December 2009 Car Of The Month: Matt D

psfracer

billy badass
S197 Team Member
Joined
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Professional Photography by Derek Bartolo

No supercharger? No turbo? No nitrous? Stock CID? No aftermarket cylinder heads or aftermarket camshafts? Thats right, an ALL MOTOR 281 N/A terror is the December 2009 COTM. Owned and driven by Matt Da Silva, this car has already turned a 12.014 @ 113.32 mph, with a manual transmission. While this car has gone on a major weight savings program (we all have read his build thread) it still looks fantastic. A killer stance, and well thought out mods for a single goal in mind makes this car a great choice for COTM. Join me in congratulating Matt Da Silva!

In Matt's own words:

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Professional Photography by Derek Bartolo


Living it up!

I just want to start of saying thank you. Thank you to all the people who support me everyday on this forum, the companies who help me out with parts and of course the friends and family who stand behind me and this crazy hobby.

S197 forum what’s up!? When Paul sent me the message that I was going to be December car of the month I was jacked like a 29” slick ! When I joined this forum I knew right off the bat I was in the right place .. Before I bought my gt I was a hardcore lurker lol… Seeing Don’s sig picture , Paul’s first silver gt , and Chevy killers beast of a car , gave me thundering ideas!

Lets go for a trip down the last few years of the life of Matt D if your interested :)

So some of you know I have been around the racing / mustang game ever since I was two years old. My Dad Joe really opened up my eyes as I was growing up. With him running a shop side by side with my uncle starting in 1988 I was in the shop as soon as I could walk. While my Uncle and my Dad starting racing the old fun fords series with their small 332 cubic inch fox bodies in pro 5.0… shoot when pro 5.0 was running 11’s!

We traveled all over the states and I got to meet some pretty amazing people (including Brian Wolfe from Ford racing back when his pro 5.0 car ran 11’s with a turbo fox) As years when on I got more and more into it. At the age of 7 years old I was lucky enough to get into junior dragsters. Started off going 14’s in the 8th mile and eventually got into a faster spitzer junior with a 28hp motor when I was 10 that ran 8.30’s in the 8th (that’s a 12 second car). I was use to speed at this point… I already knew how to drive a auto car at the age of 7… when I was 10 my dad told me to take his 400hp 2000 gt around the block and that is how I started driving stick… a few weeks later my dad bought a 1990 festiva for me to learn how to perfect the 5 speed ways ;) I still have that festiva to this day.

I Perfected driving standard at the age of 10 and learned how to power shift at the same age. Now at this point I just want to bang gears and race anything in every parking lot! I was working in the shop every summer and when ever I could after school up until I was 12. I started getting paid $4 an hour and I was happier then pigs n shit lol at the age of 16 we restored my dad’s original 86 race car and put in a 306 with a S-trim. Made over 500 wrhp and I made my first 10.5 pass @ 131mph in that car with a tko600. The year later car ran a 8.70 @ 160 mph with a R block stroked to 351 with a single 88mm on a two speed glide. So I took a break from the race car and went through a few street cars and realized the street cars are where its at. Ive gone through a 2000 gt with a Vortech to a 07 civic si with nitrous to a 5.0 coupe I lost interest in. But last August my dad says “son your going for a pass in my pro car” I think my face was something like o_O lol So he turned the boost down to one stage and on my first full out run I blast a 7.20 @ 199.5 mph! Dam that was f’n fast! That is the fastest I have consumed 1320 feet.

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Professional Photography by Derek Bartolo

So lets forget about all the crap about me and get into my current S197 street car build.

So after selling my civic I had all the cash in hand to buy my next project in full . I found this car on auto trader and fell in love. When I arrived to buy the car, which was almost 2 hours away I knew right away I wanted it. The owner was telling us how fast the car was and everything… then he paused and said “ I feel like an idiot you two are the DaSilva guys” We had a good laugh and I told him he did a good job because Im buying it ;) NOW I had an image in my head what I wanted the car to look and perform like. I made a rule that I must run 11’s with a stock long block all motor. That week is when I joined this forum and put up my build thread and wasted no time trying to keep you guys entertained with my build and my weight reduction methods :) I can honestly say throughout the year I have been banging my head and never giving up trying to hit that 11 second run. It wasn’t from a lack of tying I can assure you that.

The first time out with the car I ran a 12.36 best that day. Wow was I excited I went 12.3’s with my first time out with my new car. As the summer went on I kept fighting bouncing issues and my times slowly got a bit faster with every mod. When I hit the 12.0’s for the first time I was super happy but came to realize I wasn’t consistent. I would go a 12.18,12.09,12.20 etc etc, because of the way the car was launching different every time! So once I put in some Ford racing rear lowering springs (which raised my car compared to the sportlines) I finally saw the light on how the coil design of the sportlines were hurting me! They just binded up and started to bounce. I went to a local track (not the best around) and blasted 12.0s nine times in a row which netted me my best time of 12.01 at 113mph!!!! Wow the ride home that day I was pretty happy and really pissed at the same time lol Just a few weeks back we went to the S197 east coast shoot out and I was hoping this was it! Sat night the track wasn’t there for the way I drive my car and with my new ram air I clicked off a crappy 1.66 sixty foot but ran a 12.10 @ 116mph!!!!

