Kit Car Builder September 2007 page three

Kit Car Builder, September 2007

		Final assembly of the Thunder Ranch cars occurs in the copany's clean room. A black 550 Spyder is getting close to being done. Thunder Ranch 550s come standard with front disc and rear drum brakes. Obviously, this 550 customer opted for rear disc brakes.

		The owner also specified a hydraulic shift linkage. That's what the rectangular box and hudraulic likes are that run to it, which are attached to the back of the transaxle. This particular Thunder Ranch 550 will shift smooth and easy.

		The hydrasulic lines for the hydraulic shift linkage feed into the AJ Speedshift hydraulic shifter reservoir as shown. Didn't we tell you the behind-the-scenes stuff is cool?

		Attention to detail is the order of the day at Thunder Ranch. VDO instruments are used, just as they were with the original 356 and 550 Porsche cars. If the steering wheel had found its new home at the time of this photo, it would be a Nardi, as they were first installed at the Porsche factories in Germany in the '50s and 60s.

		Another Thunder Ranch roadster in the clean room was a silver 356 Speedster receiving some exterior trim pieces.

Space limitations prevent us from showing all the goodies we photographed while we snuck behind the scenes at Thunder Ranch. Showing this polished transaxle serves to drive home the fact that Thunder Ranch will build its customer's cars to their specifications. Whether you want a bone stock ride or a full-on Teutonic road racer, Tom McBurnie and his talented crew of technicians will build you the Thunder Ranch rocket that you most desire.