The Hardware
The foundation for the White Knuckle Ride is a 1965 Karmann Ghia, weighing in at 1900 pounds that went through a complete pan off rebuild (See "The Plan") with an RLR roll cage and rolling on M&H tires and genuine Porsche alloy wheels fore and aft. Suspension features a Mike Lawless built 2" narrower crome moly beam in front, with a slightly narrowed torsion housing out back with 30mm torsion bars and QA1 adjustable shocks at all corners.

Inside is a Kirkey seat, genuine Hurst shifter, and a CNC staging brake. The electrics are controlled by an ARC switch panel.

Stopping after a run is handled by type 3 drum brakes in back with Mike Lawless lite weight discs up front.

The Engine • 2332cc, injected on Methanol

This particular engine is based on the new CB Performance "Raised Roof" aluminum case. The internals include an 84mm Scat flanged crank with Pauter chevy journal rods, a CB 2298 cam is installed a little advanced, with a set of the new CB lite weight race lifters, and Bugpack straight cut timing gears. The pistons are AA 94s with .060 deck including .060 copper head gaskets. The heads are CB CNC Competition Eliminators, prepared by Pat Downs at CB Performance, with a pretty dang high compression ratio. Valves are CB titanium 48mm intakes and 40mm exhaust. K-Motion K-800 valve springs are used with 200 lbs on the seat and 450 open pressure. The Pauter roller tip rockers are advertised at 1.5. The crank pulley is now a custom made 4 3/4" Lawless Designs pulley with a provision for the Hilborn fuel pump drive pulley. Also installed is a steel lightweight flanged flywheel along with a J&G floater clutch with a four puck disc and a CB 2 inch header with a 3" stainless muffler of unknown manufacture. The induction for 2008 is Hilborn mechanical fuel injection with KRE throttle bodies set up to run on alky. The ignition is all MSD, using their mag pick-up distributor, 8.5mm wires and 7AL2 box, with a two-step rev limiter for launching the car. An autocraft "Stage and a Half" oil pump keeps the internals spinning freely and pulls oil from a CB 4 quart deep sump.

The Transaxle

Built Tough by Rancho Performance Transaxles

The trans is a type 2 bus unit built by Rancho Transmissions in Fullerton. It features a 4.57 ring & pinion with spool and a 3.55, 2.14, 1.56 and 1.19 gearset. It uses the Berg intermediate housing allowing the use of a type 1 shift housing for super slick shifts and also features a gusseted case. A Folts swing axle conversion gets the power to the ground. This trans has been virtually bulletproof with no failures of any kind since its installation. For the first freshening done after three seasons and 230 runs, Mike Herbert replaced the ring and pinion because it was showing a few hairline cracks. THAT is good service out of a trans in anyone's book! Thanks Mike and Rancho for building us a trans that we can depend on.