The second phase was more serious and focused on increasing airflow through the engine. We installed high flow intake manifold; full-length headers and H-pipe with high flow catalytic converters and a performance exhaust system. We also installed weld-in sub-frame connectors to help the chassis handle the increased power.

These “bolt-on’s” resulted in an increase of 56 horsepower to the rear wheels.

The owner of this 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX has been bringing it to WJPE since he bought it. In addition to the general maintenance, WJPE has performed some modifications to enhance the cars' power, handling, and style.

For the first modification, WJPE wanted to get the engine to breathe better. We did not want the exhaust to be too loud though because the car is daily driven. WJPE decided to install Magnaflow's 2.5" stainless steel cat back exhaust system. This system not only flows better than the stock system, it produces a deep, mellow exhaust tone.

The next step was to upgrade the handling and appearance of the WRX. The customer picked out a sharp looking set of ROTA wheels. WJPE ordered in the 17x7.5" ROTA Torque wheels finished in flat black. We wrapped the ROTA wheels with 225/45/R17 B.F. Goodrich KDW2 rubber.

The next time the WRX came to WJPE it had an intermittent misfire. After some diagnostics we found the #1 cylinder spark plug had carbon tracked. We replaced the #1 cylinder coil boot and swapped out all spark plugs for Denso Iridium plugs and set the gap to factory specs. While working on the misfire issue, we noticed that the air filter was dirty. Instead of replacing the air filter, we installed an AEM long ram cold air intake system. This intake system flows more air than the factory air box, plus it mounts the air filter in the inner fender well so the engine get cool, fresh air from outside of the engine bay.

A few months later, the stock clutch started to slip at times. WJPE decided to replace the stock clutch with a SPEC Stage 2 clutch kit. The SPEC Stage 2 clutch has smooth, stock-like engagement and is capable of handling 400lb-ft of torque. This leaves plenty of room for future power upgrades!

 2003 Corvette Z06 The owner of this immaculate 2003 Corvette Z06 has been bringing his vehicles to WJPE since we opened in 2003. While he likes to work on his vehicles himself, he trusts WJPE to perform the work he does not want to do himself.

Recently he installed a supercharger system by A&A Corvette along with a set of American Racing Headers (purchased from WJPE). After dyno tuning, the car produced 590RWHP but the check engine light came on as he was leaving the dyno shop. The dyno shop scanned the computer and found a code for the camshaft position sensor.

The customer stopped by WJPE to ask us about the camshaft position sensor code. Luckily for him, we had seen this issue before. We informed him that the code usually sets because the bolts that hold the timing gear to the camshaft loosen and allow the camshaft to "walk" away from the sensor. After hearing this, he made an appointment with WJPE and did not drive the car until we could work on it.

We removed the timing cover from the motor and found two of the three bolts that hold the timing gear to the camshaft had backed out about a quarter inch. We proceeded to remove and clean off one of the bolts, then clean out the bolt hole in the camshaft. We applied Loc-Tite to the bolt and tightened it to spec. Now the other bolt that appeared have backed out only a quarter inch was about a half inch out and the bolt that was flush with the camshaft gear was now a quarter inch out. After cleaning and applying Loc-tite, we torqued all three camshaft bolts and reassembled the car and gave it back to the customer.

He was very happy to have his Corvette back and very thankful that our knowledge and expertise saved him from costly catastrophic engine damage.

The second phase consisted of installing a big brake system, a 12-bolt rear end, new upper control arms, aluminum body bushings and a complete fuel system. The front brakes were upgraded to 13 inch, slotted and cross-drilled rotors with dual piston aluminum calipers. We swapped out the stock rear drum brakes in favor of a 12-inch slotted and cross-drilled rotors with single piston aluminum calipers with integral parking brake.

We installed a 12 bolt rear end that was built by Moser Engineering to specifications designed by WJPE. This design consisted of a 3.08:1 gear ratio, heavy-duty posi and 33 spline bolt-in axles. We chose this rear end set-up to work in harmony with the Richmond 5-speed and to withstand the high horsepower and torque the motor produces.

For the fuel system, WJPE started with a new replacement fuel tank with a rear sump welded into it. We used stainless steel, braided hoses and AN hose fittings to plumb the tank to the electric fuel pump. Stainless steel, braided hose was also used to plumb from the fuel pump to the fuel pressure regulator and from the fuel pressure regulator to the dual feed Holley carburetor. 

The Camaros’ current configuration still consists of a small block Chevy engine, a 5 speed manual transmission, and stock style rear suspension, but that’s where the similarities end. The anemic 305ci engine was replaced with a 383ci small block fitted with a forged crankshaft, I beam rods and Wiseco pistons. We topped off the short block with a set of Air Flow Research cylinder heads, Weiand Team G intake manifold and a Race Demon carburetor. The Borg-Warner T-5 transmission was replaced with a G-Force racing 5 speed transmission capable of withstanding 1400HP. We replaced the bell housing with a Lakewood SFI rated scatter shield and installed a McLeod clutch with an adjustable pressure plate and an aluminum flywheel. The stock driveshaft was swapped out for a three inch diameter steel driveshaft with 1450 u-joints. To complete the drive train we removed the stock 7.5” rearend and installed a Ford 9” from Moser Engineering complete with 4.11 gears and a full spool.

