Name: Tom McLaughlin
City/State: Monee, Illinois
Vehicle Year/Make/Model: Pro Touring 1979 Z28
Engine: LS3
Chassis and Suspension: Detroit Speed subframe, mini-tub, 3-inch front drop, 2-inch rear drop, subframe connectors; Ford 9-inch rearend, 3:73 gears, HD Housing built to size, 31-spline axles; Wilwood six-piston front, four-piston rear brakes
Exhaust: 3-inch Hooker Blackheart Stainless fully custom exhaust system front to rear; 304 stainless with Summit Racing electric oval cutouts before the X-pipe. It’s going through 3-inch Cherry Bomb Salute mufflers, then up and over the rearend and out the back with hidden, flush-cut tailpipes. It’s all back purged, TIG welded, and fit specific for this car; no store-bought stuff here.
Wheels & Tires: Billet Specialties SLG 25 Diamondback rims; Hankook Ventus V12 Evo XL tires (rear 325/30-19 (19×12), 265/35-18 front (18×10)
Interior Details: Dakota Digital gauges; Alpine ilx-w650 head unit with Android Auto and a backup camera installed where the center vent was originally located; suede headliner and rear seat delete
Body & Paint: Zolper Restorations (Lockport, IL) in House of Kolor Purple
Background on the Car: I bought this car in February 1987 when my wife and I first started dating. I drove it for one year and then went into the Army and was deployed overseas for the next three years. In 1989 we were married and pulled this car out of storage to use as our “limo” from the church to our reception! My best man drove it while my wife and I rode in the back seat. After I was discharged in April 1991 I took it out of storage and it was my daily driver until 1994 when I bought a more economical car in order to commute to college in downtown Chicago. We stored it in my in-law’s garage for many years, then our condo’s garage, and finally in our house’s garage until Labor Day weekend 2018 when we finally concluded that we’ll never have the time, tools, or talents to build it into what we envisioned for it. My best man owns a Snap-on franchise and recommended Platinum Customs in Manteno, Illinois, for the build.
We’ve been working with Mike and his son Max during the whole four-year build process. We did a full frame-off, rotisserie restoration. The suspension is all Detroit Speed with welded frame connectors, TREMEC six-speed manual transmission, custom driveshaft, Ford 9-inch rearend with 3:73 gears and spline axles. We mini-tubbed the rear so we could get the 19×12 tires underneath the back quarter-panels and removed the back seats. The car sits 3 inches lower than stock and stops using Wilwood brakes (six-piston front, four-piston rear). The bodywork/paint took three months and was completed by Jason Zolper (Zolper Restorations in Lockport, Illinois). The body is all original except for the nose, which is now fiberglass. The purple color was inspired by Billy Gibbon’s (ZZ Top) CadZZilla. It took 10 spray outs of those little sample cars to get the color right but it is absolutely a head-turner now! The interior was completed by a husband/wife team Dave and Sally Schober (Schober’s Custom Hot Rod Interiors in Newark, Illinois). When we met with them to discuss what we were looking for I told them I wanted the look of the interior to feel like when I open the door. I feel like the velvet rope is being lifted, giving me access to a VIP area. We think they nailed it with the quilted leather, custom dash, and console. The back area lifts up for wine bottle storage.
My wife and I bonded over ’80s rock music and I played in local bands for 15 years. Mike named our project “Rockstar.” We didn’t know if we were going to stay with that name but as the build went on it really stuck with us. Since then, we added some music themes to the car, such as painted music notes on the hood scoop. I drew out the music staff and notes to Bon Jovi’s “Livin On A Prayer” on the driver side and Eddie Money’s “Take Me Home Tonight” on the passenger’s side of the scoop and had a local artist hand paint it. We had another local artist create the “Rockstar” art on the engine covers and guitar art on the rear fuel door. Overall, the total build took four years to complete.
