Young minds are truly remarkable and a17-year old Pennsylvania-based high school student proved this after pocketing the top award in restoring an old and beaten Plymouth Barracuda.

The Eagle Scout Matt Gaisbacher successfully brought a 1973 Plymouth Barracuda or simply ‘Cuda to life with top-caliber performance parts in the 2007 Top Eliminator sponsored by Mopar Performance Parts in Center Line Michigan. This year-long activity will be able to hail the most avid and skilled Mopar enthusiasts by restoring or modifying vintage cars. First placer Gaisbacher and seven other winners will be attending the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas at the penultimate day of October until the second of November.

“Matt’s (Gaisbacher) restoration work on the 1973 ‘Cuda was outstanding and represents the passion we are looking for in a Top Eliminator award winner,” said David Hakim, Portfolio Manager of Mopar Performance Parts-The New Chrysler. “I also think it was terrific that he restored a vehicle that was popular 17 years before he was born.”

Two years ago, the yellow turned black Barracuda was bought by Gaisbacher because of its sleek and smooth styling. With the family business Russel’s Body and Frame Service, restoring this great find was no shocker for Gaisbacher. Growing up with this kind of background turned out to be a real help for this eventual winner. This young lad was able to complete the whole 1973 Plymouth Barracuda restoration in two years.

The Barracuda no longer had its original transmission, thus Gaisbacher decided to gear this mean machine with a 451 low-deck stroker motor with a four-speed overdrive transmission. Moreover, the restorer equipped the Barracuda with more quality-made performance parts, for a better overall edge such as the Eagle H beam rods, Ross pistons, Edelbrock Performer RPM head with a dual plane intake, and Edelbrock Performer carburetor, amongst others.

This young winner from the California Area High School plans to attend college and aspires to open a vehicle-restoration business after his formal education.

Recently, another website discussed the replacement of the intake manifold, this time it is a Ford Mustang.

Edelbrock performance parts have been around for 65 years now. Extensive research is the foundation for each one of its parts, which ensures that they work properly and perform well.

The 5-liter Mustang benefits from a vast aftermarket and there are quite a few choices when it comes to buying an intake manifold. Improving it with an Edelbrock Performer EFI manifold can boost its horsepower and torque. To ensure the efficiency of the new manifold, a new 70mm throttle body and spacer would be needed to replace the stock 58mm unit.

To begin, drain the coolant and remove the elbow from the throttle body. Once the manifold’s peripherals have been removed, take out the bolts and pry the intake loose. It is then time to carefully set the new intake straight down onto the heads making sure the bolt holes will line up. Reconnect the injectors and any other sensors or cables that hide underneath the upper plenum. Place the provided gasket atop the lower plenum and then install the upper plenum.

After the modifications, it showed that the Edelbrock manifold offers a larger volume of air than the stock piece, and it turned out that the air/fuel went leaner from 11.5:1 to 12.5:1. The first dyno pull netted 393 hp, nearly a 50hp gain over the stock manifold. Also, after making changes to the Mustang’s custom computer chip, the air/fuel was back at 11.5:1 and we saw 383.5 hp and 407.8 lb-ft of torque at the wheels; a gain of 37.8 hp and 16.9 lb-ft of torque.

A trustworthy performance leader for almost seven decades now, Edelbrock makes another tool that would make it easier to put in more power in cars with their Performer Crate Engine. Engineers at Edelbrock used their dyno-proven Total Power Package formula to construct the all-new Performer roller-cammed crate engine.

Their newest offer to their customers is a 350ci small block Chevy sporting a stout 363 horsepower and 405ft/lbs of torque that would be ideal for any driver, performance-oriented truck, or basically anyone who wants an amazing torque curve and dependable performance. Like the Edelbrock crate engines they’ve already made, these are available with an array of options that will satisfy any driver’s desire.

Edelbrock started with a new lower-cost Goodwrench 350ci 4-bolt GM short-block, and then they added their own quality parts such as intake and E-Tec 170 cylinder heads, ARP bolts, Edelbock Red Roller Rockers and a top quality MSD Pro Billet Distributor with Blaster 2 Coil. The heart of the engine is Edelbrock’s new Rollin’ Thunder hydraulic cam and lifters.

Instead of working with an old engine, a single part number buys a brand new and fully assembled engine that’s ready to run and it delivers the standard Edelbrock Performance Parts‘ performance. This crate engine is under Edelbrock’s 2-year/unlimited mileage/$0 deductible warranty.

The attributes and benefits of the Edelbrock Performer Crate Engine include 9.0:1 compression, 363hp and 405 ft/lbs.; maximum horsepower and torque; available in the “Polished Package” or “EnduraShine” finish; Edelbrock Performer EPS Vortec or RPM Air-Gap Dual-Quad Vortec intake manifold; Edelbrock E-Tec 170 heads with guide plates and swirl-polished stainless steel valves; elite series valve covers with custom badge; an order with or wothout an Edelbrock water pump(in a choice of two styles); Dyno-matched Edelbrock Rollin’ Thunder hydraulic roller lifters and Performer hydraulic roller camshaft; heavy duty 8-inch harmonic balancer; includes their top quality Thunder Series AVS 650 cfm Carburetor with adjustable secondaries; and their 2-year unlimited mileage warranty.

Edelbrock has launched on April their new 170gph Victor Series billet fuel pumps which were made of high quality 6061-T6 aluminum. These were fully CNC machined for accurate tolerances and dependable performance. Its tougher mount adds to the pump’s strength and provides demanding racers and street enthusiasts alike a piece of mind. Each of these Victor fuel pumps is clear coated for a long lasting appearance and its attributes also include high quality stainless steel ARP fasteners to add to Edelbrock’s precise quality.

These mechanical Victor Series billet fuel pumps from Edelbrock are perfect for high performance racing applications. This 5/8”-18 inlet and outlet comes with an -8AN fitting installed to give an increased flow over street fuel pumps. These could also be rotated to add flexibility with different fuel line inlet/outlet configurations. All of these mechanical fuel pumps pack contain a copper crush washer to have a leak-proof connection. These Victor Series aluminum fuel pumps can produce 8.5-9 psi and they require a pressure regulator, like those of Edelbrock’s Fuel Pressure Regulator provided by Edelbrock Performance Parts. Each of these fuel pumps is coated with the Edelbrock logo laser engraved on the pump body. If these are to be used with gasoline or alcohol, they are offered for the most popular applications.

Also, mechanical fuel pumps in 110 and 130 gallon per hour for smaller horsepower applications are being offered by Edelbrock. If drivers dare to combine these awesome fuel pumps with Edelbrock’s full line of fuel system parts and high quality Russell hoses and fittings, they will sure be ready and get some great action.