(Photos by Charles Wickam) We’re breaking from normal protocol here. Why? Normally when a car owner tells us that he’s going to be blowing the car apart to make changes that should speed up the program we sit on our hands until that work is done and then roll with the story. In the case of Leroy Brown we thought it was only right to give a last look at the car as it sat when it ran a best of 9.10 at well over 140mph in the quarter mile before suspension upgrades and some more horsepower shoved the brown lump right into the 8-second zone. Many of you know this car through the videos that have been scattered around the internet for years like the broken shards of self esteem that this car caused when it first started terrorizing drag strips in the capable hands of Matt Happel. You may know Happel’s name as he was the dude that started “Sloppy Mechanics” and this car was one of the first that really got lots of traction on the internet a few years back. Now owned by Louisiana resident Mike Breinin, the car has morphed and changed over the years but the basic premise is still the same: loads of cheap horsepower, in a body style that has the sex appeal of a champion female competitive eater, that moonlights as an arm wrestler.
Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes straight to the bone and that’s the brilliance of this whole thing. Cars like Leroy are a big freedom rocket to the established practices of modern hot rodding, where everything is professionally crafted, overbuilt to the 10th degree, and seemingly unattainable by the average kid on the street. We live in the greatest horsepower making era per dollar ever and Leroy Brown demonstrates that every time Breinin cruises it down the street, down the strip, or makes an attempt to give his poor father a freaking heart attack in the passenger seat. More on that later.
Every era has had it’s “unwanted car” hot rodding platform. The gasser era is known for Willys, Anglias, Kaiser Henry Js, and other tiny cars. Guys didn’t use those as their starter platforms because they were cool. Just the opposite. They used them because they were horrid little cars that everyone hated and they were worthless. An iconic Willys was a rolling joke way back when, with an engine that barely made 40hp and looks that were seen as goofy. We all know how that turned out, but the same can be said for Fairmonts and their brethren these days. The Chevy Malibu was (and continues to be) hot stuff for a while but then prices rose. Leroy was one of the first Fairmonts that got everyone talking and now they are practically building themselves in shops across America. If you didn’t know that these cars are Fox-platform pieces just like the Mustangs, you do now. All the same parts bolt right onto this car as would on a Fox era Mustang, making them a double whammy of bargain pricing and easily upgradable. Of the hundreds of these cars rolling around now, about 13 of them are Ford powered. The rest, like Leroy have gotten LS swaps into them of varying ferocity. Leroy’s is pretty damned ferocious and it is only going to get more pissed.
We really enjoyed talking with Mike recently and getting his story on the car and what we took away from the conversation is that the guy rightfully loves this thing. We would too. It is street driven all the time, is a reliable combo that he has broken virtually every part and piece on, but after doing so has been upgraded to be better and better each time. Often, we talk to car owners who are almost apologizing for some aspects of their car or worried about stuff. Nothing of the sort here and that’s what makes this whole program so good. Worrying about door dings isn’t on the radar. Figuring out how to make the thing hook harder and utilize more horsepower is.
WE’RE GOING TO TELL YOU THE REST OF THE STORY THROUGH PHOTOS AND VIDEOS BELOW – LEROY IS OUR FAVORITE SHADE OF UGLY
Nope, not in the running for a Ridler Award, but it is in the running to kick the pee out of whatever shows up next to it at the track or at the uhhhhh….unsanctioned track that ends with the abbreviation ST.
Original displacement? We dunno. Current stroker displacement? We dunno that either. We do know that it has a K1 crank, Callies Compstar Rods, and Diamond Pistons. The cam is a turbo grind from LJMS (Lil’ John’s Motorsports Solutions). The heads are Trick Flow TFS220s and they were touched up by Brian Tooley Racing. The intake manifold is from Typhoon.
The turbo, that is tucked in like a guy trying to sneak across the border in a pumpkin truck, is a Borg Warner S480. With the current setup, Mike was seeing about 15-15.5 psi in the boost department. The turbo will soon be upgraded to a Garrett GT55. The intercooler is a Garrett 5-inch core unit. Feeding the whole thing are 127 pound injectors from the Fuel Injection Connection. Mike runs a Microsquirt PCM to control it all and our pal Scott Clark has laid hands on this thing to make sure the tune is good and the engine remains a happy camper.
