www.decalkits.com
-6.5”alpine flip out tv with ps2
-2 alpine E12’s with a 1000 watts alpine amp.
Owner: Mandy Zapata
Car: 2000 Saturn LS-1
Location: Greenville, South Carolina
There is no doubt that this car has originality, uniqueness, and character. Mandy and
her husband, Ernesto, have made this into
a true show quality car. She began working on ideas for her car in late 2002 to get
where she is today.
Specifications:
Exterior:
-Custom designed Taillights
-Eurolite strobe lights in headlights and taillights
-Eurolite hyper white headlights
-Customized trunk conversion
-Custom designed and painted under hood
-Clear side lamp markers
-Eurolite Rotating Red LED taillights
-Saturn Decals
Interior:
-RAZO racing petals
-Autotechnica chrome gear shifter
-Blue LED lighting throughout interior
-DNC red reclining racing seats with custom
white leather accents
-Black Sparco 4-point racing harnesses
-Back seat and door panels recovered with
red/white leather
-APC Boost, Volt Gauge and Tach
-Customized diamond cut floor mats
Rims/Tires/Suspension
-18x7.5” White Konig Blantant rims (custom
drilled and powder coated)
-Nankang tires 215/33/18
-Matrix Coilovers
Engine and Exhaust
-APEXi N1 Exhaust System
-K&N short ram intake
Audio
-Sony / X-PLOD Head unit
-Sony X-PLOD 1200-Watt Amp
-PYLE DVD / MP3 Player
-Audiovox 7” Television
-(2) 12” Subwoofers
-Rockford Fostgate Capacitor
-X-Box Gaming System
-Sony X-PLOD Mid and Hi Speakers
Awards:
-2004 Southeast Showdown : 1st Place
-2004 NOPI Nationals : 1st Place
-2004 GM Tuner Award at NOPI Nationals
8 || | D o m e s t i c D R i v e r
EVENT COVERAGE
Import vs. Domestic
November 13th 2004
Mechanicsville, MD
This years Import VS Domestic drags
were unlike no other for one reason only. A
Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am caught fire during a
burnout competition. This made everyone crazy and the track emergency team couldn’t even
put the fire out. They just kept trying to get the
hood open to spray the engine with water. Every time they did though, fire of course flamed
out. I only wonder what this track would do if
there was a wreck during a race. Where is all
the emergency foam?
Beyond this, the event was lacking
majorly. Imports kept rolling up and Muscle
Cars followed. There was a scarce amount of
any domestic sport compacts. The ones that did
show made all domestic sport compacts look
bad. We only saw a few SRT-4’s and maybe a
cavalier here and there. Even in the car show
Domestic Compacts were hard to find. These
are some photo’s of the ones we could find. Not
the greatest, but at least these guys showed up!
This is just another reason Domestic Driver
Magazine needs to be around. To give Domestic Compacts a good name and to increase attendence at major car events. Especially ones that
get you going head to head with imports.
We can only hope MIR (Maryland International Raceway) gets some foam and that
more Domestic Compacts will show up next
year. 
Domestic Dr i v e r | | | 9
ALF IS BACK!
Written by Crystalmarie Marzocchi
Car Owned by Ben Pimental
WITH
270HP
Domestic Dr i v e r | | | 1 1
“Its just a Neon” people would
say. Ben Pimental doesn’t think so. His 2000
Neon could not quench his thirst for power
and speed, so on September 27th of 2003 he
waved farewell to his Neon and found himself
behind the wheel of a brand new 2004 Dodge
SRT-4. He smiled with anticipation driving
home as future modifications raced through
his mind of what he could add to this already
powerful beast to make it into the car he had
always dreamed of. Just three days old he took
his SRT-4 to his first of many meets, this one in
particular held by SRTforums.com at Colt State
Park in Bristol, RI. The only Electric Blue
2004 there, his paint glistened in the sun like
nothing the others had seen before. The beautiful pearlescent paint faded in the sun from a
bright cerulean blue to a deep sea blue, rich and
full of life. Ben was itching, with anticipation
of what would soon be added to “Alf.” Being
no novice to modifying vehicles, he knew
exactly what he should do first. Cars are in a
way like people, if they can’t inhale and exhale
12 | | | D o m e s t i c D R i v e r
correctly they won’t be able to go as fast.
Ben made his first run ever on a track
with “Alf” being completely stock. Never
having achieved a time better than a 15.8 in
his Neon while juiced, he took Alf down the
¼ mile for a first stock track time of 14.3
seconds at 100.0mph with Drag Radials in
place of the stock rubber. He was hooked, and
the modifying began. He wasn’t about to pop
any old exhaust system onto his car without
reading up on it first. After much deliberation
Ben finally decided on the Custom Tubes Inc.
(CTI) 3” turbo back exhaust system, in order to
allow better execution of toxic airflow from the
engine. Alf still needed to breath better, so Ben
decided to add a K&N drop-in air filter. While
researching these two parts, Ben also found
something that took him by surprise. Many of
the early production stock 2004 SRT-4s had
issues with the fourth spark plug wire being
too close to the turbo, heating up and burning,
causing a misfire in cylinder number four. Ben
decided to replace the whole coil pack with
a Screamin’ Demon coil pack and ditch the
stock plugs and wires for some upgraded Crane
Firewires.
Now that Alf was breathing far better
than before, Ben decided that it was now time
to fix those sloppy shifts caused by the stock
shifter. He ordered the Mopar Short Throw
Shifter (STS) and some Booger Bushings to
go along with it. After a short and painless
self-installation, Ben dramatically reduced his
throws. Once he got used to the shorter shifts
he decided it was time to revisit New England
Drag way (NED) for a new time slip to brag
about now that Alf was breathing and shifting
far better than stock.
After a successful day of runs at
NED, Ben took home a time slip of 13.7 @
101.5mph. The drop of .06 seconds off his
initial stock run had Ben wondering just how
much power his SRT-4 was pushing to the
wheels. Ben took the trip from his hometown
of Carver, MA to Fall River, MA where he visited the staff at C&D Dyno. Alf was tested on
a Dynojet 248x pit style utilizing WIN PEP7
software. Ben’s new Max Power was 236hp
with a Max Torque of 254lb-ft to the wheels.
