The all NEW manual brake conversion kit for the S550 Mustang saves weight, adds space under a cramped hood, and improves braking. Going manual does not mean sacrificing great braking. With the Aerospace Components conversion kit, braking is actually improved! This is accomplished by correcting the pedal ratio and geometry so proper pressures can be achieved, without the assistance of a heavy vacuum booster.
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The Aerospace Components Manual Brake Conversion Kit for the S550 Mustangs (2015-2018) include a billet aluminum pedal arm/pad, grade 8 pushrod with adjustable rod end, billet aluminum master cylinder plate, lightweight 1 1/8 bore performance master cylinder, brake hoses with fittings to attach to the factory ABS module, and grade 8 hardware.
Installation is easy and straightforward. Only two small areas need to be slightly adjusted for clearance for the new pushrod. This kit works with the factory brake light switch as well. Manufactured in the USA!
This article will go over the details of installing a vacuum pump on a BBC cylinder head.
The vacuum pump can be installed on either side of the engine. Left or right, it does not matter. As you can see, there are mounting holes on all BBC cylinder heads. All you have to do is bolt the stationary pivot point on the inside of the cylinder head. Some configurations will require spacers or washers for proper alignment. The slotted part of the mounting bracket should line up with the outer tapped hole of the cylinder head. Make sure that the pump is aligned equally with spacers and/or washers as shown in the main pivot bolt. Once the pump is mounted, install the mandrill drive onto the harmonic dampener. Adjust the V-belt pulley on the mandrill drive to line up with the vacuum pump pulley. Then install the breather tank in a location that suits your engine compartment or chassis. You then have to cut the -12 AN lines to the correct lengths and hook them up to their respective ports on the vacuum pump (intake and exhaust).
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Also, you will have to cut a hole in the front of your valve cover and attach the aluminum valve cover bung to attach the suction line of the vacuum pump. On the opposite front valve cover, you will have to install a relief valve and adjust it accordingly to how much vacuum you want to pull. You have to buy the proper length V-belt to complete the installation and adjust the vacuum pump tension and tighten up the mounting bracket once completed.
Check alignment of the V-belt. Start your engine. Check the vacuum that the pump is creating. Adjust accordingly.
If you are not creating enough vacuum, check for potential leaks. These are a few areas for potential leakage: valve cover gaskets, oil pan gasket, timing chain cover gasket, intake manifold gasket, and around the distributor hole.
If you have any further questions, call Aerospace Components at 727-347-9915 or email kimmysgarage@gmail.com!
More vacuum pump videos on Kimmy’s Garage YouTube!
Kimmy’s Garage would like to feature Ron Virga, a local racer from Dearborn, Michigan.
Ron’s love of racing started at a young age, when he got his first car in 9th grade. Al Kussy and Ron Virga became friends during Junior High and enjoyed ‘souping up’ cars together. By high school graduation, they were all racing their own respective cars! Ron had a 64 Ford Fairlane Thunderbolt, Al had a 67 Camaro Z28, and their other friend Bozyk had a 69 Camaro BBC. “We would skip school to go drag race our sweet cars on Telegraph Road between Dearborn and Redford, MI” says Ron.
Ron continued racing in Dearborn, MI and eventually sparked his son’s interest in racing! Together they built a 1987 Cutlass from body to paint. Ron states, “It started as a roller only when we got it. We put a 383 stroker motor, Aerospace Components brakes, and 350 trans built up 4200 stall with a 410 grand national rear end.”
Ron now participates in many car shows with the 1987 Cutlass. “I try to spread them out and go to different places as much as I can. Hangouts on a daily basis and the car usually goes out when it’s nice, 3-5 times a week. I just love cruising and hanging out!” Ron says about his life after retirement.
Ron and Al still keep in touch and reminisce about the old days of street racing. And their story is far from over!
Update: Michelle Devilbiss and the Devil’s Revenge
Michelle recently upgraded her 2000 Mustang GT:
Four link back halved big tire
600ci BBF with nitrous
Compression 13.5/1
Aerospace Components front and rear brakes
Strange engineering 2500 HP Alum prorated HD case lightweight
40 spline gun drilled star flanges axles
9″ rear 457 gears
Books carb 1550
Santhuff shocks
2017 has been an awesome season for Michelle Devilbiss and The Devil’s Revenge, filled with Invitationals, appearances and Grudge Racing! “I am not a class racer, I get a rush out of performing and being competitive in front of thousands of spectators, fans, and followers!” says Michelle.