Sure, with the hoses and wires and stuff, the engine looks as though it is being monitored after a stroke, but last time we checked, looms, zip ties, and shrink wrap didn’t make stuff faster. Mike drives this car all the time on the street and doesn’t spare the rod. This car is not aimed at the car show set.
The 10″ wide Hoosiers look good on the back of the car and they are the widest Mike can get on it without rubbing. He reported that to get those babies to fit some unspeakable things may have been done to the rear wheel wells. Back seat passengers beyond the weight of Kate Moss are verboten.
The overall tidyness of the exterior of the car is pretty awesome. The thing even has the chrome vent shade things over all the windows. You can’t call something that has been seen a million times on the internet a sleeper anymore, but you get where we are going.
Sloppy Mechanics.com is still up and going strong, they have a super active FB page, and the whole scene is really full of fun and knowledgeable people. If you like wickedly fast stuff on a budget, this is your place. Hey, the wick on all of it may not be that long, but it sure is neat to see.
So yeah, this is the current extent of the roll cage. Mike plans on upgrading the thing because he’d like the car to be legal to run at some different tracks outside of where he is running now. The outlaw tracks and scene where he normally runs doesn’t really have a tech department to speak of. Going down in the 8s, some more protection would be a good idea.
The stock wheel and simulated woodgrain are two nice touches with respect to the interior. Classy, stylish, and fast? TRIPLE THREAT.
That floor shifter is hooked to a 4L80E that Mike said is the only piece of the car that has not suffered a violent death since he’s owned it. The transmission was pulled from a bus by Matt Happel and stuck in a turbo LS truck and then into this car. It has a US Shift Opti-Shift controller, a Trans-Go shift kit, and a Circle D converter reworked by Lenny at Ultimate Converter Concepts.
Thos 10″ wide Hoosiers are a tight fit but they are in there. Mike says that he’s out of room for adding more tire to the car, that is why he went with a raft of suspension upgrades to get the existing meat to work better.
Skinnies up front don’t help in the slalom but last we checked, we’ve never seen a low 9-second drag car do much else very good than go straight anyway. Mike went with Mickey Thompson front runners which we approve of because the tiny, cheap Chinese shit tires that some guys use are just that and at nearly 150mph, good rubber is important to prevent firey death. There’s a custom Baer brake setup hiding behind those Weld wheels. The brake setup also came from LJMS, the same place the camshaft came from.
All that suspension stuff we have been talking about? The car is now underpinned with an 8.8 rear with 33 spline Moser axles and spool; Strange 10 ways all around with coil over conversion, UPR lower control arms, UPR anti-roll bar, and a Baseline Pro Launch upper setup.
This face took a designer at Ford like 11 minutes to draw. “Yeah, OK…you want a rectangle filled wit other squares and rectangles? Yeah boss, no problem. You buying the beers at lunch?”
Those are structural ratchet straps. Don’t worry.
To us, Leroy Brown represents the basic notion of hot rodding which is to say that you take a cast off thing no one wants and you invest your time and brains into making that thing your own and in the process you make it better.
This bench-seated malaise mobile will soon be grabbing time slips in the 8-second zone which is incredible to think about. It was not that long ago that pro stock cars were running 8s and the notion that something with a license plate could go that quick would have gotten you thrown in the drunk tank. We’re living it and Leroy Brown, along with his current steward Mike Breinin are living proof that this is the golden age of horsepower and hot rodding.
OH! If you have made it this far than you get to hear the reason why this car is called “Leroy Brown”. Mike’s dad, a lifelong car guy used to take Mike out as a kid and scare the crap out of him on the street in muscle and sports cars. Well, in the video below you will see Mike returning the favor to his pop IN SPADES. His dad told him that it was the fastest accelerating thing he had ever been in and that when offered a second ride he refused by saying, “I have not lived for 70 years to die in that effing car.” Greatness, right? After the ride, Mike’s dad suggested the Leroy Brown name because after all, he was “the baddest man in the whole damned town.”
