My Visit To Levy Racing
By: Barry Mattingly

Recently, I had the opportunity to drive out from San Diego to Tempe, Arizona to meet Gordon Levy of Levy Racing, and not coincidentally, to pick up my new Levy Stage III 306 motor, destined for future glory in FFR #3440. So, early on a Friday AM, I grab the camera, dash off to the carwash (my Suburban doesn't get driven much these days), and head out on I-8 to points East!

Though I've driven out to the Phoenix area numerous times (going to Firebird Raceway and PIR), I've never taken the 'southern route' along I-8, which roughly parallels the Mexican border. Surprisingly light traffic for a Friday AM - mostly people heading the other way to San Diego (supposedly the #1 vacation destination for AZ residents) and a fair number of Mexican-registered semi-trucks as we get closer to the border crossing at Yuma. Once out of SD traffic, it's an interesting and beautiful drive out to the desert, with surprisingly varied geological conditions - tall hills seemingly made from pink and red boulders to old black and brown volcanic cinder cones, then out past the green farms of the Imperial Valley. Maintaining 80-85 on cruise control most of the way is always interesting - I'd forgotten how much people hate to be passed by a truck. One Subaru wagon in particular seemed to delight in stumbling along at 70 in the fast lane, then zooming forward at 95+ whenever I'd catch up - unless, of course, there was someone slower in the next lane. Then he'd match speeds for miles and miles, effectively blocking the way. Crossing the 'mountains' heading into the desert is interesting, as my 'Burb is set up for towing with short gearing and a tight torque converter - it doesn't slow down going up hills, and I hardly slow down for curves! The Stoobaru couldn't keep up and I didn't see him again the rest of the way (fortunately).

One other interesting note - as I pass through the Imperial Dunes Recreational Area, I notice lots of white and green Border Patrol and INS trucks parked on top of the dunes facing the Mexican border, which is only a couple of miles away at this point. By lots, I mean one every 1/4 mile or so, for the 5-10 miles of the border that the dunes span. I guess 9/11 has finally forced the Patrol to take (very) porous border problem in this area seriously! About this time I also discover that the 'Burbs dual A/C, which I almost never need to use in SD (I live about 1 mile from the Pacific Ocean), isn't working so well anymore...I have to pretty much leave it on High all the time. The OAT gauge says it's only 92 outside in Yuma, but climbs quickly, peaking at 106 as I pull into the drive at Gordon's shop....398 miles and almost exactly 6 hours after leaving home.

Arriving at Gordon's, the first thing you notice is the boneyard of Fox-bodied 'Stangs...when Gordon says he has 5000+ square feet of Mustang parts, folks, he's not kidding! Donor heaven. The second thing is the large number of cars parked in and around the shop. I didn't take an exact count, but I saw at least 14 FFR's and one other (Stallion) Cobra in the shop, along with four or five Mustangs. Gordon says he does 35 FFR's a year, and based on what I saw, I have no doubts he does.

The first thing I see is my new engine, built to order by Gordon. I specified a "ready to bolt in" long block - complete with distributor, plug wires, EFI harness, injectors, fuel rails, March pullies, alternator, clutch, etc. It's built to his Stage 3 specs otherwise, with Edelbrock Performer RPM heads and lower intake, along with a Trick Flow upper intake, 24 lb/hr injectors, and his own road-racing oil pan. Other new parts used that were made or bought to spec by Gordon include the clutch and pressure plate, pistons and rings, and cam made to his own specifications. It looks great, with polished Cobra valve covers, and should make about 380 HP or so. I'm planning on adding a Vortech S-trim supercharger after I drive the car for a bit, with a goal of 450-500 streetable HP. In my opinion, more than the mid-400 HP range becomes difficult to comfortably drive on the street - especially in a 2100-lb car!

After I drool over my engine for a bit, Gordon shows me around the shop, which takes up 5 or 6 bays of a single-story industrial complex, plus the large fenced-in outdoor storage yard. The shop is divided up into general areas for assembly, body prep, paint (with an enclosed spray booth), and engine assembly room, along with an office and waiting room with plenty of interesting photos and trophies to look at. It's obvious that Levy Racing knows FFR's well. Most of the cars in construction use the parts that Gordon sells, such as his road-racing oil pans, brake master cylinder and proportioning valve, suspension systems, and of course Stage 1 to 4 engines, but I also saw a few interesting things I hadn't heard of before - such as his FFR side impact beams, which are low enough to easily step over yet offer increased side impact protection and still allow the stock seats to fit. Had I known about these, I very likely would have added them to FFR#3440 before I powdercoated the frame (they are a weld-in item).

Gordon is a key player in organizing NASA (National Auto Sport Association) events in the Southwest, serving as a Regional Director, and also runs a very interesting Fox platform Mustang in NASA's "American Iron" AIX class with some interesting features - such as a full Bill Mitchell front suspension system, a carbed 306 motor, and most interestingly, two HUGE (40 cu. ft. capacity?) nitrous oxide bottles to provide enough go-juice to last a full race. Something over 800 HP with the nitrous on...imagine what an FFR would do with that kind of power. Gordon did say that the motor was essentially the same internally as mine. Hmmm...was that a hint? Unfortunately, my close-up pictures of this car did not come out too well. (Hey Gordon, can I take a few laps in this beast sometime???)

One interesting red FFR in the shop had a set of 6-piston Wilwood brakes and beefy ventilated rotors; I forgot to ask what type of motor it had, but there's no doubt the braking was up to whatever motor you stuffed in it. In comparison, my 4-piston Wilwoods with 13" rotors look wimpy! All in all, Gordon has some very interesting things to look at - well worth a stopover if you're ever in the area.

It was now late afternoon, and I needed to get on my way, so we loaded up the motor and I headed out into the Phoenix traffic, more than once wishing I had the 306's 380 or so ponies under the hood. At this point, the AC packs it in completely and I'm stuck in stop and go Friday traffic - of course, the temperature is hovering around 108 at this point. Really makes you appreciate the San Diego climate! Also reminds me that Gordon said his cars run cool using the stock Fox radiators in the Arizona summer heat - so I doubt I'll ever have a problem with mine. The drive home is uneventful but windy, causing a small duststorm near Brawley that slows me down to 45 or so for a bit. Of course, "Gumball Rally" comes to mind and I find myself thinking about the 60's Cobra vs. Ferrari wars, rethinking my color scheme, finding a set of Cibie driving lights (so my Cobra can look just like the one in that great movie), and so on.

All in all, a fun trip, and very motivating - thinking that Gordon will probably build 4-5 more Cobras before I even fire mine up for the first time!

References:

Levy Racing http://www.levyracing.com/

NASA http://www.nasaproracing.com/

Barry Mattingly
FFR #3440
barrym@bakbone.com