Still hungry for power Ben decided
to focus on obtaining more PSI, by ditching
the stock boost spike, and 11psi hold at redline. Ben sought out AGP for their Wastegate
Actuator (AGP WGA), which would make
“Alf” spike at 18psi, and hold around 15psi at
the SRT-4’s visible redline. The AGP WGA
also eliminates oscillation common with light
spring actuators, such as those found stock in
SRT-4s.
The second time on the dynojet tuning at a 15psi redline hold, Alf cranked out a
Max Power of 255hp to the wheels, and 284
lb-ft of torque. He now needed to cool things
down a bit for even more power. Custom
Tubes Incorporated came in yet again to save
the day. CTI’s Front mount intercooler cooled
things down bigtime for Ben, enough so that
when Alf revisited the Dynojet 248x pit style
dyno he pumped out 270whp and 302lb-ft of
torque to the wheels!
The next drive to NED was with extreme anticipation as to what the dyno numbers
would mean on the ¼ mile. To his surprise he
only ran a 13.4 @ 105mph. He knew there
had to be a way to get even more power. He
purchased a TurboXS Type RFL Blow Off
Valve (TXS RFL BOV) in order to properly
vent out to the atmosphere. He also purchased
Krez motor mount inserts to eliminate whatever wheel hop he would encounter with his
newfound power. After a few sessions at NED,
Ben was able to launch quicker and obtain his
first run in the 12 second range, and pulled
another right after it!
Ben was content for the moment at
how he had tweaked the 2.4L i4 to perform,
so he turned to the cars aesthetics. Ben wasn’t
too fond of the chrome inserts on the stock
2004 SRT headlights, so he had them swapped
out initially for some 2003 CF look headlights
from another SRT whose owner was willing to
swap. While he was working on the headlights
he added some Sylvania Silverstar headlights,
in order to improve his sight at night, and
during unsightly New England weather. Still
working on the front of the car, he installed
clear corner lenses. He kept the stock bulbs in
order to contain the legality of the bulbs, and to
not upset the strict police in his home state of
Massachusetts. Lastly Ben added Kahn VRD
17” gunmetal rims with polished lip to his
stock rubber: BFGoodrich KDW-2s.
This daily driver will continue to
remain as so, scorching up the streets of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and the rest of New
England. Ben has some serious tricks up his
sleeve for the 2005 show and track season.
Some he’s willing to share, and others he
would like to surprise you with if you ever
encounter him in the New England area, or at
the SRT Nationals in Louisiana. Ben tells us
that his SRT will soon be receiving the Mopar
Stage 3R turbo kit upgrade, Mopar Stage 3
suspension kit, and a Digital Boost gauge.
Aesthetically Ben plans on adding
another set of eyelids, tinting the windows, and
purchasing a blue and carbon fiber weave hood
from Rev Motorsports to match the Electric
Blue pearl coat on his SRT. Before next season
Ben will also be actively seeking sponsorships
and getting Alf into the show circuit. So is it
really “just a neon”? Not to Ben. To Ben it’s
“Alf” a 270whp 12 second monster, anxiously
awaiting more power and competition! 
M ODIFIC ATIONS
PERFORMANCE
- Custom Tubes Inc. 3” Turboback Exhaust
- Custom Tubes Inc. Front Mount Intercooler
- K&N Drop In Air Filter
- Krez Motor Mount Inserts
- AGP WGA w/Custom Bleeder Valve
- Mopar Short Throw Shifter
- Booger Bushings
- Screamin’ Demon Coilpack
- Crane Firewires spark plug wires
- Turbo XS type RFL BOV with adapter
SUSPENSION / WHEELS / TIRES:
- BFG G-force drag radials (225/50R/15)
mounted on 15” Roto Subzeros
- Kahn VRD 17” gunmetal rims with the
stock rubber BFGoodrich KDW-IIs.
EXTERIOR:
- Clear Corners
- Silverstar headlight bulbs 9007
- 2003 SRT headlight swap
QUARTER MILE TIMES: In Order
1. [email protected]
2. [email protected]
3. 13.4@105
4. [email protected]
5. [email protected]
DYNOS: In Order
1. 236whp/254wtorque
2. 255whp/284wtorque
3. 270whp/304wtorque
Domestic Dri v e r | | | 1 3
THE SIXTH PLANET
In the world of sport compacts, it
seems that domestics almost always get the
short end of the stick. The majority of people
don’t rave about the quad-four, 2400, or
anything without the letters V, T, E, and C in the
description. In the last few years though, things
have changed. Chevrolet and Pontiac had
more success with their Sunfire and Cavalier
platforms, and the use of the 2.2L Ecotec
engine opened new doorways of potential;
Ford beefed up the Focus with the SVT and
their zero-emissions engine; and Dodge made
everyone furious by releasing the SRT-4 and
making K-Car owners doing double takes.
Then there is Saturn. Often referred
to as “the red-headed stepchild of the compact
world,” those who show interest in these
vehicles are almost in the same occult status
as the VW Bug. People want to be different,
and more often then not the “different” people
start to grow, and rally, and conquer slowly but
surely. Who knew so much anger could be pent
up in little plastic cars? They did, that’s who.
With the end of Saturn’s flagship
line, the S-Series, there was expected to be a
gap created in the company that could never
be filled, no matter the car. Luckily, this isn’t
the case, as the Ion line is very comparable to
its predecessor, and has as much potential to
begin with, if not more. Powered by the same
2.2L Ecotec used by Chevrolet and Pontiac, the
Ion has what the S-Series lacked in stock trim:
torque. Couple that with a stout transmission
and stiff frame, and both the Sedan and
Quad-Coupe sound like winners.
There is a certain
charm
though
that
almost all coupes
carry with
Car
14 |owned
| | D oby
mVinny
e s t iDeCicco
c DRiver
them, and the Quad Coupe is no exception.
Styling isn’t overly-rounded, and gives the
illusion of a very wide, aggressive stance.
The rear suicide doors are also a nice touch,
and make for incredible amounts of room
inside the car. Loading up nearly anything is
possible, and it doesn’t look awkward either.