Michelle started her season with an appearance in Tennessee at Cherokee Raceway Park! This track had previously hosted several of the 405 Street Outlaws. Michelle states, “The people were so welcoming and friendly. I spent 2 days there making passes and signing autographs.”
She wore her other hat — “Crew Chief”– at the NMRA Season Opener in March at Bradenton which got her husband Brian in the Aerospace Components Winners Circle!
She was asked to make Exhibition passes at Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, PA when Jeff Lutz and The Reaper from the 405 Street Outlaws came to town. She ran a 5.21 at 136mph with a .003 light — at that time it was her quickest pass!
She then headed over to Summit Motorsports Park in Ohio where she signed hero cards, t-shirts and arms! She also got a picture with Kayla Morton of the 405 Street Outlaws when she asked to match race.
Michelle also participated in an Invitation Grudge Race at Mason Dixon Drawgway in Boonsboro, MD when Kye Kelly and Kayla Morton of the 405 Street Outlaws came to town. “I won my race with a new best of 5.16 with another .003 light” says Michelle.
Michelle and Brian Devilbiss also host 2 events per year for the JDRF – Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund at their Race Team Evolution Performance, 100% of proceeds go to the charity. She meets lots of little fans and loves to help sponsor and mentor young children who want to get into racing. She also is a spokesperson for the World Motor Sports Breast Cancer Foundation, raising money and awareness.
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Michelle states,
“I am blessed to be supported by Sponsors who I share the same vision with. Teaming up with Kim and Al Kussy of Aerospace Components for the 2017 season has been most rewarding. Kim Kussy actively supports and empowers women of Motorsports.
Young or old, male or female, every dream starts with a vision. Surround yourself with like-minded individuals who are successful and living their dreams. To all the young girls and women out there, let’s inspire and empower each other to be tough competitors and make the men realize we are a force to be reckoned with!! Youth are the future racers who will keep our sport going!”
FYI — Michelle’s next appearance will be at a Grudge Race in Atco, NJ!
John Schaeffer and his team finished the most recent build only 2 weeks before LSFest and out of the gate the car ran 5.20s on his home track on a “test and tune” night.
The new setup includes the Aerospace ProEliminator Shifter, “Which works awesome! The short shift from 1 to 2 is great and the trans brake button is in the perfect spot” states John.
They loaded up and drove to LSFest in Kentucky to battle it out in Drag Radial, the car did a best of 4.90s, making him the #1 qualifier on that first day. They moved to eliminations on Sunday but in the quarterfinals the ring gear broke in the rear end which caused him to lift a head gasket. “We would have made it to the finals but that’s racing! Everyone has those days.” says John.
Last weekend they did not get the car back together in time for NMCA Indy because of some issues. But he did make it to Street Car Takeover in St. Louis where he finished in the small tire class runner up, battling it out with 4.50 cars.
This weekend he is headed to a Big Marks No Prep Race and is looking forward to going rounds. October 7th John will be racing at Kansas Speedway on the pit road.
Kimmy’s Garage would like to highlight the Rose Racing Team on today’s blog:
Rose Racing is a family affair, with Chuck Rose at the forefront. His two sons, Matt and Brad followed in their fathers footsteps and now they comprise what is now Rose Racing.
Chuck Rose has 40+ years of drag racing experience with numerous track championships during the 1980’s and early 1990’s with his 1968 Dodge Dart. He then switched to NHRA Super Gas class in 1994 with a 1971 Dodge Challenger. He won the NHRA National Open in Scribner, NE. Chuck finished in the Top 33 in the NHRA Division 5 Lucas Oil Super Gas standings from 1998 to 2007. From 2008-2015, Chuck finished in the Top 20 each year with multiple Top 10 finished and a best finish of 4th place in 2009. He also won the NHRA Division 5 “Super Shootout” Series in 2008 and was the NHRA Division 5 Super Gas representative for the prestigious JEG’s All-Stars in 2010. After selling the Challenger in November 2015, Chuck restored the 1972 Duster into a Stock Eliminator race car and began racing it in 2016.
Chuck enjoys spending time with his wife, Nancy, and their three children, Matt, Brad and Melissa.
