5523 Motorsports: Interview with a Zombie Vampire
So here we are on the flip side of Speed Week 2013, epic road trips to Utah and record runs down the Bonneville salt flats were had, but let's rewind a week and pretend that we're just a few days out from Bonneville. In fact, we're sitting in a swelteringly hot garage at 5523 Motorsports in Escondido, California wondering if we'll make it to Speed Week at all.
A few weeks prior, Project 240SX LSR had set a new land speed record at El Mirage, but then developed engine issues immediately after. The car is now sitting nearby with its de-stroked SR20DET bottom end separated from its exotic VVL cylinder head. It's crunch time and the team is scrambling to fix the problems and get the car back in one piece before Speed Week.
Of course, I see it as the perfect time to pester our resident Zombie Vampire, engine builder extraordinaire, and co-proprietor of 5523 Motorsports, Nick Hunter with a barrage of questions. What better time could there be to find out about Nick’s life and how he came to be the hybrid of two mythical creatures when there are a million things to get done?
What was that old saying, “cleanliness is next to godliness”? Before starting work on the head, Nick Hunter lays out a clean sheet to work on.Joe: So Nick, what exactly are we doing in here today? Cuz its getting hot in here and my pits are starting to stank.
Nick Hunter: We need to finish work on this new head, and get it back in the car today.
Joe: What happened to it?
Nick Hunter: As you know, the car was having problems starting at El Mirage, and even before that when we dynoed it so I decided to investigate so the motor won't have problems when we get to Bonneville.
