"Workin' Overtime"
Shane Cernik's '92 LX
Photos by: Classic Car Studio Speed Shop, Wade Smith Photography
““Working 12-16 hour days to support my habit, this was a long build””
Facts are stubborn things, that is by far one of my favorite quotes. One hard fact is that the car hobby is not a cheap one. Sure you can get bolt-on parts like pulleys, cold air intake, and shifters for fairly cheap; those hardly satiate our need for speed. If you really want to go fast, the money will be flowing like the Hoover dam. Engines, transmissions, gears, power adders, tuning, suspension, and so on. Not only are the parts expensive, but there is also the installation. For the most part, car guys know how to do things themselves, which saves a ton of coin. However, there are some things that are best left to the pros, which adds to the bottom line. A serious car build requires all things to be evenly matched, meaning you can't just add a ton of power and call it a day. Power needs more fuel, hotter spark, a stronger transmission, beefier rear end, and a suspension that can make use of it all. Why do we do what we do? If you have to explain it to someone, don't even bother; they won't get it.
About seven years ago, Shane Cernik had the ever famous horsepower bug, and was about to begin the build of his current fox body Mustang, into a turbocharged monster. As he was about to pull the trigger, a deal came up on one '92 SSP notch, that was making over 700 to the tires. After some chin scratching, Shane decided the '92 would be a better way to go, as it already had a Dart block, as well as all of the supporting mods he would have to buy for his current car. Logic dictated the '92 made more sense, and Shane scooped it up. For a while he just enjoyed the car; who wouldn't enjoy a 700 horse street car?
Two years into owning the car, the engine dropped a valve, and Shane was at a crossroads. A leak down least revealed the short block was in need of a freshening up anyway, and that is where things spiraled out of control. The plan was to go faster, a lot faster, and to do it he would need more boost along with a fresh build on the 347. A swap meet score at the NMRA World Finals netted Shane a F1R Procharger, to replace the current D1SC. His fabricator, Dustin at Classic Car Studio in St. Louis handled all of the metal work, which include a motor plate, mid plate, as well as wiring for the Holley EFI. Dustin also handled beefing up the trans to a ATI Superglide, and adding 35 spline axles and spool to the 8.8 rear. Five months into the fab work, Shane surprised him with an even larger F1X blower, which required even more fabrication.
With the drivetrain on a solid footing, the next thing that needed attention was the suspension. Shane knew the old setup would never handle the 1000+ horsepower the car was now capable of. Up front the tubular k-member, A arms, and 2" drop spindles all came from Racecraft. Out back, Racecraft was put into play again with their upper/lower control arms, and anti-roll bar. The final piece to the puzzle is Afco coilovers front and rear.
The rolling stock consists of gorgeous Weld V series drag wheels, with 17" up front, and 15" in the rear. The meat consists of Mickey Thompson drag radials measuring 275/60/15, with M/T Sportsman front runners up front. Peeking out from behind the forged wheels are Wilwood brakes front and rear, which haul the notch down from 150+ mph blasts.
Shane is quick to point out all of the help and support he received from his wife Amy, Dustin Bier for being a kick ass fabricator, Kenny Decker for making some killer parts, Chris Pinney at KC Pro Wiring for helping with the Holley EFI, and Jeremy Dorlac at Dorlac Sign co. for the killer wrap on the car (in case you hadn't noticed the white carbon fiber wrap). Projects like these aren't done all by yourself. They take time, support, and many hours in the garage throwing wrenches. On top of all of that, for working people, it takes tons of money as well. So if you plan to build a car like Shane's, be prepared to be workin' overtime. CR
