The stock clutch and driveline weren't really designed with an extra 100 hp at the flywheel in mind, so Dan instituted a couple of upgrades, including a McLeod twin-disk clutch assembly and adjustable slave cylinder, a Denny's steel driveshaft, and a B&M Ripper shifter. All were installed by D&D Performance in Wixom, Michigan. Baber had some trouble keeping rearends in it once he installed the new clutch, so in went a Moser 12-bolt with C-clip eliminators, 33-spline axles, and a set of Eaton 4.10 gears with posi. At the same time, ABS and traction control have been retained.
Though thoroughly entranced by the lure of acceleration, Dan also enjoys taking hard turns through the occasional autocross course, so traditional drag-race setups, like ditching the front stabilizer bar, wouldn't cut the mustard here. HAL/QA1 shocks live on all four corners; the front suspension is stock otherwise. (The shocks, incidentally, are set up at five front/five rear for the street, and two front/four rear for the track.)
The rear suspension, however, received quite a bit more attention. Though the stock coils and 19mm stabilizer bar are retained, Dan added BMR's control arms and Panhard bar (both adjustable and made from chrome-moly) not to mention polyurethane bushings in all of the new suspension components, as well as the stabilizer bar for good measure. Welded BMR subframe connectors help keep the unibody from flexing unnecessarily under the strain of hard launches, and the stock torque arm was replaced with an adjustable Spohn adjustable chrome-moly piece; pinion angle on the rear is set to -2 degrees.
His street rims are polished 17-inch American Racing Torq-Thrust Is (9.5 inches in front with 2.25 backspacing, 11-inchers with 7.75-inch backspacing live at the rear) rolling on a combination of Kumho Ecsta Supra 712s (275/40-17 front) and Yokohama AVS Sports (315/35-17s back). At the track, Baber rolls 15x10 Weld DragLites on 15x11.5x27 Hoosier Quik Time Pro slicks out back with 15x4 DragLites and Mickey Thompson skinnies up front.
Outside, Baber relies on the stealth approach, with only a Suncoast "Raptor" ram-air-style hood to force a little more cool air into the engine compartment. In fact, he liked the Raptor name so much he had a windshield banner made up with the name, and has adopted it for the Bird. Inside is just as stealthy-clean graphite-colored leather, Monsoon stereo pumping tunes, factory air blowing cold-save the AutoMeter Sport Comp tach (with shift light) tucked up against the A-pillar, the fuel pressure gauge where ventilation once flowed, and nitrous and Hurst Line-Loc activation buttons quietly dotted about the console.
At this writing, this combo has achieved a naturally-aspirated best of 11.53 at 119 mph; a sux-point Wolfe Racing cage is on order (and probably installed) as you read this. With a 75-horse shot of laughing gas, the first run netted 11.08 at 125 mph-some tweaking should bring 10s.
At the track, his crew consists solely of his son Tyler, age 10, who "gives me motivation and probably knows more about cars than half the guys at the track. This hobby has given us something to do together that we both thoroughly enjoy-it's providing a lifetime of memories," says Dan. And, we hope, some shrewd math skills as well.