Project: Wounded Warrior

The 34th Commandant of the Marine Corps, General James T. Conway, tells the story of an embedded reporter who was attached to a Marine infantry unit in Afghanistan.  General Conway recalls that after a few weeks, the reporter sent correspondence to the General explaining that the Marines he was with were not that much different than himself or others throughout the this great nation. They talked about girls and cars… much of the same stuff that any group of young guys would talk about.

The 2011 Camaro SS sits in the WyoTech Long Beach Campus awaiting more aftermarket upgrades. Butch Lynch's Imagineering Shop in Temecula, California, added custom-painted rally stripes to highlight the already fierce looking appearance.

Later that day, after the reporter had sent his message to the General, the unit that the reporter was attached to came under heavy fire. As the reporter later tells the story, the Marines grabbed their gear and headed toward the firefight. Try as he might, the reporter was unable to force himself to do the same. He took refuge behind a wall, trying to stay alive while small weapons fire rained around him. Remembering that he had earlier claimed to be similar to the Marines that he was embedded with, the reporter sent another message to the General, “We are not alike at all,” he wrote, “I couldn’t get up and face someone with a weapon that was trying to kill me. I just couldn’t do it.”

WyoTech's student body consists of 10% military veterans, all of whom volunteered to work on the Wounded Warrior project car. The four that were selected felt honored to be a part of this build.

Why America’s Warriors Do What They Do

Many people wonder what makes Marines do these things instinctively. It’s a little about training, a little about pride, a little about caring for your comrades in arms… but mostly about the unseen team member. You see, a Marine fire team is made up of four men, but there is an unseen member, the fifth member of the fireteam, that makes these men go where others dare not tread. That fifth member is all the reporters, wives, girlfriends, children, and college students back home and abroad. That fifth member is every American. These Marines do what they do because they know that Americans will always be there for them when they return.

WyoTech technical school is a fifth man in the Marine’s fireteam. The school’s Long Beach campus has teamed up with the Semper Fi Fund to honor one of the wounded warriors from the war on terror. WyoTech hosted the 4th annual Wounded Warrior car show on Sunday, August 14th at the Long Beach Campus. The car show benefitted the Semper Fi Fund for injured Marines and their families.

WyoTech’s 4th Annual Wounded Warrior Car Show

The show was open to pre-1974 American cars, trucks and special interest vehicles. The highlight of the show undoubtably was the special presentation of a customized 2011 Chevrolet Camaro SS to wounded warrior and American hero, Guillermo Tejada.

Marine Staff Sergeant Tejada was on patrol with his men in Afghanistan on Novemeber 11, 2010 when his platoon encountered a Improvised Explosive Device (IED). SSgt. Tejada was severely wounded but continued to lead his Marines through a bloody firefight and two hour evacuation. As a result of his injuries, SSgt. Tejada lost both of his legs above the knee.   Tejada’s biggest regret is that he “could not return to Afghanistan to finish out the deployment with his Marine brothers.”

WyoTech's Long Beach campus served as the base of operations for the project car upgrades.

Joining WyoTech and the Semper Fi Fund in the Wounded Warrior project car are several companies that wanted to pay respect to the spirit that men like SSgt. Tejada have shown. The patriotic spirit that will not let these men be anything other than leaders. These companies take positions in the WyoTech/Semper Fi Fund fire team as squad members; Cherry Bomb exhaust, Eibach Springs, Marshall Genuine Products (MGP) and Uncle Bitchen’s Imagineering Shop.

The Wounded Warrior Project Car

The project car was delivered to Uncle Bitchen’s Imagineering Shop in Temecula, California where master custom painter Butch Lynch did some customizing magic, laying a set of one-of-a-kind black rally stripes on the Victory Red factory paint. Lynch uses old world techniques, mostly with hand buffing and finishing to produce show car finishes on every project that comes through the shop. The Wounded Warrior project car was no different.  Hours of painstakingly detailed finish work on the Camaro brought a sense of satisfaction to Lynch and his crew as they worked to pay tribute to one of America’s warriors.