Now that you know a little about
Saturn, lets talk about the Ion featured here,
owned by Vinny DeCicco. The cars styling is
left somewhat stock, and subtle, but enough to
catch an enthusiast’s eye. Masking of the front
corner lenses cleans up the front greatly, and
draws more attention to the center-line of the
nose. The side emblems also were changed to
silver to draw attention away form the maker’s
identity. Headlights contain Nokya Arctic
White bulbs to put out a cleaner light, and on
occasion a set of hyper-white turn signals are
used up-front, but the stock amber lights are
often retained to blend in with surroundings.
For a little extra cushion of safety, LED’s
were used in the tails for braking; the quicker
reaction of the diodes translate into rearward
traffic slowing earlier, and less chance of an
impact. Trunk lettering was also removed to
keep the imports guessing what in the world
it was that just walked away from them. The
only thing keeping them from forgetting
is the image of the STC (Saturn Tuners
Club) decals on the back quarter windows.
Under the hood, the valve-cover
was lightly hand-polished to remove the
sharp edges, and produced a nice shine under
lighting. An AEM Cold Air Intake was also
used to sneak in a few more horses, and
greatly improve throttle response over the
twenty-something pound stock air box. The
Throttle Body was removed and hand ported
and polished by the owner. Measurements
taken indicate 69mm at the mouth, and stock
diameter at the plate, the same principle as with
the venturi’s on a carburetor is used to increase
velocity of air flowing into the intake manifold.
To complement the increased
inhalation ability of the engine, a HKS Sport
Cat-Back exhaust was added. Sound is slightly
above stock at idle, but strongly defined under
load. It is not too harsh on the eyes either, but
subtle enough to look like a stock option. Also,
to reduce wheel-hop on launches, and improve
engine response, the front-lower transmission
mount was removed and replaced with a solid
stock unit, created by the owner and a friend.
It was cost effective, and works as intended,
with little vibration to tolerate while driving.
To take advantage of the modifications
performed, tech’s at the local dealership made
sure the engine “ran like it should,” helping
even more with the fun-factor of this car.
Lastly, the QC has gone through two
sets of wheels since its purchase in December
of 2003; the first mounted set of Chrome
Z-Racing wheels where axed in favor of a
lightweight set of Falken Hanabi’s in 15x7.
Weighing in at 11lbs each, and wearing
Yokohama Avid V4 tires in 205/55/15, this
combo is a great improvement over stock.
On the road, the car seems to be
very similar to the stock animal, and blends
in perfectly with others in traffic.
Upon your first past 3500
rpm’s however, you
will
find
that power delivery is linear, and doesn’t
drop off nearly as early as before. Low-end
torque is improved, and will turn this quaint
vehicle into a burnout machine if launched too
aggressively. Each shift feels as if it is pulling
the car forward, even at normal shifting. Under
high load, the action feels as violent as a small
rear-end collision, enough so to break 2nd
and 3rd gear loose regularly with street tires.
Handling is very responsive and
tight, a surprise even more so when people
realize the power steering is electric, and the
stock limits have been surpassed with the
wheel tire combination. In its current form,
turn in feels as sharp as any other car with
bracing on struts and a larger sway-bar. Future
plans including lowering via Eibach Springs
and a Strut Tower Brace for the front end,
though it’s hard to imagine this car handling
much better.
Hard, but not impossible.
Interior work is minimal, keeping
attention away from would-be thieves and
keeping the sleeper theme as it should be. A
Pioneer head unit handles tunes utilizing stock
speakers and adding an Image Dynamics IDQ10
V4 Subwoofer in a ported box. Extremely
underpowered, the system runs nearly ¼ of
what it can take, but is still plenty of bass for
the owner and people around him, and clean
enough for his audiophile friends. Inputs are
also setup to receive a portable DVD player for
long trips. Considering this
car is daily driven by a college
senior, not a bad idea. Plans of
a Pioneer in-dash DVD player
are in the works, as well as
a component set, but as we
all know things can change.
On the dyno the QC
put down 125 hp @ 5800 RPM
and 131 lb-ft of torque @ 3900
RPM, at the wheels. This
was before the throttle body
was cleaned up, re-polished,
and prior to being tuned
properly.
The target track
time is 14’s with minimal
modification. With the guys
at STC working together,
already known for numerous
turbocharged, nitrous, and
all-motor Saturn’s, almost
anything is possible. Makes
you wonder what the world
is in store for once they get a
hold of a few Ion Redlines.
Most people think
of any Saturn as a plasticcovered family car. To some,
that bothers them, but to the
owner of this Ion, it’s part of
his ammunition. The best
part is not only the surprise
on people’s faces when the
power band kicks in, or the
sound of the engine, but
when the potential of this
car has truely been recognized. This car took
home 3rd place in the conservative class at
Nopinationals 2004, along with receiving the
GM Tuner Award for Outstanding Creativity &
Craftsmanship. For once, a car that someone
builds for self-satisfaction is recognized
by the masses, and praised. Is he happy
with the car? Ecstatic. “I’m nowhere near
finished yet, but you’ll see” he says with a
smirk, and two tire-chirps later he’s gone. 
Performance:
- AEM Cold Air Intake
- HKS Sport Cat-Back Exhaust System
- Polyurethane Front Transmission Mount
- Custom Machined Throttle Body (69mm)
Exterior:
- Color Matched Side Emblems
- Masked Corner Lenses
- Removed Trunk Lettering
- Hyper White Headlight and Turn Signal Bulbs
- Hand-Polished Valve Cover
Interior Entertainment:
- Pioneer DEH-6300 Head Unit
- Image Dynamics IDQ10 D4 V.2
- 1 cu.ft. Vented Enclosure Tuned to 30Hz
- U.S. Acoustics USA2075 (Bridged; 8ohms)
- CyberHome Systems Portable DVD Player
Wheels & Tires
- 15x7 Falken Hanabi Wheels
- 205/55/15 Yokohama Avid V4
Domestic Dri v e r | | | 1 5
16 | | | D o m e s t i c D R i v e r
1 s t Q u a r t e r | 2 005 | #05
FEATURES:
00 | A Little Show, A Lot of Go
00 | What a Gift
2004 Chevy Cavalier
1999 Chevy Cavalier Z24
00 | Viral Sunfire
00 | CavWhat
2002 Pontiac Sunfire GT
2002 Chevy Cavalier Z24
Owner: Jon Hart
Car: 1998 Cavalier Z24
I am a Cavalier fan through and through.
