At POCI, Rob ran a low of...
At POCI, Rob ran a low of 13.02 on his third pass using an off-idle launch and 5,000-rpm shift points. He says, "The car planted solidly and pulled steadily."
Show Prep
All of this sounds great, but the big B-body still had to be completed to make the '05 POCI Convention in Greenville, South Carolina. Since Rob and Kevin were so meticulous during teardown, the Cat went back together fairly quickly. "We literally drove the car out of the shop and onto the trailer for the trip to Greenville," Jim says. "While the bodywork stood on its own, the Cat had only been driven for short distances in front of the shop, so no one knew how it would perform." The answer came at the POCI Drag Day at the Atlanta Speedway in Commerce, Georgia. Rob ran a 13.02 at 103 mph. This came on the third pass with no tuning whatsoever.
Returning to the show, the post coupe received a Third Place in the Modified Class. Pleased with their accomplishments, father and son decided to leave the trailer empty and drive the Catalina home.
Thanks to a proper tuning, Jim and Rob have since been able to break into the 12s with the Cat, scoring a 12.97 at a recent weekend in Bradenton.
Conclusion
This project not only provided the Butchers with a great dual-purpose post Catalina, but also a new livelihood for Rob and Kevin as business owners. During the Cat's rodstoration, local Pontiac hobbyists stood up and took notice. While this project was still in progress, Rob and Kevin were deluged with offers to do side jobs on other Pontiacs and other classic cars. The result was the formation of Metal Masters Custom Fabrication, located in Odessa, just northwest of Tampa.
Future plans for Rob and Kevin are to build the business. For Jim and his Cat, disc brakes are on the docket. To think this all started with a father/son project.