If there is one thing that is certain with any racer, it’s that he or she never thinks that their car is fast enough. It doesn’t matter if the car is the fastest or quickest qualifier, adjustments will be made in an effort to make the car even quicker or faster. This is true in every form of motorsports, whether it be drag racing, road racing, roundy-round, and the like.

Andy’s Caprice will rely on Fuelab’s Prodigy 41404 fuel pump, regulators, and filter to safely provide the new 434 cubic-inch small-block with all the VP Racing Fuels’ VP113 it can handle.

One NMCA racer we know, is stepping up his game in the Nostalgia Muscle Car Class. Andy Warren is a multi-time champion, and repeated again in 2015. Andy’s 1971 Caprice featured a Knieriem Racing Engines-built 427 cubic-inch small-block, backed by an ATF Speed Turbo 350 transmission that was freshened up by Bilbrey Automotive. Inside, an Ultimate Converter Concepts 8-inch stall converter multiplies the engine torque. The big, 3,800 pound Chevy uses TRZ Motorsports front and rear suspension components with Mickey Thompson wheels and tires, and Aerospace Components brakes. Though he competed in the 10.50 index class, his car’s best pass was a 10.24 at 129 mph. At the end of last season, he received a pair of Mickey Thompson’s new Pro Drag Radials, and with that change alone, he is hoping to be in the 10.teens.

However, the changes his car is undergoing as we speak, should pay big dividends. Knieriem Racing Engines is boring the engine’s Dart block to accommodate a 434 cubic-inch combination, adding new Ross pistons and ARP hardware, but keeping the engine’s Scat crankshaft and connecting rods in place. The valvetrain is getting refreshed, thanks to a new Comp Cams grind and Elite Race roller-lifters, AFR 245cc Eliminator heads, and new Jesel roller rockers. A new Moroso oil pump and pickup will feed the engine LAT Racing Oil’s 5W30 full-synthetic to keep everything properly lubricated.

Up top, a new AFR Titan intake-manifold will play host to a QuickFuel Technology Black Diamond 1050 cfm carburetor. Competition Products will make sure the engine has all the right gaskets, seals, and bearings, while a complete MSD ignition will ensure the candles are lit all the way down the track. Exhaustive measures will be taken by a pair of American Racing Headers 1 7/8-inch long-tube headers, which will lead back to a pair of Flowmaster Outlaw II mufflers.

A TRZ Motorsports-suspended and braced Strange Engineering 9-inch rearend features 4.57 gears. Also, Mark Menscer-tuned Afco shocks will also do their part to get the big Caprice in the 9’s.

The car’s Turbo 350 transmission will be replaced by a Bilbrey Automotive-built Turbo 400, designed to handle the increased horsepower. Ultimate Converter Concepts will also make changes to the existing torque converter, to get the most of the new-found power, as well. Andy is also converting the car to a floor shift with the addition of a B&M Magnum shifter.

Many improvements center on the car’s 3,800-pound race weight. Since the column shift is going by the wayside, the car is getting an aluminum ididit steering column with a TRZ/Grant steering wheel. The front and rear of the big Caprice will receive Alternative Chrome fiberglass bumpers, and he’s researching a carbon fiber driveshaft to also reduce parasitic drag on the drivetrain. A new XS Power S1600 battery will also be put into service for its weight-savings, and power-providing services, as well.

Andy figures the mechanical upgrades should add up to 40 to 50 more horsepower, and with the weight savings, he should easily be able to run in the 9’s. He plans to run the 10.00-index class in Nostalgia Muscle Car competition, and defend his 2015 championship with perhaps another win in 2016.