CLICK THE PHOTO BELOW TO WATCH THE VIDEO OF THIS AWESOME HELL RIDE –
I want to like it, but can’t. I’m just not the kind of person to be okay with that kind of attitude toward building. Why risk your life on a crusty old brake system and risk your hard work on an electrical fire waiting to happen? I hope the owner has fun with it but I wouldn’t ride in it either.
BangShift, though I complain about the cars, I enjoy every story you guys post including this one. Shows every side of hot rodding, from the clean to the dirty to the weird. Love the site.
It has custom Baer front brakes and rear discs. None of the electrical system is at risk of spontaneously combusting, LOL. It is not about looking good, or even giving away what it has. It is about function.
It has Baer brakes up front…
I love this car, ever since a friend of mine showed me some of the Youtube videos of him getting kicked off the track with it. Hot Rodding was not something I cared for at all until this car showed me the true nature of the sport: it’s the ultimate turd polish.
Those 4 lug wheels make me mighty nervous. I suppose that is some stock 7.5 inch ring gear rear end too….. Neat idea, but the brakes, wiring and wheel studs look like big trouble.
see below comment
If you actually read the story you’ll learn lots of stuff –
The car is now underpinned with an 8.8 rear with 33 spline Moser axles and spool; Strange 10 ways all around with coil over conversion, UPR lower control arms, UPR anti-roll bar, and a Baseline Pro Launch upper setup.
The brakes have also been upgraded.
You can see the discs in the back. The four lugs are a trip though! They would incline me to dismiss it at a stop light except the meats give it away… that and the bigass intercooler!
Another rolling abomination! Cars like this should automatically destroy themselves when the builder even thinks of the dreaded LS – this shows a total lack of imagination!
What’s wrong with going against the flow and investigating some of uncle Henry’s fine engines. What about a shotgun, a stoked twin turbo FE – I’d even put an ecoboost in this thing rather than sully it with a Chevy!
No matter – owners of Chevy into Ford transplants don’t live very long as their cars eat them alive as they cry tears of rage, frustration and harbour deep feelings of painful betrayal!
Don’t get me wrong – I love this car and its ultimate sleeper image. But dump the LS and get real!
Ford doesnt make an engine that can make this kind of power without spending a LOT more money.
Also, the wiring on this car is ugly – but it’s safe. There’s a lot fewer fire hazards when you get rid of open-spark distributors.
Can’t speak for the rest, but kudos to Mike for building something cool, original, and not being worried about haters
You might spend a little less on a less but it’ll cost ya more in the long run trying to keep it together..
at the end of the day it comes down to $ per horse power. Good luck finding anything that can complete with an LS on that front. I love AMC, Cummins, and Pontiacs in that order, but remaining loyal to an engine or manufacture takes some deep pockets if you want to compete.
This had my attention until I saw the darned LS plant under the hood. YAWN. Is anyone getting bored with the “LS swap everything” stuff? I want some originality!
Sometimes the best tool for hammering nails is a hammer.
Yep – you don’t do an LS swap because it’s original. You do an LS swap if you want cheap, effective, and reasonably well documented so you’re not reinventing the wheel. That’s why I put an LS in my C10 pickup – I wanted a modern EFI engine that could be swapped in there without too much downtime. If I’d wanted originality, I’d have done something like a BMW V12 – which would have been pretty cool, but I didn’t have the time and didn’t want to do a ton of fabrication.
Yes!
I see your point, but they make more than one kind of hammer you know 😉
Yeah, but you don’t use a claw hammer for body work.
So if he built a 302/5.0 for it would that be original? Of maybe he could drop in a air-cooled vw and be real original and real slow. Function comes first, and if that function is going fast, it looks like he nailed it.
I would use a Claw hammer to do body work. And a rock , or a log …or wait , what ? Body work ? Who cares what it looks like?
Love it! I Would love to turn my plymouth into a sleeper rocketship like this. Maybe someday!
