Adam Dorey’s Drag and Drive history

“RMRW 2015 was tiny and was hard core.”

“Favorite part of drag and drive are the hero repair stories, and the homies made along the way and through the years worldwide. Favorite year was Hot Rod Drag Week 2014 and RMRW 2015. 2014 popped my cherry. RMRW 2015 was tiny and was hard core. No drive days and it was a zillion degrees. Finishing that one was a feat.” – Adam Dorey

For Adam’s first drag and drive, HRDW 2014, his ‘79 Malibu ran a stock 5.3 with nitrous. The car ran well enough to finish the week with an 11.889 average!

After Drag Week 2014, Matt Frost created Rocky Mountain Race Week. Being in Adam’s backyard, he instantly registered! “For RMRW 2015, the nitrous 5.3 was swapped for a naturally aspirated, aluminum 5.7 but still automatic (4l60e). The Malibu was now back to mid 11’s.” Adam entered the 13.00 Index class since the car was slower at the high altitude of Bandimere.  Adam drove the car to a Class Win with his 13.04 average.

Broken 1300+ Miles from home

For Hot Rod Drag Week 2016, Adam towed the car from Denver to Hebron, OH, 1300 miles each direction. Adam added “On day two, I blew up the trans. Thankfully Scott Klepinger hid a key and gave me the alarm code to his shop, Modern Muscle Car Factory, where he had a newly rebuilt 4l60. He let me use a lift and tools and his XM radio to swap the trans and get it to Indy (bucket list track, and the reason I went to HRDW 2016). I made a pass, went an 11.xxx against John Farone as the last pair of the day at Indy, and loaded it on the trailer and headed home.”

Once home, Adam found that “The 4l60 had just broke the pump but I had convinced myself to make it a stick car then. I sold the Level 10000 4L60e, and traded Bryan Lum a th400 for a t56 and clutch. I sent the trans to Liberty for all the upgrades they would do to the stock box. I also had the clutch freshened, by McLeod, making it a n/a stick car! For a second, I found a Magnuson blower and stuck it on the 5.7 with intentions of running 10’s on RMRW, but the blower lost a needle bearing and the motor ate it. Brad Stapp and I thrashed to put a $410 4.8 in it but couldn’t make RMRW 2017 because the motor had blown head gaskets. We changed the headgaskets and went to meet everyone in Bandimere and Pueblo but we were already out of competition.”

“I drove the dogshit out of the Magnuson blown 4.8 with a face-plated t56 combo”

“I drove the dogshit out of the Magnuson blown 4.8 with a face-plated t56 combo from 2018 to 2020. Adam rowed gears to an 11.733 for RMRW in Stick Shift. In the 14.00 Index for 2019, Adam averaged a 14.552. 2019 was the last year Adam raced the Malibu in RMRW because he took over as “The Voice of RMRW!!”

New Powertrain

Adam finished up with “The Malibu sat last year while I figured out making the Caddy (a Gen 1 CTSV) a better drag/drive ride. Unfortunately, I froze the 5.7 block but went a Personal Best 11.62, with it hurt, at Julesburg at the Hot Rod Revival 2021. The new combo is going back to rowdy n/a and shedding weight. With the iron block and blower and all the intercooler water and pump and stuff it’s 3800+ lbs. Back when, it was 3250 with the aluminum block and automatic. The new combo should be near that with the stick. It’s an 11.5 compression 366” ls2 with Summit rods and Mahle pistons. Louis at Crower got me the hydraulic roller cam and lifters and shaft rockers. The heads are Dart Pro 1 with advanced induction cnc porting done. A TBSS intake with a Motion Raceworks ICON 92mm and Hooker stainless 1 7/8” headers and 3” exhaust. The goal with the Malibu is and always has been “no bar street car” so I’m stuck with 11.50 timeslips. However, the goal is to run that at Bandimere (5800’ altitude, 5 figure DA) through the exhaust and to bracket race it with the local stick shift group, Rocky Mountain Stick Shifters (RMSS). It’ll make a drag and drive comeback, but with Stevie at the wheel. It’s just too hard to work the race open to close and be able to make passes. With all the other drag and drives, Matt and I plan on competing in a few of them, so we can still enjoy this stuff and not run ourselves completely mad during the week of RMRW or RW.”

If you see Adam, make sure to stop and say hi, unless he’s holding a microphone. If he is working the mic, just stand in awe at the natural talent before you.

Adam Dorey’s Drag and Drive History

HRDW 2014 – 11.889

RMRW 2015 – 13.04 – 13.00 Index Class Win

HRDW 2016 – DNF

RMRW 2018 – 11.733 Stick Shift Class

RMRW 2019 – 14.552