Octane Angels Car Club

In the new car market women are practically kings. It’s said that by the year 2020 the average woman will make more than her male counterpart; that explains why automakers spend a lot of time and money marketing to the fairer sex. In the aftermarket, however, it’s a different story. Go to any custom car show and it’s obvious who wears the pants. Usually the only females you see are the wives or girlfriends of gearheads, and they look like they’re ready to leave after the first hour. You have to give them credit for being troopers in the first place. But the ladies we love the most are the ones who bring their own rides to the events.

Most of the Octane Angels have been into customizing cars since their wings were little. Rebecca Nunes, Michelle Ponce, Anita amd Brandy Brown, and Adele Zayas are the members of this Orange County, California, car club and these ladies are indeed gearheads.

1955 Chevy 150

Rebecca’s family has always been into classic cars. As she says, “My father has always owned at least one classic, if not more. I’ve always been around my father and his friends. So, it was natural that I wanted to own my own [classic].” That also explains her line of work, she owns the store Classic Whitewall Tires, in Orange, California. You can visit the shop online at Classicwhitewalltires.com. Clearly this more than qualifies her to be the ringleader of this group of angels.

This car was sitting in her dad’s garage for a couple of years before he built it for Rebecca. She says it was something of a battle. She wanted one color, and dad wanted another. The same conflict happened for the engine choice. “As with any family, compromises were made. He got the first motor done the way he wanted it; I got the color I wanted,” she says.

When you like customizing cars it always helps when you have technical skills in the family. Rebecca’s oldest brother has been a mechanic since he was about 13 (he’s in his fifties now), so he built the current motor in this car. The ’55 was actually given to Rebecca as a high school graduation present, but it’s much more than that. “She’s like my first-born child or a comfy pair of shoes you can’t live without,” Rebecca says. “I’ve drag raced her, done yearly 600-mile trips in her, and I’ve even done an autocross or two with her.” Definitely, Rebecca builds them to drive, as former DRIVE! Editor Bob Ryder would say.

Rebecca says she’s everything “I’ve ever wanted in a car and I wouldn’t change her concept. Improvements, yes, but not the original idea.”

• Special Thanks: Bill Nunes who is responsible for the majority of work on this car. He did the interior, bodywork and paint. The motor was done by Joe Falduto and installed by Bill. Ed, Rebecca’s fiancé, did the most recent wiring harness and last gauge install. He also maintains the car for her when she cannot do it. Sweet deal!
• Paint Color: 1958 Buick Autumn Haze. The color was chosen from an old paint chip page found at a swap meet, and the color was custom-blended by PPG paint.
• Wheels and Tires: Wheelsmith smoothies 15 x 7, Moon caps, 2-inch trim rings; Diamondback MX tires 215/75R15 2 5/8-inch WW, courtesy of Classic Whitewall Tires.
• Suspension: Stock rearend with Saint City Hot Rod’s slapper bars; front suspension has been modified with 2-inch drop spindles and a disc brake setup.
• Interior: Custom tuck-and-roll black with peach accents built by Bill. The car didn’t originally have a back seat, so they had to modify one to fit. Custom-built Auto Meter Custom Shop gauges.
• Engine: 383-ci Chevy built by Rebecca’s brother Joe Falduto with a TH350 transmission by Hoisington Transmissions and a Lokar shifter.
• Performance Mods: 350 four-bolt main block, line bored and true decked; Arp main and rod bolts; stock steel Chevy 400 crank trued to clear the block; 6-inch H-beam rods; Speed Pro forged floating pistons; unported Aussie Pro action heads; 9 3/4 to 1 compression; Edlebrock 650 carb (for great fuel mileage); Victor Jr. manifold. This motor was built from a 400-ci SBC that had been outlawed from the stock car classes at Perris Motor Speedway. Isky cam built to Joe Falduto’s specifications (which he won’t even tell his sister); ceramic-coated and brass-lined Hooker Supercomp headers with 3-inch exhaust tube and turbo mufflers.

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1953 Chevy Business Coupe

Adele Zayas says she’s always been into cars but really didn’t know much about them. That is until her boyfriend and his father came along. They slowly and thoughtfully taught her everything she wanted to know and more. “In fact,” she says, “the reason I have this car is because my boyfriend’s father saw it at a cruise and it was for sale, so he nabbed it for me.” This car was a homebuilt retirement project from the guy she bought it from. Other than having the motor built, she has simply enjoyed the car.

• Special Thanks:  Adele’s brother Anthony for helping maintain the car.
• Body Mods: Custom floating grille using a Camaro bumper, shaved hood, shaved door handles, frenched taillights, custom license plate holder.
• Wheels and Tires: American Racing 14 inchers with 195/70R14 Falken tires from Classic Whitewall Tires.
• Suspension: Lowered by cutting the springs. No ’bags on this baby.
• Engine: 375 Chevy stroker motor built by a friend, TH350 with Lokar floor shifter.

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1961 Mercury Comet

As a teenager Michelle Ponce got into custom mini-trucks and was involved in the club scene. She’s been a truck and car enthusiast ever since. This flat black/silver metallic Comet was painted by Ronnie Cole.

• Special Thanks: Ronnie Cole, Classic Whitewall Tires, R&D Machine, D&R Chrome, Lee & Son Alignment.
• Wheels and Tires: Wheelsmith with painted steel/chrome smoothies, 195/60/14 tires.
• Suspension: Lowered 3 inches with a rebuilt suspension.
• Engine: Mustang 200 six-cylinder.
• Other Mods: Machined .030 over with adjustable valvetrain and a mild cam.
• Other: Gen to alt conversion, aluminum radiator, painted/metalflaked engine compartment, black with silver accent, tuck-and-roll interior and small custom touches.

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1962 Ford Falcon

It’s been Anita and Brandy Brown’s long-time dream to own and work on classic cars. Now they pick them up at a reasonable cost and start the restoration process. So, of course, they painted the white and turquoise Falcon you see here themselves.

• Wheels and Tires: Stock 13 inchers. Tires are custom-built 1.3-inch whitewall tires from Classic Whitewall Tire size 155/80R13.
• Engine: Chevrolet 4.3L V-6 with mild RV cam built by Larry Brown/Bill Nunes.
• Performance Mods: Added Chevrolet 200R4 automatic transmission with overdrive.
• Special Thanks: Engine machine work by Orange Engine, engine build by Larry Brown, Bill Nunes and friends, automatic transmission built by Goldenwest Transmission, B&M Muffler built the exhaust system, and Classic Whitewall Tires for the mount and balance.

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