ProCharged Mustang Puts It All on The Line Before Engine Chaos!
For many that participate on a drag-and-drive event, it can be a way to spend a week with a spouse, best friend or family. In the case of Cameron Alley, it’s a chance to spend a week with his father.
“My Dad, Mike Alley, has always been my co-pilot,” said Cameron. “We have always been a father and son team, and I wouldn't have it any other way.”
Although they are employing a Ford Mustang for events now, the Alleys got their start on the drag-and-drive event trail at Hot Rod Drag Week, piloting a truck to some quick time slips. “Drag Week 2017 was the first drag-and-drive event that we entered and completed in our 1988 Chevrolet Cheyenne pick-up truck,” said Cameron. “We built it specifically for that event.”
The duo averaged 11.01 in the Pro Street Naturally-Aspirated class for a top ten spot.
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During the same event, the 1997 Ford Mustang Cobra that Cameron now owns was being campaigned by Jim Bailey, averaging 8.64 for the seventh spot in the Street Race Small Block Power Adder class.
Fast forward two years, and Cameron made the choice to acquire the potent pony. “We bought it at the end of the season in 2019 as a turn-key, proven drag and drive car,” Cameron said. “The car originally belonged to Eric Dillard of Pro Line Racing Engines.”
In keeping with the family’s Chevrolet truck, the Ford moves with a Chevrolet heartbeat under the hood, as 408 cubic inch of gen 1 small block Bowtie provide the power. A Dart Little M block provides the foundation, filled with a Lunati crankshaft, Oliver billet rods, and JE blower pistons.
A single plane intake and throttle body combines with a pair of Dart Pro 1 215 cc cylinder heads wearing Jesel shaft rockers for the top end of the engine. An extra boost in power comes from the F-1X ProCharger supercharger, and Holley EFI controls the functions. Power is passed to the 8.8-inch rear end holding 3.55 gears by a Turbo 400 3-speed automatic.
Even with the purchase of the Mustang, the Alleys did continue to run the Bowtie truck, completing in the Summit Midwest Drags in 2019 and 2020, and snagging a first-place finish in the Street Eliminator class at the 2021 edition of One Guys Garage Drag Weekend.
But the Mustang got its share of use as well, debuting at the 2020 Drag Weekend 500, where Cameron earned first place in the Street class. On the Mustang’s final appearance in its green hue, Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive in 2022, a combination of oil pressure and voltage problems took them out of competition on day one.
Fast forward to Sick Summer Presented by TBM Brakes, and the Alleys were ready to grab a seat in the Mustang and give the drag-and-drive another try after experiencing success in the Midwest Index Shootout series at their home track, Byron Dragway, in the 8.60 class.
Now wearing an almost “sick” version of orange shade, Cameron put the Mustang at the front of the Sick Street Race class on day one thanks to a solid 8.512 pass. Day two would prove a bust thanks to Mother Nature at Byron Dragway, but Cameron returned to form with back-to-back 8.53 time slips at Great Lake Dragaway and Tri-State Raceway.
Applying the pressure late in the game was Tim Flanders, who used back-to-back 8.50 passes, including a perfect 8.500 at Tri-State Raceway on day four, to take the lead from Cameron by a slim .002 of-a-second! That sent the pair of Mustangs back to Cordova Dragway and day five to find a Sick Street Race class winner.
“We came into day five fully prepared to battle it out with Tim,” said Cameron. The orange Mustang’s first offering was an 8.551, and Cameron knew he needed more. “I knew the 8.55 on the first pass wasn't going to be enough,” he said. “So, I got back into the staging lanes as quick as I could and turned it up a little hoping for that 8.500 pass.”
That second run would bring the Alleys weekend to a grinding halt. “At about 1000-foot mark, the rpms stopped climbing, and the engine started shaking,” said Cameron. “I knew my Sick Summer journey was over.”
The number seven cylinder connecting rod had let go, but luckily everything stayed inside the engine. “It did put a small hole near the top of the oil pan, but the small amount of oil that came out was caught by the engine diaper and I was able to get off of the track without issue,” Cameron exclaimed. “Tim was only a couple pairs behind me.
When he got to the turn off to gather up his chute, I let him know what happened and congratulated him on the win. He gave me a ride in his Sick Street Race car back to the pits. It sucked to finish like that, but we had a great week and proved that we have a competitive 8.50 drag-and-drive car.”
Despite the damage and setback, Cameron and Mike are already plotting the comeback. “We're currently getting parts together including a crank, rods, a piston, a couple valves, oil pump, and oil pan,” said Cameron. “Thankfully the block and heads were okay.”
Not only is the engine being tended to, but the Mustang’s trailer hitch as well. “We broke the receiver/parachute mount three different times during Sick Summer,” said Cameron. “Thanks to fellow racers, Sick Ward participants, and spectators we were able to get welded back together each time to get us back on the road. We'll be redesigning our trailer hitch/parachute mount situation. We're hoping to have it all back together before the end of the season for some test passes.”
“We would like to bring the truck and the Mustang to a drag-and-drive,” Cameron said of future plans. “We'd also like to make it out to a Rocky Mountain Race Week someday.” But the Alley family has a short-term goal already in place. “We definitely plan to be back at Sick Summer 2024 for that orange helmet.”
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sick the Magazine and Cameron Alley.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com