Eibach Springs and anti-roll bars were part of the goodies waiting to be installed on the car.

With the unique, customized exterior finished, the powerTV crew ushered the car to WyoTech’s Long Beach campus for some additional upgrades to the Wounded Warrior project car. With the intimidating paint job, the car screamed out for a stance and profile that would look and perform like a precision Marine fire team. Eibach springs and anti-sway bars were on tap to fit the bill.

For a touch of boot camp, Cherry Bomb’s performance exhaust was slated to give the project car a voice like the roughest of drill instructors on the parade decks of San Diego’s famous Marine Corps Recruit Depot.

Capping off the upgrades is MGP’s caliper covers, a tribute to one of the most visual characteristics of the Marine Corps, the dress blue uniform. Adding a lot of color to the wheel section of the Camaro, the caliper covers took on the look of the scarlet “blood” stripe running down the trouser legs on the dress blue uniform.

WyoTech Student/Veterans Perform Upgrades on the Project Car

WyoTech’s Director of Student Services, Ken Watson, selected four current students that were military veterans to assist in the project car upgrades at the campus shop. With a project of this emotional magnitude, there was no shortage of volunteers. “Just over ten percent of our students are military veterans,” said Watson.

The handpicked crew was comprised of U.S. Marine Corps vets Patrick Lee and Joshua Lott, U.S. Navy vet Ernest Mallette and U.S. Army vet Mike Page. Unofficial spokesman Joshua Lott explained, “It means a lot for us to be a part of this project. We’re veterans, so we know what these warriors have been through, and to be able to help give something back is really special to us.”

The crew got started by getting the car in the air, removing the wheels, struts and anti-roll bars.

With powerTV’s Sean Goude taking charge as the top sarge, the crew begain work on the upgrades. The four technicians were split into two teams with the two Leathernecks working together in one team and the Sailor and Soldier working in the tandem team on the other side of the car. Prepping for the Eibach anti roll bar and spring upgrade, the crews began by pulling the front and rear suspensions on each side of the Camaro.

Once the struts, rear springs, front and rear anti-roll bars were off, Ernest and Mike began to disassemble the struts for spring replacement. The Marine team installed anti-roll bars and began removing the exhaust system.

The Marine team removed the stock exhaust to make way for the new Cherry Bomb exhaust system.

Eibach’s Performance Suspension Upgrades

Stock spring on rear strut with Eibach lowering performance spring on the right.

Eibach’s Pro-Kit Performance Springs (Part #38144.140) were added to the project car to lower the center of gravity, bringing down the car’s height by a full inch. The springs are a progressive design that maintains ride quality while supporting a more aggressive driver’s car handling. Installation is simple and only requires a spring compressor and common hand tools. This upgrade is easily accomplished in around three hours for the front and rear springs. Even with the one inch drop, the suspension can be aligned to OEM factory specifications.

Features of the Eibach Pro-Kit Performance Springs:

  • Precisely lowers car’s center of gravity
  • Reduces squat during acceleration
  • Reduces nose dive under braking and body roll during cornering
  • High performance handling and aggressive good looks

Keeping the car on the straight and level, no matter how much yanking and banking the pilot does, is critical in high performance handling. Eibach’s Anti-Roll kit (Part #38144.320) for the 2011 Camaro SS reduces body roll while improving handling and cornering grip. The Anti-Roll bars are manufactured from high strength aircraft grade steel and finished with long lasting red powder coating. The kit comes complete with greased urethane bushings which adds to responsiveness, making it a true upgrade to the already stout factory suspension.

Eibach's anti-roll bar kit awaits installation.

Features of the Eibach Anti-Roll Kit for 2011 Camaro SS:

  • Performance tuned handling
  • Reduced body roll
  • Precision engineered for Pro-Kit lowering spring kits
  • Manufactured from cold-formed, high-strength aircraft-grade steel
  • 29mm front and rear anti-roll bars

 

Cherry Bomb axle back exhaust kit for the 2011 Camaro.

