We’re proud to announce that BangShift will be teaming up with the talented guys at Hot Rod Chassis and Cycle in Addison, Illinois to bring your the full blow by blow account of the build of Project Violent Valiant. If you remember, Hot Rod Chassis and Cycle were the guys who built the awesome Raybestos GTO-R giveaway car a few years back and they have been building killer hot rods like the Kosmic Outcast and others as well. These guys are incredibly talented and when got to chatting about this car we knew that we wanted to be the guys who brought you all of the construction photos, inside info, funny stories, and killer parts that will make this car one of the hardest running and most unique pro touring cars in the country. What’ll make it so unique? First off it is a freaking 1964 Valiant. Secondly, it will be powered by a biggish inch Chrysler wedge engine, thirdly, the boys will take what they learned in building the GTO-R and improve upon it with this car.

So how did these hot rod heroes come across the idea of going with a pro touring car? We posed that question to Kevin Tully of HRCC and he said, “Chad Hill (Kevin’s business partner at HRCC) and I were walking around the Goodguys Columbus show and when we were watching the autocross we saw how there were so many classic GM cars, a few Fords, and not much else in the field.” He continued, ” Both of us immediately agreed that we wanted to do a pro touring style car and that we had learned a ton doing the Raybestos GTO, so this would be a good thing for us to pursue. I had a 1964 Valiant that was going to be project car that was eventually going to belong to my girlfriend. Both of us thought that the Valiant would be perfect because it is a small, light car and these A-body Mopars are almost built from the factory to be race cars. There’s not going to be much factory stuff left when we are done, but it is a great starting platform.

One of of the things that will be truly unique about this car is that while some great components from recognized manufacturers will be used in the build, this car will use a completely in-house fabricated suspension that HRCC has designed. Like the GTO-R this machine will be a purpose built car with all the flavor of a vintage Trans-Am racer packing the modern technology that’ll make it corner and stop hard enough to make the asphalt beneath its tires scream for mercy. Simply bolting a car together is not the HRCC way and they’re sure not going to start down that road now. Tully said, “Purpose built” Is what we’re striving for to make us different from a typical pro touring build where a builder or shop bolts everything on. We want to attract the purpose built crowd with this car, people who understand the creativity and engineering involved in building something unique that works really well. People who want to be different.” Yeah, we’re raising our hands as members of that group, too!

So what’s the plan? Power will come from a Chrysler wedge style engine with displacement in the “big block” range sporting Hilborn fuel injection. The transmission will be a Tremec stick box, Ridetech suspension will underpin the car, Aeromotive will make sure the fuel moves slowly and without leaks, Nitto tires will anchor the car to the pavement, and the following build partners will all be part of the program, either inside the car or outside of it!

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• Milodon
• Classic Tube 
• Hilborn Fuel Injection                                
• American Racing Wheels                                                                                                    
• McLeod Cluches
• Raybestos                          
• COMP Cams                                                                          
• Holley Performance                                  
• Quick Time
• Tremec                              
• Powermaster Starters and Alternators                      
• C&R                                                                  
• Legendary Auto Interiors
• Miller welders                  
• Indy Performance                                                                
• Flowmaster
• Ridetech                              
• II Much Fabrication                                                            
• Stewart-Warner
• Optima                                
• Moser                                                                                        
• Flaming River
• K1                                      
• Steele Rubber Products                                                                                           
• The Paint Spot
• Nitto Tires                                    
• Painless                                                                                      
• Opel Engineering
• Wiseco                              
• Tech AFX                                                                                  
• Dynotech Driveshafts
• Hurst

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So the plan is that we’re going to bring you near weekly updates of the build. The Violent Valiant construction has already started. We’ll be back next week to show you the starting point, where we are headed next, and maybe some cool tech tech stories as well. Each of the build partners will be showing their wares on BS as well. This car is going to be awesome when it is completed and we can’t wait to show you how is will get there!