Matt Rose is a Frank Hawley Drag Racing School graduate in 2010. He has finished in the Top 30 every year since 2010! In 2016, Matt won his first race out at the NHRA National Open in Topeka, KS.
Matt is married to Traci and they have three children, Brilee, Blake and Brooke.
Brad Rose was the 1999 Runner-Up at the NHRA Division 5 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Event in Earlville, IA. He finished in the Top 5 in the NHRA Division 5 Lucas Oil Super Street standings. And just like Chuck in 2008, Brad won the NHRA Division 5 “Super Shootout” Series in 2011.
Brad is married to JaNay and they have a daughter, Hope.
Aerospace Components is a proud sponsor of Rose Racing for the past several years. We are excited for the races this year and many years to come!
Kimmy’s Garage would like to highlight Ricky Deuschle on today’s blog:
Ricky Deuschle Racing Company (RDRC) is a family owned and operated race team based out of Palmdale, California. The dream began back in 2000 when the patriarch of the family, Ricky Deuschle Sr, introduced his children to the world of junior dragsters. Ricky Deuschle Jr was only 8 at the time, but was excited to start racing with the guidance of his father who had been racing 20+ years in the Super Pro Category.
RDRC has been performing at the competitive level and won multiple championships in various series all over the country. Ricky races from the east coast to the west coat and everywhere in between. No matter where RDRC goes, they are known for their family and the quality of racing they put out, along with sportsmanship.
Ricky’s sisters Ashley and Emma have also joined in on the fun! RDRC started out as a father son operation but has now evolved into a 5 (soon to be 6) car family racing team.
“Since our partnership with Aerospace Components, RDRC has brought our competitive edge to the next level. Being that we live in CA, we race in some of the hottest conditions. Aerospace Components water pumps help our cars cool down in record time and stay cool. In 115 degree weather we can drive our cars to the lanes, race, and still not get our water pumps above 180 degrees. After a run we can be cooled down to 115 degrees and ready to race in about 15-20 minutes. This is something as racers we love because going deep in rounds, the turnaround time gets shorter and shorter. With Aerospace Components, staying cool is no longer an issue!” says Ricky Deuschle Jr, of some of the secrets to their success.
Power loss is also an issue when racing in these harsh conditions of the California sun. Ricky states their remedy, “With Aerospace Components Vacuum Pumps we can gain back that lost power, and then some. This allows us to not have to run our cars on the edge which saves parts and money. On average we have seen an extra 25-35 HP gain just from tuning our engines on the Dino with an Aerospace Components Vacuum Pump.”
Ricky also mentions, “Another concern we have had is getting our cars stopped safely after making a 200+ mph run on our cars. Even though we have dual chutes on almost all our cars, stopping safely is big because sometimes those chutes can fail. With Aerospace Components brakes we can stop our cars even in the shortest shut down areas, with no problem at all. As a driver it’s nice to know I can trust my Aerospace brakes to get me stopped safely — no matter the circumstances.”
Meet the Team
Kathy Deuschle:
Pit Mom extraordinaire, who handles the funding and keeps everyone fed and hydrated throughout the weekend!
Rick Deuschle Sr:
Head Crew Chief, who also handles funding, along with all the tuning and maintenance coordination on the entire fleet.
Ricky Deuschle Jr:
Assistant Crew Chief, driver of the Aerospace Components 2002 Pro Nitrous Camaro and the 1969 Super Street Camaro.
Ashley Deuschle:
Driver of the Aerospace Components 1963 Split Window Top Sportsman Corvette.
Emma Deuschle:
Driver of the Aerospace Components 1963 Split Window Top Sportsman Corvette.
Wilfredo Velazquez:
Crew Member, newest member to the driving side of things. He will pilot the Aerospace Components 1963 Nova in 2018!
Kimmy’s Garage would like to highlight Jeff Paulin on today’s blog:
Jeff Paulin’s drag racing career began in 1964 when he graduated high school and joined the Kingsmen Car Club of Solona Beach California. His first car was a 1964 red El Camino which ran low 14’s at about 100mph. He quickly fell in love with drag racing! He enjoyed being around his fellow club members and being able to work on cars and driving down a drag strip.
