Once the firewall is in place, the team begins installing the right-drive dash and steering column, followed by installing the carpeting, the seats and the doors. During that same point in the process, the engine electronics and plumbing is all hooked back up and before moving onto the next stop, the car is fired up for the first time with the right-drive layout.
Station 5 and 6
Once the engine of the right-hand-drive Camaro is up and running, the front end body parts are bolted back up, underbody panels are reinstalled and there is a full electronic diagnostic check. Provided that everything checks out, it is on to State 6, where the car is driven briefly over a bump track, followed by a four-wheel alignment.
Station 7 and 8
After the alignment, the right-drive Camaro undergoes a thorough inspection inside and out, followed by a two-kilometer road test. During the road test, the driver makes sure that all of the vehicle features work. If everything checks out, it is on to Station 8, where the compliance decals, the engine bay build plaque and shipping protection items are added.
The Camaro is then ready to be shipped out to an Australian driver who is sure to love their 460-horsepower Chevy muscle car, converted to right-hand-drive by Holden Special Vehicles.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