Wasn’t this one of the first LS swaps? Basically the patient zero of common JY LS’s into Fox bodies? Sure there might of been a couple before, but not straight from the yard to the car. Which of course then Mike has upgraded since that time.
Likewise on the 4-lugs, wasn’t the original idea to keep stock rims on the car? At least until the need for a lot more tire happened.
I still have a full set of 10 holes and I run them on the street. 10 holes for life!
I like it chevy power is ok but ls sucks what about a real small block chevy.
Yes, and maybe a carb too? At that point, I would apply for antique plates…since it would be powered by one. LOL.
I guess any redneck slapdash junk is a feature car these days as long as it looks good from ten feet away with the hood closed
A Garrett S480? lol. Go home bangshift, you’re drunk.
Egads. Just fixed that!
Nothing like taking a POS and making it worse.
Just think its runs in the 9’s and you 440 6pac is a boat anchor
It runs 9s in the 1/8 mile. That makes it a ship anchor. My 440 demon runs 9s in the 1/4.
The butthurt is strong with this one.
It runs 5’s in the 1/8 mile. I could drive to your hometown, cruising at 2300 RPM locked up on the interstate at 80 mph while getting 20 mpg, drag the paint off of your Demon while sipping a tasty beverage, and then drive home.
I would literally pay money to watch this grudge match. Please bangshift make THIS happen!
OMG!!!!!!!!! the best reply back ive ever seen on these websites,take it easy MIKE,dont make his “butt hurt” too bad….at least put a little posi-trac additive for the butt!!!
I’m sensing alot of butt hurt here
Loads of but hurt. First everyone hates the Riddler winning buick, now this and how its got an LS so it sucks.
The entire concept of this car is lost on some people I think.
Google the Cream dream and check out sloppy mechanics if you get it.
Thank you BangShift for articles like this. Keep it up!
This thing is badass.Half you clowns can’t build 12 second car if you start out with one.The whole point of Bad Bad Leroy Brown is to sucker you into believing it couldn’t possibly be that fast.
IDLE KING it sounds like your giving too much credit out there…i thinkin they couldnt keep a 12 second car in the 12″s they would probably slow it down to the 15″s the more they “tuned” it.I’ve seen it with that style of person that owned a high 10 second grand national n by the end of the nite he had ‘tuned” it to the 13’s honestly speakin!!!!
I think this car is a fake . I bought a 2014 GT500 and it runs low 12’s .. no way that junker could beat American real American muscle … is this a holloween joke ..come on..
LOL, it is very much real. Take a look right here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLS1toLF34WYmtV_MQ9v0MAYeh5oFZEwjy
guess you should save up for a turbo LS swap. (Just messing with you, BTW)
My rusty, dented up , quarter panel bashed grand national that i drove everyday here in kansas city with over 8 inch snows at times would run a lot of 11.90’s on regular street tires,So Magic Fingers,its TAMPONS like u i love to make look like puuuuussssies but then again u bought a car that can run 12’s off the show room floor! Do you understand more of the parts of your car is imported than all the parts in the Fairmont,and if you want to impress any one make your p.o.s. run in the 9’s then…..oh and im sure there is less money in that Fairmont than in your car n 1 last point… a “purdy’ car nowdays will get u there last most of the time….long live the old crusty ugly sleepers!!!!!!!
Do I like 4-door cars? Nope. Do I like LS engines? Nope. Do I like Fords? Nope. Do I like GM powerplants? Nope. Do I like cars built to run crazy fast without adding safety features? Nope.
I do, however, enjoy every bit of this car. This is exactly how you put something together that runs like a scalded dog but looks like a steaming pile without breaking the bank. It’ll piss off the neighbors, the school board, the tech inspectors and automotive purists while putting a big ol’ fat smile on the face of the driver. Nice work!
old gold fairmont #2 still hitting people in the feels.
great article, people get upset but, there is no pure’er form of hot rodding to me, obviously.
Somebody give this guy 5 bucks so he can strap the fuel cell down!! JC. I actually like the car but between that bar and the cell it makes me wonder how the rest is put together.
love this car!
