3/1/09: ATF is working overtime to overcome recent breakage.
The Automatic Transmission Factory is developing a larger diameter stator tube and a custom front pump to combat breakage. The horsepower and torque output of Jim Blair's Procharger blown, ATF backed, 10.5 Outlaw Mustang continues to skyrocket. ATF's innovative owner, Jason Gatlin, is turning up the transmission's power capacity. Blair's wild Mustang has broken multiple stator tubes and front pumps lately with the trouble beginning at the Atlanta race last year. ATF is solving the problem with custom parts, engineered and manufactured in house. Jason Gatlin has designed new parts that offer the solution to the stator tube and pump problems. Tougher materials and a better design will put The Silver Bullet back in the action. ATF thanks our families, friends and fellow racers for their support and encouragement.
The breaking point of these current front pumps and stator tubes is north of 2,200 horsepower. Jim Blair's ATF built Silver Bullet Outlaw 10.5 Mustang has broken six pumps and stator tubes in the 2008 and 2009 racing seasons. ATF's new front pump and stator tube will hold that power and more. (Click here for Part 2.)
The 2008 PRI Show was held December 11-13 in Orlando Florida at the Orange County Convention Center. PRI (Performance Racing Industry) showcases the biggest names in racing from manufactures and shops to race teams and drivers. The sprawling Orlando County Convention Convention Center is perfect for the vast number of exhibits and displays that are brought in from all over the country and around the world by the PRI vendors.
A few of our favorite exhibits at the show were: The Scorpion Performance display that featured their robotic manufacturing processes, ProCharger with their impressive supercharger line up and The Sonny Leonard display that featured their new 900+ cubic inch mountain motor. Truly a gear head's paradise, PRI was packed full of cool vehicles. From drag cars and open track road race cars to decked out show vehicles and even all out tractor pull rigs, PRI has something sweet for any high performance automotive taste. One ride that caught our eye was at the Nitrous Express booth... a 1995 Mustang Cobra drag radial race car powered by a DuraMax turbo diesel engine that inhales a healty dose of juice thanks to a Nitrous Express nitrous system. Got Parts? PRI does. Hundreds of the biggest names in the automotive performance aftermarket were there to give us a peek at what's on the automotive performace horizon. PRI is for the racing industry only and therefore is not open to the public so be sure to click on the thumbnail pictures below and check out our PRI 2008 photos.
Click on the thumbnails below to view ATF's PRI 2008 photos.
Jim Blair runs the first supercharged Mustang 6-second run in Outlaw 10.5 history.
This past weekend at the NMCA Atco race, Jim Blair drove the Scorpion Performance-sponsored 2001 Mustang GT into the history books. Blair broke into the 6s with a 6.98 at 202 mph during qualifying while he participated in the NMCA Super Street category. It was the first time a Mustang has run in the 6s with a supercharged engine combination.
Blair runs his 2001 Mustang GT with primary backing from Scorpion Performance and secondary sponsorship from Automatic Transmission Factory (ATF Racing). This past winter, the car went on a diet and the ATF crew (led by Jason Gatlin) added a carbon fiber front end, carbon fiber rear bumper, and a host of chassis modifications including a new front suspension setup. Blair then had Ronnie Crawford build a nasty 400ci engine with Blue Thunder heads and a gear-driven ProCharger F3R supercharger.
The car was hooking hard, despite the tricky track conditions and extreme heat. Blair blistered a 1.10 sixty-foot time on his first 6.98 run. He came back in round three of qualifying and backed up his 6.98 with a 6.99. Blair went to the finals where he lost traction and finished the race as the runner up. It was his second runner up finish in as many races. Blair won the 2007 Super Street title.
Spotlight: Jason Gatlin
ATF's Jason Gatlin as featured in the June 2008 issue of Fastest Street Car Magazine.
ATF's shop car is none other than Jim Blair's wicked Outlaw 10.5 Mustang.
This beast uses a Procharger F3R that produces 35 pounds of intercooled boost which is fed into a 400 cubic inch Ronnie Crawford built engine. The massive Blue Thunder heads and custom solid roller cam breathe in the boost to produce over 2,600 rear wheel horsepower! Jim's Mustang is a 2001 GT that is a two time 10.5 Outlaw Champion in both the 2001 and the 2007 racing seasons. The Mustang was built as "The Silver Bullet" by the Scranton Brothers Racing Team who sold the car to Jim Blair in 2004. The wild Mustang has been updated by the ATF Crew, headed by Jason Gatlin. ATF upgraded the transmission to a bullet proof ATF built 2 speed powerglide capable of taking the punishing torque generated by the blown small block Ford.
Click here to view The Silver Bullet's picture gallery. Watch the Silver Bullet in action... Click here for the ATF Video Gallery.
Best quarter mile time 6.88 @ 208 MPH. Best eight mile time... in the 4.40's.