After seeing his friend’s brand new Chevelle SS, he decided it was time for an upgrade! Paulin then picked up a 1966 375HP SS396 Chevelle: M-22 four-speed, red with red interior, power steering and brakes, plus AM radio. Even after he upgraded gears, slicks, shifter, and clutch assembly; he still used it as his daily driver (even with those 4.88 gear sets!). It ran consistent low 12s at around 117mph — through home-made headers.
For three years, his 1966 Chevelle was the fastest street-driven car in San Diego. All the fastest sponsored muscle cars at the time were trailered to the track every weekend, and they never beat his Chevelle, in a heads-up race or handicap elimination.
As time went on, and during the gas shortages in the 1970’s, he pulled his 375HP 396 motor and stored it in the garage. Jeff replaced that motor with a slightly calmer, big-block equipped with a sleepy, street friendly 3.08 gear set. Not long after, he moved to Orange County California and traded his Chevelle for a 427 Corvette. “We all do dumb things once in a while” states Jeff. The Corvette eventually made way for a 1968 Z/28 Camaro, a car that mostly sat in the garage.
Two decades later, while having a conversation about his beloved Chevelle, he discovered there was a 1966 Chevelle in the area. This car had been “the fastest car from Ventura, CA” at the same time he was racing “the fastest car in San Diego, CA”. He bought this identical 1966 Chevelle and installed the original engine and trans he had been keeping in his garage over the years. They went to many car shows with it, and won a few awards including Best Original Chevelle at Super Chevy; but there was no thrill in it like drag racing.
After his grandfather passed away in 1972, his grandmother traded in her Oldsmobile for a new 1972 Chevelle; which was easier for her to drive and park. She passed the car down to Jeff once she couldn’t drive anymore. Jeff painted it Cadillac gold and put Cragar wheels on it. When she saw the car she got mad at me saying “Why didn’t you do that to the car when I was still driving it?” So we took her to church in the car once a month and she loved telling everyone I was her grandson and this gold Chevelle with Cragar wheels was her car.
Jeff and his daughter then began to show and drag race the 1972 Chevelle at Pomona and Fontana. But once she left for college it just sat in the garage.
In 2011, they planned a construction project turning the 1972 Chevelle into a 10 second drag race car. The car began to run 10.20’s right away with the addition of a 6 point roll bar, 9 inch rear end, rebuilt TH400 and new BB Chevy. Lemons Headers, MSD ignition, DRE diaper, Champion Cooling System radiator and an Aerospace Components Vacuum Pump (which adds 20HP) all helped to boost this project. They named this car the GGSGOLD which they still race today!
Jeff Paulin’s wife and best friend, Tracie Paulin has easily slipped into the crew chief roll. Jeff says, “Without her I would not be racing. We are a great team and work very well together.” Tracie also won a NMCA West Crew Member of the Year award in 2015, “for not only her help with GGSGOLD but all she does helping the racers pitted around us every time out” Jeff states.
Their first Wally win was at the first West Coast NMCA race, which was held at Famoso. They entered in Quick Street and Bracket II. Despite losing in the second round of Quick Street, Jeff went 6 rounds through 60 cars and won Bracket II!
Jeff and Tracie go on to say, “One of our fondest memories of racing and the friendships that are easily made at the track was when Al and Kim Kussy stopped by our pit a few years back and asked us if they could help with anything. What! A business owner/sponsor walking around the pits introducing themselves to the racers and offering to help? Who are these people and why do we like them so much right away?”
Jeff and Tracie revealed a problem tossing crank mandrels from another vacuum pump manufacturer. “I mentioned this to Al and Kim and they said they would see what they could do and took a picture of my motor. Two weeks later in the mail I received an Aerospace Components Vacuum Pump kit — custom made for my motor. Bolted right on and it has worked flawlessly for the last 4 years! Unbelievable to me that a major manufacturer owner/sponsor will walk the pits and look for ways to help the little guy racer” states Jeff Paulin.
The Paulin’s are still enjoying the NMCA West series and love to load up and race at Fontana and Famoso. A couple fluke runs of the GGSGOLD have even gone viral, with the wheelie at Pamona having over 2 million views and the GGSGOLD’s Wild Ride at Fontana having over 4 million views!!
“We love our racing family, the sport, and the friends we make along the way” — Jeff and Tracie Paulin
Chuck enjoys spending time with his wife, Nancy, and their three children, Matt, Brad and Melissa.
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