My 1998 “tang-orange” Cavalier Z24 is like
no other. The SoundSpeed body kit with a
Racetech SS style Hood, Wings West spoiler,
and Decah lambo door kit (that my friend Jamie and I installed in the backyard) emancipate
this car from the rest of the pack. The custom
designed tribal graphics set the car off, but this
car itself is only half the package. I hope to
have my Cavalier on air this summer.
Modifications
Interior
-Painted interior white
-Chrome Shift knob
-Cut shifter 2”
-Vibrant White leather shift boot
-APC Silver Racing Pedals
-2 Green 12” Neons Street Glow
-Black Cat Custom Gauges
-Dual Guage Pod
-Driver FX Black (Leather Seats)
-Autometer Volt Guage (Phantom)
-Autometer Air/Fuel (Phantom)
Exterior
-Euro Clear Corner’s
-Euro clear Tails
-Xenon Super White Lows/Highs
-Street Glow “Green” Underglow
-Wings West “Super Style Wing”
-Shaved Emblems, Badges, Locks
-Showgun Intruder Front Bumper
-Bomex Side Skirts
-Buddy Club Rear Bumper (Cut
For Dual Exhaust)
-PhatBoy Fog Lights
-SS Type1 Hood
(Functional)Racetech
-Shorty Rubber Antenna
-Custom painted Orange By Metro
Collision
-Tribal Graphics by Signs & More
-Motegi MR7 17” White Rims
-Kuhmo Supra 225/24/17 tires
-Front license plate on angle
-Frenched Rear License Plate
-Gold Line 2” Lowering Springs
-Koni Red Struts
-Decah Lambo Door Kit
Engine
-Weapon R Intake
-K&N Cone Filter
-White Wire Loom
-Painted IDI Cover (White &
Black)
Audio/Video
-Alpine 9835 Deck
-(2)6x9’s Pioneer
-7.2” Wide Screen
-Playstion 2 (Mounted in Glove
Box)
Miscellaneous
-Alpine Alarm
-Tinted Windows 20%
-”Ground Zero” white decal on
front winsheild
-Flowmaster 60 Series Muffler
w/2.5” Aluminized pipe with
3.5” Tip.
Future
-Interior all fiberglass
-Easystreet Air ride
-Dual Exhaust
-New side skirts (Drift)
-New Z3 fenders
Domestic Dri v e r | | | 1 7
Owner:Matt Basham
Car: 2002 Cavalier
Location: Morris, IL
About: Bought with only 1 mile on it the
excitement began. A few months later I stumbled
onto the J-body.org where I started to gain interest
in hooking up my car. One day on my way to my
girlfriend’s house a motorcycle slammed into the
back of my cavalier. I thought all was lost until
the body shop told me it wasn’t totalled! After
many months with no money or mods, I was
finally able to order the body kit. The kit came
18 | | | D o m e s t i c D R i v e r
and was stuck in a delivery station about 2 hours
from my house. With the dedication and the help
of a friend,
we took a trip to get the kit. We felt like we were
in a scene from The Fast and The Furious; a red
truck with a body kit in the back. Finally, the
kit was home and the pain and headaches began.
Suprisingly, the kit fit on the car with minimal
modification. The dream of the RK Sport
Cavalier was starting to come along.
I decided to attend the J-Body Bash to
see what people have been doing with their cars
to get some idea’s. I received a track time of 17.6
seconds. Being my first time at a track, this time
is not as good as it could be. I can only hope
more modifications can be made to the car in the
future, which will difficult considering I have
little money and might need to sell some parts
and work backwards. Hopefully, taking one step
back and two steps forward.
Interior
Modifications:
-Spal power window kit
-Black reverse gauges
-Manual shift knob & boot
Exterior:
-Rk Sport Type-J Body Kit
-Removed emblems and moldings
-Shaved trunk lock & Antenna
-Clear corners
Engine & Exhaust
-WAI Intake
-Rk Sport Upper & Lower Motor Mount
-Magna Flow High flow cat & muffler
Suspension
-Hp Coil overs
Stereo/Video/Lighting:
-2 12” Audiobahn subs
-Q-Logic seal box
-MTX 801D Amp
-PS2 in the glove box
-4 inch LCD on dash
-Orion 4x6 front door speakers
-JVC deck
-Blue Street Glow gold series under glow
-12” blue neon tubes under dash and in back
window
Owner:Jeff Lacroix
Car: 1999 Sunfire GT Convertible
Location: Sarnia, Ontario
Exterior:
Modifications:
-FX Designs Ram Air Hood
-FX Designs Super Spoiler
-Speedgraphics Full Side Slam Wrap
-18” Equuis Fouch Type 313 Rims
-18” Kumho 225-40-18ZR 711 Tires
-Goldline Lowering Springs
-KYB Struts
Stereo/Video/Lighting:
-JVC KD-LH3150 MP3 Head Unit
-Pyle DVD Player
-4 way Video Amplifier/Splitter
-Pyle 5.5 TFT TV
-Lanzar 1600 Watt 4 Ch Amp
-Lanzar 2400 Watt 2 Ch Amp
-2 x 1 Farad Caps
-Infiniti 5.25” Components
-Infiniti Cappa 6x9’s
-2 x 15” Volfenhag Subs DVC
-16 Strobe Lights, Underbody Lights, Sweepers
Owner:Jeff Adamson
Car: 2002 Cavalier 2.2L Ecotech
Location: Jacksonville, NC
About: Busy with my job in United States
Marine Corps I don’t get much free time, but
when I do the Cavalier is high on my list to
work on.
Performance
Modifications:
-Magnaflow exhaust sytem with Pacesetter header
-JDM cold air intake
-17 inch motegi rims.
Interior:
-Eclipse AVN-2454 touch-panel CD/DVD Multi
Source Receiver with the Satellite navigation
System.
