Unidentified Flying Chevy!
Courtesy of Bruce Biegler – DragRaceCanada.com
Although it has been seldom seen to this point, Gary Mater’s spectacular 1937 Chevy is for sure one of the most unique Pro Modified cars ever conceived in Canada.
After initially debuting his car supercharged in the Pro Mod class for the first time during 2007, Mater’s drag racing journey took a derail when a racing accident sidelined the effort soon thereafter. Since then the Petrolia Ontario-based driver and his team have been charting a significant rebound and change of course. During mid-season last year all of that began to come together as Mater returned to competition with a new look and new direction.
“Two and a half years ago we crashed the car at Grand Bend,” Gary reflected. “We had a rear wheel break and effectively demolished the front end. We began rebuilding from there and along that line, for various reasons; we decided to switch to a turbocharged engine program. The 2009 season was our first year back out with a turbo.”
Mater took on that challenge with the help of good friend and fellow drag racer Brian Robbins. Robbins’ Michigan based shop is where the car was constructed and where the engine assembly took place.
The engine program is a 526 CID Alan Johnson 481X block. But now instead of a supercharger, that motor now features twin 91mm Precision Turbochargers. Power is then delivered through a Lenco Drive automatic transmission.
The team has had their motor combination on the dyno. Gary Mater reports that it produced some 2500 HP and 2000 foot lbs of torque while using only 34 lbs of boost.
 “When completely finished we will employ 45-50 lbs of boost and spin it at a much higher engine RPM,” he confirmed. “That should equate to some low 6-seconds elapsed times and potentially speeds near 250 mph.”
Within drag racing, it is undisputed that fast turbocharged cars are by far some of the most difficult machines to drive. Because of more variables the demand on driving expertise and concentration is more pronounced.
“In a supercharged Pro Mod the throttle response is pretty much instantaneous,” Mater explained. “When running a turbo motor you really don’t make much power until it gets spinning above 3500-4000 RPM. So it takes time to “spool” it. Our car also uses a converter which provides addition drag. In addition to being more aware as a driver, you need to also be very precise tuning the fuel and timing systems, just to build up the boost to where it needs to be. Otherwise the car will not launch. All of that takes some practice.”
Mater’s 1937 Chevy is a very sinister and low set machine featuring a body from Superior Glass Works. Jamie Feenstra has been tasked as the crew chief for the 100% independent and currently un-sponsored race team.
Gary Mater’s background in Eastern Canadian drag racing has deep roots. Prior to the debut of his new Pro Mod, the General Manager of Oil Well Supply (Petrolia, ON) raced for a number of seasons with a very popular 180 mph supercharged Anglia.
For 2010, fans can look forward to and expect Gary Mater’s car to be a top attraction within the PMRA circuit. After making only a couple of PMRA appearances last season, Mater has confirmed his intentions are to run the whole PMRA circuit next year. The car and team will also see action in Martin and Milan Michigan and a couple of ADRL circuit events are also not out of the question.
Bruce Biegler Photos ~ www.dragracecanada.com
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