It’s a beautiful thing! Even uglier than my LTD LX w ’79 pace car front clip! That car ran 16.00 and that was fun. Cannot imagine the fun with this–my kind of “hybrid.”
I love it and will drive hundreds of miles to see a grudge match between Mike’s Fairmont, Magic Fingers’ GT500, and 440 6PAC’s Duster. Heck the Colorodo Kid could drop the flag and Guitar Slinger could narrate = best Roadkill episode ever!
I second that motion. Someone call Freiberger…
Gotta love the old man’s face full of happiness. 🙂
Everyone complains about how boring and over done LS swaps are. I get it don’t get me wrong they are everywhere, they are not pretty, and people really don’t like them in (insert brand here) cars. The thing is I don’t see anyone complaining about “just another dragster with a HEMI, do something original!”
As far as Leroy Brown goes it’s not my style, but I love what’s been done here. While I prefer to have everything neat, tidy, and clean I respect the bare essentials this car was built with.
Early 80 Fairmont run to Logan in early 80’s….
A stock model straight six Fairmont had an 85 mph speedo…
Woke up late on a Sunday morning and made a speed run to
the International terminal from Gloucester in 18 Mins ……
If you know the north shore I could tell how fast we were going twice
128 to rt 1 exit and then rt 1 to rt 16 exit for the airport .
The rest was full tilt – went down the Orient Heights hill @100+
with a yellow then red light . pure luck we made it
i think you guys are missing the point here, its all about the BOOST! this guy became my hero when he pushed 22 lbs of it into that stock 5.3 and squashed the ring lands in, once you play with the pressure you can never go back….
This car is knocking on the door to the 8s in the 1/4 mile, is in the 5s in the 1/8. This is hot rodding. Take stuff you have, made, traded for, or got from the junk yard or on the cheap and build a fast car. Then let it evolve from there. Once this car started knocking on the door to the 8s the car got brakes, suspension work, and other things. Its not for everyone, but then again I don’t really think Mike is asking for anyones approval either. Enjoy the article, leave a positive comment, or MOVE ON.
Don, I know you get it. I don’t mind the haters…it makes owning, building and racing the car even more rewarding. LOL.
This gives hot rodders a bad name. The car is more like redneck engineering from the looks of it. Slap together a bunch of junk and claim it’s as fast as your d*** is long.
Take a harder look at the parts. It seems the car is quite good as being deceptive, it worked on you.
For clarification redneck engineering involves “booger” welds, leaky SBCs from old trucks (Usually a 305, they think is a 350) a carb that is too large, leaky headers, and at least one mismatched tire. Turbo and LS are your first clues that this isn’t slapped together. The time slip is the clincher. Took me big bucks and lots of engineering to get my 77 firebird into the high 10s back in my civilian days. Mike has put in the time, planing, effort and money into this one. Don’t be fooled by all the big-buck check built cars, those aren’t the truest hotrods, they’re just the ones the magazines take pictures of.
Somebody is mad because their gt500 with a $600/month payment could be sitting right next to leroy brown, nobody over the age of twelve would even notice it LMAO
I had followed this build on You-Tube up until Matt sold it. This car surprised many a “Fast Car” at the drag-strip. People want to hate on this car because they don’t understand it. It is all about making as much horsepower as possible and being as fast as possible without spending anymore than necessary. I have watched all the runs posted when Matt owned it and it went straight, was stable, and fast. People look down on the LS for the same reason people hated the 1st gen Hemi and SBC when it came out. All because people went to it over the flatheads and were faster. Like it or not, it’s progress and should be applauded not booed. True car guys appreciate anything fast, no matter the brand, engine, bodystyle, whatever. The people talking junk about this car are the same ones that go to car shows and tell people everything they think is wrong with a car they don’t own, didn’t build, couldn’t build. If you really love hotrodding then see this car for what it is, not what you think it should be.
You get it. Thanks.
No problem Mike. Some people are just as hard headed as a billy goat. They never get it and never will. They are just threatened by those of us who do.