Rollins also built the car's TH400, with a JW Transmission 10-inch converter with 3,800 stall speed, transmitting power to a narrowed 12-bolt rear from a '68 Chevelle with 3.73 gears, Strange Engineering spool, 33-spline axles, and C-clip eliminator kit. The front suspension was upgraded with Global West billet cross-shafts and Del-A-Lum bushings in the upper and lower control arms. The shocks are Lakewood adjustable units, and stopping power is handled by Stainless Steel Brakes Corp. four-piston competition calipers clamped around 11-inch Big Bite rotors.
Back together the car runs in the low 11s, with a best of 11.12 at 119 mph naturally aspirated, and a 9.92 on nitrous. Derek won the DOT class at the 2011 Super Chevy Show at Palm Beach International Raceway and on the same weekend was the runner-up in the True Street Challenge.
Over the last few years, Derek raced Open Comp (an index-based class with a 5-tenths pro tree), as well as brackets at Gainesville Raceway, and he finished second in OC points last year, missing the championship by one round of racing. Same thing happened to him in '05, but he does have two track championships in the foot-brake/Pro bracket class ('04 and '05).
During the rebuild he could've lightened the car with a fiberglass hood and lightweight racing seats, but he didn't want to alter the stock-appearing look hiding the car's quickness. "To me, a small-tire, stock-suspension car that clocks a quick number and can be driven on the street running pump gas is more impressive than a big-tire, ladder-bar/four-link car that might run a quicker time but needs more maintenance, race gas, and is very subjective on the street."