Words: Tommy Parry
After grabbing this rust-covered ride back in 2006, CM started trimming the corrosion from the car wherever he could. However, a high schooler’s budget and experience, few tools and limited time kept him from dedicating himself completely, and while he was able to restore it somewhat and douse it in a coat of paint, it was far from what he was after originally. There was plenty of reason to hang up his hat, but he kept at it – even through his college years.
Over the past decade, he collected a slew of interesting parts to bring this ‘66 Coupe up to modern performance standards. The parts had to be special due to CM’s intention to take this to the Optima Ultimate Streetcar Challenge one day.
Included among these goodies are 2018 5.0 Coyote Engine with 460 horsepower, mated to a T-56 Magnum, which sends power to a C&R Third Member and 3.75 Gears. Handling would have to be top-notch, so CM grabbed a Mike Maier Inc. Mod 2 Front Suspension with tubular upper and lowers and reengineered shock towers to accommodate the wider engine and JRI Single adjustables. He paired it with a plus Mike Maier Inc. Mod 2 Rear Suspension with the cantilever setup and panhard bar and JRI single adjustables, as well as a full-floating rear housing.
Big brakes were necessary with the added grip and power: Wilwood Superlight 6R brakes in the front and Dynalight 6 brakes in the rear. To allow for more rubber and trim some heft, he opted for Maier Racing fiberglass front fenders some 2.25″ wider than the stock items, a Maier Racing carbon fiber rear bumper, a Maier Shelby front valance, bumper delete and, for a little glitz, a Shelby GT350 hood. He was off to a strong start.
After unveiling the corrosion underneath the sound insulation, he began hacking and chopping. Nothing like fixing small holes with even bigger ones.
The addition of new floors from a convertible offered CM some head room, and while he was down there he addressed the car’s biggest issue: rigidity. With the addition of convertible rockers, some torque boxes, Mike’s tubular subframe connector and a torque arm crossmember, he would stiffen the formerly floppy car to make the most of the added stick and power.
CM’s build is just truly underway, but with ten years of dreaming fueling the fire, it’s likely we’ll see some remarkable improvements in the next few months. Keep your eyes peeled and follow his build thread to watch what might become one of the quickest Optima runners with classic lines.
