Reece Pettersen
Well-known member
- May 6, 2021
- 261
- 299
Figured it would be fun to have a look back at my latest alumicraft rebuild. What started as a new transmission turned into a full frame down re-vamp while I waited for an Albins. The initial goal was to build a 6200 car to go compete with Connon McMullen at local races. Fast forward to today and 6200 is dead, I have a son, and we have yet to race the car. That doesn’t mean I don’t still enjoy it in the desert and dunes. So, here we go…
November 14, 2019
My dad and I were in Plaster City with SDG testing and tuning my 1600 car. At the same time, Andy McMillin, Bryce Menzies, Vic Brukman, and Jim Anderson were out testing for the 1000. Jim Anderson was taking delivery of a new ‘class 1 lite’ from Alumicraft on that day and they planned to race the 1000. I fell in love with the car; it was light enough to do everything and had some of the best finish work I had ever seen. It was fitted with a GM 6 cylinder and Albins sequential. After drooling over the car, I told my dad that one day I would own that car one day. Long story short… that is the car in this build thread.
September 2021
I received a call from John Cooley that the ‘class 1 lite’ was in his shop and potentially for sale. My dad and I immediately drove to the shop to see it… Unfortunately, it looked beat to shit and not maintained to our standards. It was a bummer, but I was able to see though it and knew the bones were still great. Also, the prior owners already put an LS3 in it and added a torque convertor (huge win for me).
The current owner was considering selling as he was building a new class 1 and needed the trans out of this car. After negotiations, we settled on a price with one caveat… the seller got to do one CODE race with the car before handing it over without a trans.
November 2021
The CODE race was here, and I planned to track the seller wishing him the best of luck. Unfortunately, he ran out of talent and hit a tree ripping the right rear tailing arm off the car. He called me after the race with much humility and promised to pay for the repairs at Alumicraft- he is a standup gentleman.
After discussing with Ron Weddle and Matt Major I had a decision to make 1) order and Albins and wait an undetermined amount of time for it, 2) convert to an S5D and be a test candidate for their new torque convertor package, or 3) install an S5D and put a clutch back in the car... essentially rendering it a play car only. I did not want to devalue the car and had intentions of racing, so I decided to go Albins and keep the TQ. I placed my order for a new 6 speed Abins and billet bolt together torque convertor on November 17, 2021.
We took delivery of the car and put it on the garage waiting for room at Alumicraft to start the repairs. What started with cleaning the car and sending parts out for inspection ultimately ended in me tearing it down to the frame and replacing almost everything, included but not limited to:
May 27, 2022
I dropped the car off at Donny at ECP for sand blasting. From here it would go straight to Alumicraft. With the frame stripped down and at Alumicraft I made the decision for them to cut the back of the car off and update it with a removable rear cage and sway bar.
On July 22, 2022
I picked up the chassis from Donny at ECP after powdercoating it black. I got the car home and I started to meticulously assemble car as we waited for a trans.
May 2, 2023
My son, Rowen Pettersen, was born!
May 5, 2023
Albins delivered! 1 year, 5 months, 8 days from my order
June 13, 2023
With a newborn baby at home, I decided to send the car to Josh at The Off Road Jeweler to finish the car. He did an amazing job and finished up the car quick!
August 30, 2023
Car is running and ready to its maiden voyage to the desert. The car ran amazing and was ready for to prerun my section of the Baja 1000.
The prerun of the baja 1000 went flawless… I didn’t have to turn one wrench the entire 400 miles.
Fast forward to today and the car is painted, has a new Danzio 427 engine, and it such a blast to drive.
In my opinion, this is the ultimate dual sport. You can take it to the dunes, desert, or show up to local races looking to complete for an overall win.
Over the duration of this build, I bought and sold x3 Alumicrafts, a racer class 1 car, got my wife pregnant, went to Portugal, prepped and raced a 1600 car, went to baja and put in some miles, killed tuna with @acefuture , helped three friends buy Alumicrafts, blew up my dads LS3, blew up a Subaru 2.5 and built a new one with @John@Outfront , bought a KTM 450sx, and much more!
Please come say hi if you see me in the dunes or desert. Hope you enjoyed this thread!
