Seriously Badass Builds from Blown Mafia (Photos)
Bradley Gray, a custom car connoisseur, has an affinity for forced-induction components which are most certainly on display among his "Blown Mafia" car collection. While most folks install a blower/supercharger or a single/twin-turbo setup on their hot rod, Mr. Gray has engineered some jaw-dropping setups that combine multiple blowers, turbos, and nitrous for some truly unique rides.
1. 1969 Twin-Turbo, Nitrous, Blown Camaro
If you have heard anything about Bradley Gray or Blown Mafia, it is likely that you have caught a glimpse of his wild 1969 Camaro with tons of eye candy sticking up nearly four feet out of the hood. Gray has mixed up a wild concoction of turbos, a blower, and nitrous to power this old muscle car. He started with a 468 c.i. Big Block Chevrolet with all of the internal fixings such as a Scat forged crankshaft, JE flat-top pistons, Eagle connecting rods, and cnc ported CFE cylinder heads that make for a pretty impressive spec sheet, but the magic is in the induction setup. Gray stacked on a 1471 Littlefield blower (underdriven 6%) coupled with a pair of 68mm Precision turbochargers, and designed all of the necessary ducting and plenum to route the boosted air through the Holley 980 carburetors. The car also features a NOS wet nitous kit, but Gray claims it is used more for a cooling effect rather than for increased horsepower. Although the car may shine like a showroom collectors piece, Gray has actually had this setup for 20 years and drives it on a regular basis.
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2. 1934 Ford-bodied, Triple-Blower Dragster
The second force-fed monster in Gray's collection utilizes an old NHRA dragster chassis of racing legend Jeb Allen coupled with a replica 1934 Ford body that has been heavily modified to fit the slingshot frame. Brad again opted for a 468 c.i. BBC engine, but this time placed an 871 Weiand blower underneath two mini B&M 144 blowers and engineered a setup to run all three blowers with two drive belts. Fueling is supplied by two 850 cfm carburetors and all three blowers are 46% overdriven to produce 18 lbs of boost. Unlike his other cars, this beauty actually makes trips down the strip; however, Gray will admit that the triple-blower configuration is more for show than go, but is still a blast to drive. When asked about how much horsepower his cars are making, he claimed he did not want to know because he'd probably yank the engines out and try to build them up for more power!
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3. 1956 Roots & Centrifugally Blown Chevy Pickup
Gray's third vehicle featuring yet another 468 c.i. Big Block Chevy is found in a 1956 Chevy pickup truck that has been back-halved with significant frame reinforcements and a trusty Ford 9-inch rear-end. Boostmaster Gray created a unique forced-induction cocktail by pairing up an 871 Mooneyham blower with a reverse-mounted centrifugal racing F-2 Procharger supercharger all driven by a single belt. Airflow routing into the engine is quite interesting as inlet air snakes its way into the hat before being diverted to the Procharger. From there, the air is pushed into the plenum and through the 850 cfm Holley carburetors where the air/fuel mixture is forced into the engine via the blower. Nitrous is again used for cooling purposes, but does provide the additional bling factor. With the flat guards red paint, this newest Blown Mafia build is a stunning head-turner.
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4. 1965 Twin-Blower Chevy C10 Truck with Nitrous
The 65 Chevy C10 is the second oldest vehicle, behind Brad's Camaro, having been built roughly 10 years ago. This vehicle differs from Brad's other creations in that it is running a 355 c.i. Small Block Chevy engine. The chassis was first improved with cross-member reinforcements, a Ford 9-inch rear-end, coilover suspension, and an entire 82 Chevy front clip swap including disc brakes. Gray then stacked a pair of classic small-bore 671 Bowers Blowers atop the SBC and fitted a custom single belt drive system made possible by driving the top blower slightly faster than the bottom unit. Fueling is accomplished with dual four-barrel 750 cfm Holley carbs with a nitrous plate kit underneath. To further enhance the flamboyant engine, Gray fabricated the aluminum inner fender panels and treated them to polishing and anodizing to replace the hood and feature the monstrous engine. As with his Camaro, Gray is not afraid to hop in this truck and take it up town when he needs a break from working in the shop.
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