Calling Cadence with Cherry Bomb

“Left, Right, Left, Right…” Our warriors are used to hearing their DI’s cadence from across the drill field. It’s pure music to a military man’s ears. “Left, Right, Left, Right!” When it came time to really sound off, there was only one choice for the project car. Cherry Bomb just has a name that is universally military. Combine that with one of the best marketing slogans, “Disturbing the peace since 1968,” and you have a tailor made performance product for a warrior. Cherry Bomb’s Axle Back, Dual Extreme Kit (Part # 300694) features 2.5″ mandrel bent tubing with Cherry Bomb’s extreme series mufflers. These mufflers are powder coated for the Camaro SS application and promise to be very durable as well as eye catching for those guys that like to low crawl under cars. Capping off the set is a the stainless steel embossed tips that are engineered to fit perfectly inside the bumper fascia port.

Cherry Bomb's extreme mufflers with distinctive Cherry Bomb decal.

Features of Cherry Bomb’s Axle Back Dual Extreme Kit:

  • Short body size mufflers
  • Unique wing plate design muffler internals
  • Welded, aluminized steel
  • Custom tuned flow design
  • High temp black powdercoat finish on mufflers
  • Recommended for aggressive sound
  • 2.5″ mandrel bent tubing with clamps

MGP Caliper Covers

With the Eibach Springs and Anti-Roll bars installed and the Cherry Bomb peace disturbing axle back exhaust in place, it was time to lower the car and install the “Blood Stripes” on the calipers and re-install the wheels. MGP’s Caliper Covers  (Part #14036-S-MGP-RD) are a very inexpensive way to add some flair and style to the wheel area of a vehicle, particularly a vehicle like our project car that comes from the factory with a good set of Brembo calipers. Without replacing an entire set of calipers, the MGP covers deliver the flair while acting to keep brake dust away from the vehicle’s expensive rims. Function and appearance at a bargain price. Reminds us of the U.S. Military.

Features of MGP Caliper Covers:

  • Laser cut from 6061-T6 aerospace aluminum
  • Bridge union is TIG welded for strength
  • Graphics applied using proprietary CNC high speed engraving techniques
  • Hydraulically formed to fit OEM brake caliper configuration
  • Patented stainless steel fastening system is secured with locking nut
  • High quality powder coated finish for all-weather toughness and durability

Even the WyoTech instructors gathered to see the project car's lowered stance, aggressive exhaust and added highlights in the wheel wells.

Mission Accomplished!

Our WyoTech Student/Veterans finished installing the upgrades with mounting the MGP caliper covers and re-installing the wheels. Next trip was to the alignment rack where factory OEM alignment settings were dialed into the suspension in preparation for the carshow and presentation of the Wounded Warrior project car to American hero Marine Staff Sergeant Guillermo Tejada.

We appreciate the commitment by all of those involved in the project car. WyoTech and the Semper Fi Fund began this endeavor a couple of months ago and along the way found unquestionable and unwavering support from Cherry Bomb, Eibach Springs, Butch Lynch’s Imagineering Shop and MGP.  In supporting the warriors that have been injured while protecting America, these companies have become heroes in their own way.

The project car headed for the alignment rack for final adjustments.

Wyotech's car show featured several specialty military vehicles and classic cars.

Marine Staff Sergeant Tejada received his custom car at the Wyotech Wounded Warrior car show. Wyotech and the Semper Fi Fund presented the Camaro to Tejada in front of a large crowd of car enthusiasts with military ties.

About the author

Bobby Kimbrough

Bobby grew up in the heart of Illinois, becoming an avid dirt track race fan which has developed into a life long passion. Taking a break from the Midwest dirt tracks to fight evil doers in the world, he completed a full 21 year career in the Marine Corps.
Read My Articles

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