Hastings, Neb. -- "The High Performance Course in Automotive was started in 2006 to give students hands-on opportunity with the high performance world," said Barry Lewis, automotive instructor at Central Community College."
Students enroll in a 10-month program which educates them on Performance engine assembly, cylinder head porting, and fuel and ignition systems. Students also work on chassis assembly, performance brakes and suspension, and finish the course with transmissions and drivetrains, he said.
The first project was a 1967 Shelby Cobra purchased at a discount from Shell Valley Co. of Platte Center, Neb. The kit car came with a bare chassis, which included brake and suspension components and an unfinished body with a supplied interior kit, Lewis said.
The Automotive Program was up to the challenge with students assembling a 347–cubic-inch Ford stroker engine. Students performed block modifications before assembling the SCAT 9000 rotating assembly. Students then installed a hydraulic roller cam from Edelbrock, topping the engine off with a matching set of Edelbrock aluminum cylinder heads. For the induction system, students chose a Barry Grant Demon carburetor and finished the ignition system with components from MSD.
"After assembly of the engine," Lewis said, "students prepared a Tremec TKO 5-speed manual transmission and assembled a Ford 9 inch rear differential using Richmond gears and an Auburn gear limited slip carrier."
Louis said initial work on the car began with mocking up the entire car and plumbing brake and fuel lines while finishing up suspension items. He said once the car was mocked up, the projects were disassembled and the frame was sent off to be powdercoated.
During that time, auto body students where busy fitting the body and smoothing it out to apply a striking Red finish with appropriate Shelby stripes.
Automotive students then got busy reassembling the frame, steering, suspension, brakes and installing the engine and transmission, Lewis said. The finished body was then mated to the frame allowing the students to finish the wiring and leaving it to the auto body students to install the interior.
"The finished car has been to Shell Valley's open house and numerous car show events during the summer, drawing attention to the car and transportation programs of Central Community College of Hastings," Lewis said. "With the next project soon to be started, you can feel the excitement of staff and students."
He said the College looks to build on its great relationship with local businesses and its prime location of being a neighbor to a newly prepared race facility of MPH.com and for continued success with future projects.
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