November 14, 2019
My dad and I were in Plaster City with SDG testing and tuning my 1600 car. At the same time, Andy McMillin, Bryce Menzies, Vic Brukman, and Jim Anderson were out testing for the 1000. Jim Anderson was taking delivery of a new ‘class 1 lite’ from Alumicraft on that day and they planned to race the 1000. I fell in love with the car; it was light enough to do everything and had some of the best finish work I had ever seen. It was fitted with a GM 6 cylinder and Albins sequential. After drooling over the car, I told my dad that one day I would own that car one day. Long story short… that is the car in this build thread.
September 2021
I received a call from John Cooley that the ‘class 1 lite’ was in his shop and potentially for sale. My dad and I immediately drove to the shop to see it… Unfortunately, it looked beat to shit and not maintained to our standards. It was a bummer, but I was able to see though it and knew the bones were still great. Also, the prior owners already put an LS3 in it and added a torque convertor (huge win for me).
The current owner was considering selling as he was building a new class 1 and needed the trans out of this car. After negotiations, we settled on a price with one caveat… the seller got to do one CODE race with the car before handing it over without a trans.
November 2021
The CODE race was here, and I planned to track the seller wishing him the best of luck. Unfortunately, he ran out of talent and hit a tree ripping the right rear tailing arm off the car. He called me after the race with much humility and promised to pay for the repairs at Alumicraft- he is a standup gentleman.
After discussing with Ron Weddle and Matt Major I had a decision to make 1) order and Albins and wait an undetermined amount of time for it, 2) convert to an S5D and be a test candidate for their new torque convertor package, or 3) install an S5D and put a clutch back in the car... essentially rendering it a play car only. I did not want to devalue the car and had intentions of racing, so I decided to go Albins and keep the TQ. I placed my order for a new 6 speed Abins and billet bolt together torque convertor on November 17, 2021.
We took delivery of the car and put it on the garage waiting for room at Alumicraft to start the repairs. What started with cleaning the car and sending parts out for inspection ultimately ended in me tearing it down to the frame and replacing almost everything, included but not limited to:
- New style ProAm hubs (front and rear)
- Front: Convert 2.0” snout to 2.5” billet
- Front: 6 piston with 13” vented rotors
- Rear: Outboards with billet steel snout and 14” vented 6 piston brakes
- Proam CVs and Axels
- HOWE rebuilt the rack
- New limit straps
- New tie rods
- SDG went through the shocks
- Aurora heims and uniballs throughout
- RPI hardware throughout
- No-lift shift potentiometer
- Replumbed with Lance and Performance Vehicle Plumbing
May 27, 2022
I dropped the car off at Donny at ECP for sand blasting. From here it would go straight to Alumicraft. With the frame stripped down and at Alumicraft I made the decision for them to cut the back of the car off and update it with a removable rear cage and sway bar.
On July 22, 2022
I picked up the chassis from Donny at ECP after powdercoating it black. I got the car home and I started to meticulously assemble car as we waited for a trans.
May 2, 2023
My son, Rowen Pettersen, was born!
May 5, 2023
Albins delivered! 1 year, 5 months, 8 days from my order
June 13, 2023
With a newborn baby at home, I decided to send the car to Josh at The Off Road Jeweler to finish the car. He did an amazing job and finished up the car quick!
August 30, 2023
Car is running and ready to its maiden voyage to the desert. The car ran amazing and was ready for to prerun my section of the Baja 1000.
The prerun of the baja 1000 went flawless… I didn’t have to turn one wrench the entire 400 miles.
Fast forward to today and the car is painted, has a new Danzio 427 engine, and it such a blast to drive.
In my opinion, this is the ultimate dual sport. You can take it to the dunes, desert, or show up to local races looking to complete for an overall win.
Over the duration of this build, I bought and sold x3 Alumicrafts, a racer class 1 car, got my wife pregnant, went to Portugal, prepped and raced a 1600 car, went to baja and put in some miles, killed tuna with @acefuture , helped three friends buy Alumicrafts, blew up my dads LS3, blew up a Subaru 2.5 and built a new one with @John@Outfront , bought a KTM 450sx, and much more!
Please come say hi if you see me in the dunes or desert. Hope you enjoyed this thread!
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