-JL Audio speaker/amp/2 12 inch subs and component system.
-The whole car is also Dynomated.
Future:
By spring time to have the Garret T-3 Turbo System
installed currently offered by Cavalier Connection.
Owner:Patrick Kelley
Car: 2002 Chevy Cavalier Z24
Location: Alexandria, VA
Modifications:
Engine:
-Custom 2.5” Cat-back Exhaust
-Magnaflow Muffler(APC rolled tip)
-Short Ram Air Intake
Suspension/Wheels/Brakes:
-Easy Street Air Struts
-Exel DL-46 18s Hyper Black
Interior:
-Lotek Triple Gauge Pod
-Formula One Tint 35%front 20%rear
-2-15”Purple Neons Under Dash
-2-20”Purple Neons in Custom Sub Box
-1-20”Purple Neon in Trunk Center
-1-10”Purple Neon Behind CD Changer
-Visonik 5.6” Monitor
-PS2 / Xbox
Exterior:
-Streetglow Gold Series Purple Underbody Neons
-Purple Headlight Strobes
Audio:
-Rockford Fosgate 12” Subs
And more left out to make room for pictures
Domestic Dri v e r | | | 1 9
20 | | | D o m e s t i c D R i v e r
Car owned by Ryan Dontsow
Domestic Dri v e r | | | 2 1
Ryan Dontsow the owner of this
04 Cavalier has been a car guy his whole life.
“Growing up my dad always had a lot of medical
problems, cancer, knee surgery, shoulder
surgery, back problems, the list goes on and on.
My dad could never really throw around a ball
or anything with me but he would take me to see
cars.” In the Dontsow family, cars were always
a way of family bonding between generations.
For example, year after year all the males in the
family would take a road trip out to Indianapolis
for the Indy 500 race every summer. Another
example was when Ryan said, “My dad used to
call me out of school on my birthday to take me
to the Chicago Auto Show in February.”
Having taken high school automotive
classes, Ryan graduated early and attended UTI
for Automotive Technology. Ryan finished UTI
with grades high enough to receive a full ride
to the Audi Academy to become a certified
technician for the German car maker. Today,
Ryan is a technician for Volkswagen, Audi’s
parent company. After hearing his past in cars,
it’s no surprise that Ryan has one of the sleekest
and fastest 04 Cavalier’s around. “I had just
turned 20 and decided to treat myself to a new
car. I was only looking for an affordable daily
driver and a loan in my own name to help build
up credit.”
Upon researching and driving
countless compact cars, Ryan decided on an
Ultra Silver Metallic 2004 Chevy Cavalier LS
Sport in mid February. What was originally
bought to replace a Toyota on its it death bed
this car had a very brief life as a stock Cavalier.
The next morning after picking it up, outside in
the snow, the Cavalier went under the knife for
the first time. The interior of the car was ripped
out and Dynamat was spread throughout to
help contain the 1600 Watts of upgraded stereo
equipment. Not even 24 hours with the car, and
the modifications began.
A couple weeks behind the wheel of
the Cavalier, Ryan realized that the performance
of this 5-speed Ecotec was lacking a bit for his
tastes. The performance modifications started
with a simple custom cat-back exhaust and
a short ram intake. From there Ryan moved
to the visual aspect of the car. He searched
diligently for a body kit that was his style, clean,
simple, not very flashy, but very effective. Ryan
purchased a GM Xtreme Tuner body kit before
its release. While waiting for the body kit to be
released simple visual modifications went into
effect, removing badging and side moldings and
things of that nature. From there Ryan thought
the car was in desperate need for a suspension
drop, so he went with a set of RK Sport Prostreet
coilovers. The suspension was followed by
a pair of gray and black racing seats to make
22 | | | D o m e s t i c D R i v e r
the cheap plastic interior a more modern look.
“I kept adding bolt on mods until the Xtreme
Tuner front finally showed up at my house. I
had it painted, but was disappointed to find out
that I had to modify the stock front end to make
the cover fit.” After a few days of cutting and
fitting, the front end was transformed. To add to
the appeal of the car, a carbon fiber invader hood
was installed in favor of factory sheet metal.
As the Cavalier got faster, Ryan’s
need for speed grew stronger. His easy cure
was nitrous. A Nitrous express EFI stage 1 wet
kit was installed into the car. Ryan started to
question the abilities of his car so he took it to
the drag strip. Having run a 50 shot of nitrous,
he experienced traction, wheel hop, and clutch
problems cut the night short. Yet, he was still
able to pull off a best time of 14.2 @ 99 mph,
which is not bad for a new economy car.
The next step forward in the car was
a set of camshafts from Levelzero motorsports.
With the intake, throttle body, full exhaust, and
all the supporting modifications the cams made
a huge difference that Ryan felt was comparable
to a 35 shot of nitrous. Ryan is hoping the car
will be deep into the 13’s with the cams and a
75 shot of nitrous. With an impressive and long
list of modifications, Ryan’s Cavalier is a force
to be reckoned with. “It’s so much fun to pull
up at light next to an LT1 or a Mustang, and no
one expects anything from a brand new J-body.
They’re surprised when they’re looking at my
tail lights trying to keep up.”
“Just think, all the time, money, and
M O D I F I C AT I O N S
PERFORMANCE
effort put into a car that is not even a year old.
You haven’t seen anything yet, I’m just getting
started,” says Ryan. He also takes pride in
the fact that everything except the paint and
the custom bent exhaust was done himself.
Even the custom clear corners were done by
him, usually with some other J-body owners
lending an extra set of hands.
“I blame my dad for my car addiction,”
Ryan said jokingly. “But seriously my dad
started my fascination of cars, its turned into a
job, a passion, and a source of a lot of friends.
If it wasn’t for my dad, I never would have been
in a magazine.” If you are ever in Chicago and
you pull up next to a silver Cavalier with a
lopey idle be careful because you just might be
left in a cloud of tire smoke. 
