Weatherford, Texas, transmission specialist Rickey Bright's concept of a mean 'n' lean, Pro Street machine is something classic from the '60s with a set of fat Mickeys stuffed under its rear flanks, a blower sticking through its hood, and a real "Bright" (excuse the play on words) paint job! Basically, Bright, friend Leonard Jeffries from Westside Automotive, and Burleson fabricator David Wolf were responsible for building the entire car.
Starting with the chassis, Bright and Wolf custom-fabricated a 2x3-inch rectangular boxed-tube rear subframe and attached a Chassis Engineering four-link suspension, along with a Strange Engineering-equipped, 4.30:1-geared, narrowed Ford 9-inch rearend. Also part of this combination is a set of Koni coilover shocks, late-model Corvette rear disc brakes, and Competition Engineering wheelie bars. While they were at it, a 20-gallon Harwood fuel cell was also installed in between the rear rails.
Up front, Qwik 66 still utilizes a modified version of the original Chevy II independent front suspension, upgraded with a pair of Bell Tech 2-inch dropped spindles, a pair of Air Ride Technologies airbags, and late-model Corvette disc brakes, with braided stainless steel brake lines.
Motivation for Bright's II comes in the form of a Tommy Phillips-machined, '72 Chevrolet 350, now displacing 383 ci. The blown small-block incorporates a 4340 forged stroker crank, Manley connecting rods, a set of 8.5:1 Ross pistons, Speed Pro rings, Federal Mogul bearings, an Iskenderian "blower cam," a Melling oiling system, and a Crane double-roller timing chain.
Also along for the ride is a set Bow-Tie heads, featuring an Iskenderian valvetrain. The valve covers on this beauty are GM Performance Parts tall-deck aluminum models, with Mr. Gasket breathers. Bolted in between is a 1:1-ratio, BDS 6-71 blower, sporting a pair of Holley 780s, along with a 400hp NOS system. The 350 also utilizes a full-tilt MSD ignition system, Hooker headers, and DynoTune mufflers. Cooling this potent small-block (800 hp at 6,500 rpm) is a Guy Wirsing radiator and Sid's Pattern Shop custom fan shroud. Oh yeah, we almost forgot about the transmission. On board, you'll find a Bright's Transmission Enterprises-prepared GM Powerglide, with a 3,500 stall speed BTE torque converter, BTE manual valve body, and BTE trans brake. The final link in the powertrain is a Driveshaft Company custom-fabricated driveshaft.
When it came to smoothing out the 36-year-old Chevy II sheetmetal, Weatherford's Trinity Auto Body handled the assignment. Aside from flaring out the rear quarter-panels to accept those huge 13x15-inch Mickey Thompsons, the '66 was also outfitted with an fiberglass hood and deck lid, along with a striking PPG Porsche Magenta colorcoat.
For those short trips to the supermarket, Bright is surrounded by a Wolf-fabricated 10-point rollcage. Seating consists of a pair of Sparco fiberglass race buckets trimmed in black, using Simpson Safety harnesses. Also along for the ride is a full complement of Auto Meter instruments housed in a custom dash, and a Grant Challenger custom steering wheel.
Built primarily for shows, the Qwik 66 certainly lives up to its credentials, with back-to-back wins at the '01 Super Chevy Show, the Parker County Cruise, the '01 Texas Raceway show, and most recently at the '02 Ft. Worth Rod & Custom Car Show.