Words: Tommy Parry
After suffering through a long and agonizing build process with a ‘81 Chevy Shortbox, a project which he called a “cobbled mess,” Dalton decided to focus his efforts on something more spectacular. Rather than let a series of problems snowball on a project car made special by mere bolt-ons, he sold the Shortbox and searched for something inherently special. Specifically, he wanted something mid-engined.
He found a Subaru WRX in sub-par condition, and since he would have a tough time turning it into a titled car, he looked to the Factory Five Racing for inspiration. After learning the Factory Five 818 uses a WRX drivetrain and mounts it midship, he’d found a clear path to head down.
“My whole thought process on this build is to spend the money on tools instead of buying off-the-shelf parts wherever it makes the most sense, as this project is a way for me to get my name out there for my side business. I am using it as a rolling billboard of sorts to showcase my work,” he explained.
Around that time, a Trans Am found its way into his lap. Provided Dalton removed the front subframe and rear axle, the Trans Am was his to play with. Now he had the driveline and suspension components for a mid-engined vehicle and a body to use as the shell.
Initially, he considered using the Subaru EJ20 engine, but he had a power goal of around 550 hp, and the cost to get that engine to that level was more than he was willing to spend. However, he had some experience with the LS—something which could make that power cheaply.
Dalton began looking into which companies made adapters for a WRX’s gearbox. After contacting several manufacturers, he found a company in Australia, Subarugears, which provided the adapter as well as a flywheel. It took about two months to get the part, so in that time, he picked up a mock-up block and made a temporary adapter out of plywood.
In addition to the Subaru’s five-speed transaxle, he also used the front and rear spindles. Pushrod suspension would help keep weight centralized, and an LQ9 would be the specific source of propulsion.
The Gen 3 LQ9 6.0 with L92 heads, a Bald Eagle cam from Texas Speed and an Edelbrock Crossram intake would net him around 550 horsepower without breaking the bank—more than enough to push around a ~2,500-pound machine.
Dealing with the rear suspension on the car was a task, but he had the Factory Five design to emulate. He had to make a couple conversion parts, but the hard design work had been done by Factory Five—he just duplicated what he saw on their diagram, then added his own modified spindle and replaced the strut with an upper control arm. Fortunately, it worked quite well. Only an issue with improper camber gain due to a misplaced pivot point, and he has no more issues to contend with.
Dalton’s only begun, but the build is quickly taking shape, motivated by the vision he has for his Transmarrow.
“The end goal for the car is to be low and wide. From ground to highest point on roof it will be around 45” tall. From center of tire to center of tire, it will be around 84” wide on all four corners. I have chopped the roof 3” and laid the A-pillars down to get rid of the high peak on the top of the roof. I am removing the wrap-around rear glass and going to a rear window, like that of a new Corvette, with louvers. The wheelbase of the car will be 118”—10” longer than stock, as the rear wheels were moved back that far to accommodate the engine/transmission,” he elaborated.
Once the car is done, he aims to first tour it around the local shows in Omaha, as well as going to a couple track days in the Midwest. Once all the bugs are worked out and the car in top shape, he plans to road trip the Transmarrow to California, stopping at various tracks and hot rod shops along the way to promote his business, DKustom Fabrication.
If you’d like to keep up on the progress of this innovative build, you can follow Dalton’s progress here.