- LevelZero Ecotec cams
- Custom intake
- RKSport upper & lower engine mount
- Prothane front & rear trans mount
- RKSport spark springs
- RKSport lightweight under drive pulley
- WeaponR 4-2-1 Header
- High flow cat
- Custom cat back 2.25” exhaust cutout right
at the end of header
- QTP Electronic valve for cutout
- RSM Throttle body
- Nitrous Express wet kit 35-50-75 shot
- RKSport Prostreet coilover assemblies
- Vibrant front & rear strut tower brace
- Prothane control arm bushings
- strut mounts for a ‘99 cavalier (to make the
prostreets fit)
AUDIO:
- Kenwood head unit
- 2 sony 12” Subwoofers
- Ported and mirrored dual 12” box
- 1600 watt Legacy amp for subs
- Rockford Fosgate rear deck speakers
- Pioneer front door speakers
- Dynamat used throughout
INTERIOR:
- Black & gray racing seats
- Custom seat brackets
- A-pillar pod
- Autometer Z-series Voltmeter & A/F gauge
- L.E.D. toggle switch for exhaust cutout
EXTERIOR:
- Custom made clear headlight housings
- Shaved Badges and Side Moldings
- GM Xtreme Tuner front end
- LS Sport ground effects on side and rear
- VIS Carbon Fiber Invader hood
- Paint by Body Werks
FUTURE:
- Head
- New Clutch and Flywheel
- New Rods and pistons
- Direct Port Nitrous Oxide
Domestic Driv e r | | | 2 3
Car |owned
24
| | D oby
mKris
e s tRatte
ic DRiver
Viral Sunfire
T
his 2002 Pontiac Sunfire GT, nicknamed Viral, has come a long way
since it was purchased on March 15th, 2002. Viral is the second Sunfire
to be owned by Kris Ratte. Bought in Kapuskasing Ontario, Canada, the car
was purchased with options such as a power moonroof, power locks, mirrors,
windows, and air conditioning. Kris had the option of choosing between the
2.4L LD9 and the brand new 2.2 Ecotec motor. Kris chose the 2.4L LD9
engine because he was biased by the extra 10 horsepower and the fact that no
modifications were currently available for the Ecotec engine.
Domestic Driv e r | | | 2 5
It all started when Kris owned
a purple 1996 Pontiac Sunfire SE with a
2.2L engine. Kris was the 4th owner of
the car, which had already been slightly
modified from previous owners. The
modifications included were 15 inch
Eagle Alloys, chopped suspension, tinted
windows, and yellow accents. Kris then
added a Liteglow purple underbody kit,
and an Alpine mobile entertainment
system including a head unit, (2) 12 inch
subwoofers, a box, and an amplifier. This
purple beauty was eventually sold to the
highest bidder through the Autotrader
magazine, in order to make a deposit on
Viral.
Viral is a daily summer driven,
show car at this point in time. With
approximately 40,000km, and over 20,000
Canadian dollars invested in modifications,
Viral is about 65% complete. Virtually all
areas of the car have been modified for
the show theme. The engine bay, exterior,
interior, suspension, audio, and video have
all been slightly touched. Working from his
26 | | | D o m e s t i c D R i v e r
budget as a college student, Kris decided to
“chunk” his modifications into phases such
as, exterior, interior, and engine bay. Kris
tried to get through most of the exterior
phase and start some of the audio/video
phase during the summer of 2003. He then
tackled the engine bay during the spring of
2004 and started the interior in the summer
of 2004. At this moment, Viral’s exterior is
the prize possession of the car.
The engine bay has not yet been
modified for track use, but is very pleasing
on the eyes. Equipped with an Induction
Dynamics cold air intake system, and RK
Sport Dual Cat-Back Exhaust, Kris’ car
is not a fast one. Instead, Kris decided
to add RK Sport carbon fiber engine bay
covers to the battery, fuse box, radiator,
throttle, reservoir, and brake fluid to make
it visually appealing. He also added small
touches with the RK Sport extreme hose
kit, and painted the IDI cover in high gloss
black paint. Rest assured, this engine bay
is far from being completely modified.
The interior is the latest area of
modification to be done on Viral. Sporting
Black Cat Custom gauges with a yellow
face and reverse green glow, a B&M short
throw shifter, RK Sport carbon fiber door
sills, Sparco Torino seats, APC neon pedal
covers, and fully painted black/yellow
interior has just reached the tip of iceberg
in renovations. Kris plans to put black
carpeting in the car, 2 more Sparco racing
seats for the rear, Sparco shift knob and
steering wheel, Autometer gauges, RK
Sport dual gauge pod, vinyl over a few
areas, and plenty more!
Kris has many shows planned for
the upcoming season with Viral. In 2004
he attended only a few small shows and 2
major shows. Viral’s first show was the
JCO bash at the St. Thomas Dragway in
London where he did not place. Kris then
took the car to a few local shows in the
Kapuskasing, Ontario region and won 1st
place in each of them. Viral then hit up
Importfest at the Skydome in Toronto and
placed 4th. This was the first major trophy
for Kris and the car. Kris’ last car show was
M O D I F I C AT I O N S
PERFORMANCE
- Induction Dynamics Cold Air Intake
- RKSport Dual Cat-Back Exhaust
SUSPENSION / RIMS / BRAKES:
- 19x8” Axis Mod (Black)
- 215/35 tires to come
- RKSport Pro-Street Coilovers
AUDIO:
- Custom Fiberglass Enclosure
- Alpine MRD-M1000, SWR-1240D (3)
- Alpine CVA-1006, DHA-S680, SPS-690A
- Lightning Audio 1 Farad Capacitor
INTERIOR:
in Sudbury, Ontario held by a local car parts
store, Wicked Rides, where Viral took 1st
in the domestic category. In the upcoming
season, Kris already has the following
shows in his agenda, Performance World,
JCO bash, Importfest, Nopi Nationals,
RSM Tech Rally, Darknights Nationals,
Carfest, Scrape by the Lake, Don Howson
Fall Show & Shine, and SCP-Montreal.
Kris also plans to direct a car show for his
team, Ontariofires.com sometime during
the summer months.
With all this said, Kris has big
plans for his car, and hopes to do well in
the 2005 show circuit. Kris would like to
give a shout out to his sponsor Streetforce
and his two teams, Ontariofires.com and
Xclusiveconcepts.ca. Big thanks go out
to Kris’ parents, Lorraine and Frank, for
all the help and support. Kris would also
like to thank www.j-body.org, www.j-body.
com, for helping him learn everything he
knows today. 
