Old school NMCA Xtreme Street racer and 2010 NMCA Ambassador of the Year, George Rumore, recently completed a huge new overhaul of his “Gangsta Mullet” 1979 Chevrolet Camaro.
“I’ve had the car for a long, long time,” said Rumore, who has spent the past 25-plus years working in the high-performance aftermarket exhaust industry and has been a staple in the drag racing community for even longer. What started as a regular second-gen Camaro with 29.5” slick tires morphed into a 25.5 SFI-certified and mini-tubbed Xtreme Street contender.
After his days driving in Xtreme Street were done, Rumore had the opportunity to work on Jeff Lutz’s NMCA Pro Street team and was part of the season championship-winning crew in 2013. Since then, Rumore has stepped in to help countless others who share his passion for drag racing, including many of the stars from Discovery’s Street Outlaws series.
“I’m not getting any younger and I knew, realistically, that this might be my last build, so I decided to go all out,” laughed the Ohio-based badass, now 50 years old. “My friend and great fabricator, Joe Barstow of After Hours Fab & Performance [in Huntsburg, Ohio], and I were drinking beers in the garage and talking about it, and he took on the project.”
Once Rumore’s Camaro was relocated to After Hours, it was completely stripped down and separated from its former life. All that remained of the original was the roof and rear quarter panels, as Barstow fabbed up a new 25.3 SFI-certified chassis, complete with a full carbon fiber interior, trunk, and wheel tubs, along with a fiberglass front nose and doors.
Rumore has been a diehard fan of Kris Nelson and Nelson Competition since his early days, and he stayed true to his engine builder of choice when selecting a platform to power his latest project. “I didn’t want to build a Hemi and be like everyone else or have to learn new stuff,” joked Rumore. “I know big block Chevys like the back of my hands.”
Nelson pieced together a 540 cubic inch, iron block-based bullet topped with conventional-style Brodix heads plumbed with Fragola fittings and fueled with VP Racing’s finest. Wanting to make sure the car had plenty of “business” up front so that it could bring the power “party” to the back, Rumore selected a ProCharger F-3R-136 supercharger to deliver plenty of boost and supplied a set of wicked zoomies from Long Tube Headers where he currently works as the VP of Sales.
Next, Rumore called Mark Micke at M&M Transmission and ordered the company’s latest and greatest three-speed Turbo 400 transmission along with a torque converter and shifter.
“Robin Lawrence has been a part of my program since the Xtreme Street days, so, before he retired from Holley, I got with him and we chose a Holley EFI system to control the car,” noted Rumore.
Barstow put all the parts and pieces together, as he was the mastermind behind the machine’s assembly, and Rumore happily helped out in the After Hours Fab & Performance shop, lending his muscle as needed along the way.
Together, the guys also installed Optic Armor windows, 10-inch rear gear, Menscer Motorsports shocks at all four corners, TRZ Motorsports upper and lower control arms as well as steering components, TBM brakes all around, and forged Race Star Wheels wrapped in Mickey Thompson’s famed 275 radial rubber.
“It took a little over a year but it was worth the wait and I learned a lot. The fab work is insane. I am super stoked that it’s done and in my garage,” proclaimed Rumore. “Thanks to After Hours Fab & Performance and Joe Barstow for making a conversation over a beer into a reality. I appreciate you, my brother!”
Although Rumore is going to have to wait a little bit until he can get his “Gangsta Mullet” matte black beast on the track for its inaugural shakedown runs – between the SEMA Show, PRI Show, and holidays, time is tight at the moment – he’s more excited than ever to get back behind the wheel.
“We’ll head somewhere South where it’s warmer, then we’ll be hookin’ and jammin’ wherever we fit in,” he said excitedly. Most likely, Rumore will wheel his 1979 Chevrolet Camaro in Limited Drag Radial at various events and do some 275/28” small tire grudge racing things. “I want to do a Duck race, too, because I’ve gone to so many but never had anything to sit in... experiencing that notoriety as a competitor is a bucket list item for me.”