For the front suspension we wanted a setup that would not only transfer weight to the rear tires but also remove weight off of the front end. To accomplish this we decided to go with a tubular k-member kit from Anthony Jones Engineering. The kit included the k-member, tubular a-arms, a pinto style rack and pinion, and a coil over conversion. We completed the front suspension with a pair of Koni adjustable drag struts. This setup removed over 40 pounds off the front end of the Camaro. WJPE decided to go with Spohn Performance for their adjustable rear control arms and panhard bar. We wanted to eliminate any bushing deflection so we had the suspension pieces equipped with heim joints instead of urethane bushings. We replaced the flimsy factory torque arm with an adjustable race series torque arm from Spohn Performance as well. This suspension system has resulted in consistent low 1.4 second 60 foot times.

The WJPE Camaro has run the quarter mile in 10.99 seconds at 122mph on motor and 10.07 seconds at 137mph with nitrous oxide injection.

This supercharged 2004 Corvette Z06 came to WJPE in need of a stronger clutch. The stock clutch was slipping and the clutch pedal would stick to the floor when trying to shift at high rpms. We decided to install a SPEC stage 3+ clutch set, which is capable of handling 850 lb/ft of torque. WJPE also installed a complete header system from American Racing Headers. This system features all stainless steel construction with extra thick flanges, large diameter primary tubes, high flow catalytic converters and a full flow x-pipe. On a supercharged car, this system is worth 35 hp over the factory manifolds.

To help the transaxle deal with the added power, we installed an ECS transmission/rearend brace. This brace strengthens the transmission and rearend cases and prevents case flex which could result in case breakage.

The owner of this 2006 GMC Sierra 3500 came to WJPE looking to transform his unassuming stock truck into an awe inspiring, daily driven show truck. The first step in the transformation was for Wayne to design, fabricate and install a custom 4 inch diameter exhaust system with dual 6 inch diameter chrome stacks. Next we needed to make the truck match the massive stacks. We decided the best way to accomplish this was to install an 8 inch suspension lift kit. We chose to install a Superlift lift kit because of their reputation for building high quality products engineered to withstand the stresses this vehicle will exert on them. Once the lift kit was completed, we turned our attention to the now puny looking stock wheels and tires. We swapped the stock wheels and tires out in favor of a set of 10 lug 22.5 inch diameter wheels from a Freightliner tractor trailer. We wrapped these massive wheels with a set of Goodyear all terrain tires. While test driving this now massive truck, we noticed two issues caused by the increased height and weight. The factory brakes needed some help to slow the truck down, and under acceleration the rear axle would wrap up the leaf springs too much. To help out the brakes, we installed a Pac-Brake exhaust brake and to control the axle wrap we installed a pair of RCD ladder bars.

After driving the vehicle for a couple months, the customer decided he wanted WJPE to install a dual front shock setup with remote resivoir shocks. The only problem was we could not find a shock hoop that would work with the Superlift lift kit. Well, it was not really a problem with Waynes fabrication skills. We ordered in a dual shock hoop and some ¼ inch thick steel mounting tabs. After mocking the hoop in place we cut, sectioned, welded, grinded, and painted the now custom shock hoops. We welded the mounting tabs to the top of the frame rail to mount the lower legs of the shock hoops. To finish the dual shock hoop installation we installed a set of Pro Comp MX6 adjustable remote resivoir shocks. With the trucks looks now transformed, we turned our attention to the drive train and fuel system. First, we installed an Edge Juice with Attitude module, an AFE cold air intake, and a FASS fuel system. These modifications netted approximately 100 hp and 200 lb/ft of torque. Now the truck runs as good as it looks!!

The customer returned a few months later looking for more power. WJPE warned the customer that additional power would hurt the longevity of the transmission. The customer decided that if the transmission did not hold up, he would have us get a transmission built to withstand the additional power. With that understood, we activated the “hot unlock” on the Edge Juice with Attitude module and installed a Snow Performance water/methanol injection system. The “hot unlock” netted approximately 20 hp and the water/methanol injection not only netted approximately 70 hp, but also reduced exhaust gas temperatures by 150 degrees.

When the transmission finally gave up, we installed a Suncoast stage V transmission and torque converter. We decided to use the Suncoast transmission and torque converter because of their unconditional 2 year warranty, plus they have rated the transmission to handle 800 RWHP and 1400 lb/ft of torque. With the transmission issues resolved, it was time for even more power! We were already pushing the limits of the factory cp3 injection pump, so we decided to install a dual cp3 pump kit by ATS. This kit adds a second cp3 injection pump driven off of the engines’ accessory belt and electronics that allow the two pumps to work together to supply the engine with all the fuel it needs.

We needed more airflow to burn all of the fuel the dual cp3 pumps were supplying, so it was time for a turbocharger upgrade. Due to the massive amount of air the engine needed, we chose to install an Aurora 5000 turbo upgrade kit by ATS. This turbo is absolutely massive compared to the stock turbo. The Aurora 5000 turbo is capable of flowing over two times more air and twice the boost psi of the stock turbo. With the capability of producing 70 psi of boost we absolutely need to install a set of ATS head studs.