- Neon Racing Pedals (Yellow)
- RKSport C/F Door Sills
- Various Interior Parts Painted Yellow
- Clear Climate Control Knobs
- Sparco Torino Racing Seats (Black)
- B&M Short Throw Shifter
- Black Cat Custom Gauges (Yellow with
Green Backlight)
EXTERIOR:
- RKSport Streetfire Body Kit
- RKSport C/F Ram Air Hood (Thanks Clayton Mozdzen)
- 2001 Tiburon SE Spoiler
- 5% Tint
- Tinted Tails
- Handles & Mirrors Painted to Match
- Rear Deck Lid Painted to Match
- Calipers and Drums Painted to Match
- Eurolite “Elite” Series Underbody Neons
(Green)
- Shaved Badges
- Custom Mounted Turning Signals
- Lambo Doors
Domestic Driv e r | | | 2 7
Car |owned
28
| | D oby
mEric
e s tJohnson
ic DRiver
WHAT A
GIFT
Domestic Driv e r | | | 2 9
Ever wished that you would get a
car for your birthday? Well Erik Johnson
sure doesn’t have to wish it becuase it
happened! I don’t think you could have
told Erik back in 1999 how this car would
go from a oridinary daily driver to a very
sleek and desirable Z24.
Let’s take a trip back to the
beginning where it had just a few modifications. The windows were tinted all
the way around and a Viper 550hf-alarm
system was installed. The personalized
license plates were added as well. Since
becoming an official member in October
of 2001 of the j-body.org, the car has
gone through many changes. Reading
through numerous forum posts on every
30 | | | D o m e s t i c D R i v e r
topic, I was inspired to double my efforts
to improve the car. Erik’s first concern
was the overall appearance of the car. The
first thing that was added was a Ram Air
hood from Spydar Automotive to give the
car a somewhat different look in the front.
After looking over many different styles of
body kits he found the Importfighter body
kit from RK Sport to fit his qualifications
best.
With the outside starting to fall
in place pretty nicely, the inside needed a
little work. The factory deck was replaced
with a Clarion CD player. To help with the
base, Erik went with a pair of 12” MTX
Thunder 6000 subwoofers with (2) 400
watt Baja amplifiers and a crossover giv-
ing the subs power. For a little more sound
and looks, Q-forms were added to the
front with Polk EX3 component speakers.
A PS2 in the glove box with a 5.6” LCD
screen in the passenger visor for a little
entertainment.
Once the sound was in place, the
rest of the interior was looked into. The
factory seats were out. A pair of black
Tenzo R Rally seats were put in its place.
New black carpet was added throughout
the car. The dash trim took on a new look.
It was painted white along with the bottom
trim of the doors. Custom white Black
Cat gauges with “SKILLZ” on the speedometer replaced the stock ones to flow
with the new white look of the interior.
M O D I F I C AT I O N S
PERFORMANCE:
- Custom built stainless steel dual catback
exhaust with Ractive tips
- AEM Short Ram Air intake
- RKSport Upper Engine Mount
- RKSport Lower Engine Mount
- RKSport Autotrans Interceptor
- Nitrous Express Wet Kit
- Nitrous Express Purge Kit
- Nitrous Express Bottle Heater
SUSPENSION / RIMS / BRAKES:
- 18” Silver Exel Ennio’s
- Ventus HRII 225/40/18
- 2” Intrax lowering springs
AUDIO:
- Clarion DRX86754zcd player
- 2 12” MTX Thunder 6000 subwoofers
- 2 400 watt Baja amplifiers
- Baja crossover
- Polk EX3 components with Q-forms at your
feet
INTERIOR:
- 2 Black Tenzo R Rally seats
- New black carpet throughout the car
- White climate control knobs
- Custom white and chrome shifter
- Painted doors white
- Custom Black Cat gauges (SKILLZ)
- White face HVAC cover
- Painted dash kit and armrest white
- Autometer Phantom Oil Pressure, Air/Fuel,
and Nitrous gauges
- PS2 in the glove box
- 5.6” Lcd screen in the passenger visor
EXTERIOR:
Also a new white HVAC cover was added.
To add a little high-tech look, a 2 gauge
pod was added to the driver’s side pillar
with an Autometer Air/Fuel and Oil Pressure gauge.
Basically Erik
wants his car to be unique
but not too aggressive.
He is very happy with
what has been done so
far and will continue to
improve the car. Yet, he
knows that the modifying will probably never
be over. There is always
something that could
probably be added. 
- Complete Importfighter body kit
- Ram Air Hood from Spydar Automotive
- Painted mirrors body color
- Clear corner lenses
- Altezza taillights
- Blue Xexon bulbs in headlights and signals
- www.RacePerformanceParts.com decal
- Shaved badges and side moldings
- Streetglow Gold series blue neons
MISC:
-Viper 55hf-alarm system with remote start
-Blue “Nightrider” light at top of windshield
for alarm
Domestic Dri v e r | | | 3 1
CAVWHAT?
I n the heart land of America a tuner
by the name of Ron Sowadski of Chicago, IL
emerges. Ronnie “C” or CavWhat are more
common names for him around the J-Body
scene. Ronnie “C” has been around the JBody scene since 1999 when he owned a 4
Door 97 Cavalier, with the first ever boomer
kit on a 4 door with a functional back door.
In late 2001 he bought a Blue 2002 Z24
Cavalier (one of the last remaining Z24’s
made).
To build his dream car, Ronnie “C”
teamed up with Psychotic Customs of Anderson Indiana, APG Performance of Wooddale,
32 |||
| | | D om
o m est
e s t i c D R iv
iver
IL, and Extreme Dimensions. The goal was
to become one of the top show cars in the
Midwest. This old stereo guy of course started with the electronics first. Starting with
TVs and games every were. As Ron will
always say, “You have to get the people to
the car first. What’s better then letting them
play video games?”
The interior is where the car really
shines with 5 game systems and many TVs.