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So when it rained out the next day I was very..very disappointed and just hated my car lol. During the long ass ride home jamming to Kayne west on the I-pod, Ideas started hitting me like a ton of bricks. Just incase not everyone is aware I’m done for this season. I will have to know all winter I came so close with a 12.01 @ 113mph. NOW that doesn’t mean im done with this stock long block… hell no this is just the start. I plan on bringing this beast out and blasted 11s the first day this car comes out in the spring with some new mods to insure my stock long block is going to run past the 12.00 digit. Just a note for everyone… Yes me and my Dad run DaSilva racing but this whole project was out of my own pocket and I did it pay cheque to pay cheque just like all of you did and I am still doing it!

Here is the most current list of mods to my set up for power , drive train and dress up parts. My weight reduction list would be way to long and all that info is already in my build thread if you are interested.

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Check out the FRPP intake manifold--psfracer

Performance parts
C&L Racer intake
Mezire electric water pump
Ford Racing 62mm Throttle body
Kooks long tube headers 1 5/8
Kooks off road X-pipe
Mac catback exhaust
Ford racing AC delete idler pulley and bracket
Ford Racing proto type intake manifold
Steeda under drive crank pulley
(short belt to bypass power steering)

Tuning
Sct xcal III hand held tuner

Drive train
Ford racing 4.30 gears
Stock Tremec 3650 5 speed transmission
Axle exchange 1 piece alum drive shaft
Stock posi
Stock clutch
Stock shifter
Stock axles


Rear Suspension
UPR Race chromoly adjustable lower control arms
UPR Race upper adjustable control arm with bracket
Eibach sport line rear springs (Street use)
Ford racing rear lowering springs (track use)
Qa1 single adjustable shocks

Front suspension
Race craft Tubular k-member with a-arms and chromoly motor mounts
GM chromoly sway bar delete
Qa1 coil overs with 175 lb springs and caster camber plates

Rims
15x3.5 Bogart fronts
15x10 Bogart rears

Tires
25x4.5x15 Front, et fronts
26x11.5x15 Rear Et streets

Electronics
Oddessy 680 light weight battery
MSD digital programmable led shift light

Under hood dress up
Moroso Aluminum power steering tank
Moroso Aluminum coolant tank
Moroso Aluminum fuse box cover
Moroso Aluminum brake fluid cover
Ford Racing polished oil cap
Shelby performance stainless bolt kit

Brake parts
Baer slotted/drilled replacement rotors

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Nice interior even with the weight savings program!--psfracer

Interior parts
Corbeau Fx1 pro Seats (fiber glass and black suade)
Corbeau seat rails
Corbeau Harness bar
Corbeau 5 point cam lock black seat belts
Sparco suede steering wheel with hub
MMR rear seat delete panels
Roush black 5 speed shift knob

Exterior parts
Cervinis 2.5” cowl hood
6” short black antenna

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Matt D's new ram air set up using the drivers side headlight--psfracer

I have a lot of people asking me what my next move is with this car… I have a lot of friends and people I know who are blown away how quick this thing is when I’m beating certain power adder cars at the track… Well I wasn’t going to tell anyone what my plans were for this winter until I posted my build thread near the end of December… but what the hell you guys are like family.

A Sneak peak preview for this winter

I will start off by saying I want to try and knock out another 100lbs.. which I wont tell you how just yet ;) wait for my build thread! I would like to convert my interior to black along with some APR carbon fiber replacement pieces. 4.56 gears, with a new combo of a 28x10.5x15 Slick (no more old et streets that I am currently using) I like the new anti roll bar that Race craft has just produced and will be picking one up to help my car leave straighter. I will be upgrading my pan hard bar to a comp engineering one , I will also be installed my line lock, Speed of sound center switch panel with gauges, Ford racing push button, some black silver horse door handles and a few other minor touches. I will also more then likely be buying black hole shot revolvers with a one piece 15” in the front and the two piece out back. My Bogarts will continue to be my street rims with a 325/50/15 drag radial on the back. After I hit 11’s with a stock long block… the gloves are coming off and like some of the other NA members I’m going to shoot for the 400 NA w-rhp and see what kind of damage I can really do.

Now I have to give a shout out to my sponsers for their support!

Brian & Jesse @ Ford Racing
Jeremy & Pat @ Upr products
Kim @ Mrt
Brad @ Classic Design Concepts
Have to shout out my shop DaSilva Racing and say thanks to my Dad.

Thank you to all who voted for me!!!

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Professional Photography by Derek Bartolo
 
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psfracer

billy badass
S197 Team Member
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Congratulations Matt from S197Forum!!! Now go turn an 11. They are still racing on the east coast. You know you want to.
 

Matt D

S197 Pilot
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Thanks alot everyone! I can't wait for some trick parts to go on this winter !
 

Croft

It's GOOOOOOO Time
S197 Team Member
Joined
Dec 22, 2008
Posts
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Congratulations Matt. Well-deserved, twice over. I wish you all the luck next season with your quest to the 11's. It's just a matter of time. Keep banging those gears!!!
 

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