Although racing and competing is the end goal, Rumore’s primary purpose is to party on while getting back to doing what he loves most – drag racing – and having fun with his friends while showing people it’s possible to do what you love for a living.
“I’ve had the car for a long, long time,” said Rumore, who has spent the past 25-plus years working in the high-performance aftermarket exhaust industry and has been a staple in the drag racing community for even longer. What started as a regular second-gen Camaro with 29.5” slick tires morphed into a 25.5 SFI-certified and mini-tubbed Xtreme Street contender.
After his days driving in Xtreme Street were done, Rumore had the opportunity to work on Jeff Lutz’s NMCA Pro Street team and was part of the season championship-winning crew in 2013. Since then, Rumore has stepped in to help countless others who share his passion for drag racing, including many of the stars from Discovery’s Street Outlaws series.
“I’m not getting any younger and I knew, realistically, that this might be my last build, so I decided to go all out,” laughed the Ohio-based badass, now 50 years old. “My friend and great fabricator, Joe Barstow of After Hours Fab & Performance [in Huntsburg, Ohio], and I were drinking beers in the garage and talking about it, and he took on the project.”
Once Rumore’s Camaro was relocated to After Hours, it was completely stripped down and separated from its former life. All that remained of the original was the roof and rear quarter panels, as Barstow fabbed up a new 25.3 SFI-certified chassis, complete with a full carbon fiber interior, trunk, and wheel tubs, along with a fiberglass front nose and doors.
Rumore has been a diehard fan of Kris Nelson and Nelson Competition since his early days, and he stayed true to his engine builder of choice when selecting a platform to power his latest project. “I didn’t want to build a Hemi and be like everyone else or have to learn new stuff,” joked Rumore. “I know big block Chevys like the back of my hands.”
Nelson pieced together a 540 cubic inch, iron block-based bullet topped with conventional-style Brodix heads plumbed with Fragola fittings and fueled with VP Racing’s finest. Wanting to make sure the car had plenty of “business” up front so that it could bring the power “party” to the back, Rumore selected a ProCharger F-3R-136 supercharger to deliver plenty of boost and supplied a set of wicked zoomies from Long Tube Headers where he currently works as the VP of Sales.
Next, Rumore called Mark Micke at M&M Transmission and ordered the company’s latest and greatest three-speed Turbo 400 transmission along with a torque converter and shifter.
“Robin Lawrence has been a part of my program since the Xtreme Street days, so, before he retired from Holley, I got with him and we chose a Holley EFI system to control the car,” noted Rumore.
Barstow put all the parts and pieces together, as he was the mastermind behind the machine’s assembly, and Rumore happily helped out in the After Hours Fab & Performance shop, lending his muscle as needed along the way.
Together, the guys also installed Optic Armor windows, 10-inch rear gear, Menscer Motorsports shocks at all four corners, TRZ Motorsports upper and lower control arms as well as steering components, TBM brakes all around, and forged Race Star Wheels wrapped in Mickey Thompson’s famed 275 radial rubber.
“It took a little over a year but it was worth the wait and I learned a lot. The fab work is insane. I am super stoked that it’s done and in my garage,” proclaimed Rumore. “Thanks to After Hours Fab & Performance and Joe Barstow for making a conversation over a beer into a reality. I appreciate you, my brother!”
Although Rumore is going to have to wait a little bit until he can get his “Gangsta Mullet” matte black beast on the track for its inaugural shakedown runs – between the SEMA Show, PRI Show, and holidays, time is tight at the moment – he’s more excited than ever to get back behind the wheel.
“We’ll head somewhere South where it’s warmer, then we’ll be hookin’ and jammin’ wherever we fit in,” he said excitedly. Most likely, Rumore will wheel his 1979 Chevrolet Camaro in Limited Drag Radial at various events and do some 275/28” small tire grudge racing things. “I want to do a Duck race, too, because I’ve gone to so many but never had anything to sit in... experiencing that notoriety as a competitor is a bucket list item for me.”
Although racing and competing is the end goal, Rumore’s primary purpose is to party on while getting back to doing what he loves most – drag racing – and having fun with his friends while showing people it’s possible to do what you love for a living.