The first thing you notice when a person sits
in the cockpit is the TV in the steering wheel
were Navigation is displayed for the Alpine
unit. The dash was redone in fiberglass to be
the new home for the Alpine DVD, LCD, and
Navigation. The back seat is the home to all
the game systems in a custom fiberglass box.
Most eye catching, is the painted interior to
perfectly match the exterior of the car. The
trunk holds the Xtant system, that powers the
two JL Audio 13W7’s.
This sweet Cavalier is also well
done on the outside. The stock headlights
were changed to Honda Accord headlights to
give it the more aggressive look in the front.
A drift Front and rear were also added. Fang
taillights give the illusion of an animal appearance. The car was still not enough so a
M O D I F I C AT I O N S
EXTERIOR:
body kit was installed. Ron didn’t like the
look of the GT side skirts, so the drift skirts
were molded to the body and door jams to
give it a seamless look. Lastly, the car was
given a Lambo door conversion to put it
above the rest.
As the car goes through more
changes for the 05 season, we can only wait
to see what exactly will happen. I do know
that Ronnie “C” will be teaming up with
Bliss Racing out of Illinois were they are
working on a turbo for the Z24. More info
on this amazing Cavalier can be found at
www.cavwhat.com 
-Honda Accord Head Light Conversion
-Fang Tail light Conversion
-GT wide Body kit Molded into a Drift Side skirt
-Drift Body kit
-White/Blue Custom paint job with Blue Pearl
-18 Inch ADR rims
-Shaved inner taillights
-Lambo Door Conversion
INTERIOR:
-Alpine 1005 Screen, 5205 DVD, Navigation
-Sony PDA, HP Laptop
-Xbox, PS2, DreamCast, GameCube, NES
-7 inch touch screens in the doors
-(2) X1001 Xtant sub amps
-X604 Xtant int amp
-(2) JL Audio 13W7s
-15 Farad Alumapro Cap
-Tenzo Rail 2 racing seats
-TV in the middle of the steering wheel
-Interior paints perfect to match exterior
PERFORMANCE:
-DTM exhaust Cat back
-Intake
Domestic Driv e r | | | 3 3
WRECKAGE
Car Owner: Erin Persinger
The Story:
Well the day started
off good. We had the first snow of the year
here in Columbus, Ohio. I was driving my
girlfriends car while mine is undergoing an
engine swap. After I droped her off at work,
I was heading over to drop off our Christmas
cards to send out to our family. I had missed
the trun off Interstate 270, so I just worked
my way over to the right lane to take the next
exit. I just took my time cause everyone was
driving kinda slow due to it starting to snow
again. It turned from light to heavy fast. I
truned onto the overpass to start heading east
to go over the Interstate. Traffic seemed to
have backed
up so I came to
rest at a light
behind a CAT
work truck.
While I was
sitting at the
light a 02’ Asto
Van came over
the hill, and he
was sliding on
the ice tryin’
to stop. He
Announcements
RPI, the producers of the GM Small Car
Bash are proud to formally announce the
date and location for the 2005 GMSC
Bash. In years past the event has been
focused on the J-Body platform. While
retaining that focus, it has been rebranded to its new name, the GM Small
Car Bash.
said, “I must
of slid for a
good 20 or
30 feet before
I hit you.”
After hitting
me I was then
pushed on
the ice into
the big work
truck with a
steal bumper.
That is where
I came to rest under the bumper. With the
car being lowered I just cleared the bumper
under the steal bumper on the truck. So the
headlights, hood, and everying above the Z’s
bumper was toost. I went to the ER to get
checked out, and I got a few pills to take for
pain and had a check up a week later. My
back is still just a little sore in my upper back,
but it is getting better. The Z will live on
again in my Cavfire as the engine is going
under the hood. The other parts on the car
will go on we hope a 99’ model Black Z24
with the money we got for the car.
Submission by: TRD Cav Fire
If yo�
Submit your Wreckage to appear here next quarter.
Negotiations started back in June of
2004 with Indianapolis Raceway Park
to lock in a date for the 2005 calendar.
IRP is one of the premier motor sports
facilities in the Midwest and holds such
feature events as the “Import and Truck
Bash” (formally known as the Indy
Truck Bash), and the “US Hot Rod Nationals”. Now, we are proud to add the
GMSC Bash to their already impressive
lineup for the 2005 season.
After many challenging months, the dates
of July 8th thru July 9th in 2005 have
been contracted for the GMSC Bash.
Look for more information and details
as they become available at:
www.gmsmallcarbash.com
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07 | A+ Performance
19 | Tabasco Racing
35 | Cavalier Connection
36 | Race Performance Parts
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Remember this is the worse way to get into Domestic Driver., so drive safely and pay attention to the road.
34 | | | D o m e s t i c D R i v e r
Attention All J-Body Tuners!!!
Gear Head Company, Inc. has acquired Cavalier Connection from Mike
Clements/Legendary Horsepower. Cavalier Connection.com offers turbo kits and other
high performance engine/suspension products exclusively for second and third generation GM J-body vehicles such as the Chevy Cavalier and Pontiac Sunfire.
Gear Head is owned by the Cadorette family. Leo Cadorette and sons Adam and Travis
have been avid performance enthusiasts/racers for years with a variety of naturally aspirated, nitrous-fed, supercharged and turbocharged cars.
Mike Clements will continue providing Cavalier Connection.com customers with the
many benefits of his racing heritage and technical knowledge by serving as a technical
consultant and new product developer. Gear Head will invest additional capital and manpower to expand the product line and inventory levels to better meet the growing
demands of Cavalier Connection.com customers in the US and Canada. Several visual
and functional enhancements are planned for the web site to make it easier to find, learn
about, purchase and finance J-body performance products.
With three R&D Cavaliers, a combination daily driver/weekend warrior; an SCCA road
race and a drag car, Gear Head plans to participate in races and J-body events across the
US and Canada. As a SEMA member, Gear Head will use the many R&D benefits offered
by SEMA and will soon acquire a Chevy Cobalt to stay on the leading edge of performance development for J-body and Delta platform vehicles.
Gear Head and Mike Clements want to thank all Cavalier Connection.com customers and
invite you to visit Cavalier Connection.com often for new product offerings.
http://www.cavalierconnection.com