NASCAR Chevy SS Gets a Turbo and Prep For Pikes Peak
Rob Parsons doesn’t let anything hold him back. Especially when given an opportunity to drive a NASCAR up Pikes Peak.
Rob Parsons is better known in the car community as “Chairslayer.” A nickname he has earned for being an ace behind the wheel, despite paralysis of his legs. With his racing and car control prowess, an opportunity came his way. That opportunity is to Drive Tommy Boileau’s Chevrolet SS NASCAR Pikes Peak racer up the worlds most famous hillclimb. But Parsons needs some specific equipment installed on the race car first.
Parsons explains what’ll be involved in the build. He says, “thanks to PPIR, and the guys at Falci Adaptive Motorsport, we are going to outfit this with a RTS6SD sequential gearbox, my clutch control system, some nice bits from Haltech to control the engine, and hopefully a new turbo from Garrett.” It’s a lot of work, but with help from a friend, Parsons is ready to get this ambitious build started. Of course, a large vehicle like a NASCAR gives plenty of room to work with, and that’s a good thing.
Interestingly for Parsons, the hardware won’t be too difficult. Mechanical items are easy. However, it is the wiring and hooking everything up that takes the most time. The engine and transmission now have to work together, as the gearbox needs a break in power – briefly – to shift. After all, you can’t put turbo LS power through synchros. “It doesn’t take a whole lot for me to get the sequential transmission in or the clutch system. What will take a little bit of time is the wiring, the setup of the Haltech… and a lot of test driving,” Parsons explains.
In terms of the turbo LS, this build will be quite unlike other builds like that on YouTube. They aren’t going for crazy power, or a turbo that sticks out through the hood. Instead, they are going after something that gets no clicks at all. Parsons says they intent “is taking our time and putting everything back together nicely and just making it a super reliable car.”
We think that’s admirable to go for reliability. After all, for a car like this and a race like Pikes Peak International Hillclimb, you want the car to make it up all 12.42 miles and climb all 4,720 ft of elevation.
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