Ask Joe: May 2008

Fast Specialties: Enough toys to make a gearhead drool

By Joe Bovee

The second I walked into Fast Specialties in Vancouver, I was like a kid in a candy store - a candy store that also carries all the toys in the world. With enough eye candy to make any gearhead or enthusiast absolutely drool, I knew I was witnessing something great- something epic. So, while I'm not normally inclined to do what essentially amounts to a business review, this time I couldn't resist. What I had intended to write up as a simple blog post very quickly turned into my column this month.

Fortunately, instead of writing just a big love letter to Fast Specialties, I managed to get in a short Q&A session with owner Ron Feddema.

VV: How did you get the idea to start Fast Specialties?
Ron: I was actually approached at the drag strip-some guys were telling me there was a need for a shop in the area to do domestic and imports performance with a dyno. So, we pulled two to three guys together and discussed it, and decided to give it a go. We actually did it backwards from many shops that start small and get bigger as time goes on - we invested all at once.

VV: How long have you been in business?
Ron: We have been here for three years, and have established ourselves well, servicing about 1400 customers.

VV: Who is your primary customer, and what can you provide them?
Ron: We work on everything from the $1,000 budget racer to the extreme exotics. We find out what the customer's goals and expectations are, and what the vehicle's purpose is. We take that information and give the customer options to obtain that goal. We can provide the customer with the complete package - parts, installation, custom fabrication and dyno tuning. Having everything under one roof is something that is very convenient for customers. We also do more than just power adders - we do suspensions, brakes, exhaust. We cover all the bases. We also won't make power just to make power. We also make it safe. For example, we won't make a 150 mph car with 100 mph brakes.

VV: What has your favorite build been?
Ron: I would say it has to be our Jeep JK Hemi swaps. Basically, we take a next-to-stock or stock Jeep Wrangler, take out the 3.8l V6 and put in a 6.1L (or a stroked or Supercharge) Hemi. We do a custom radiator, drive train, electronics and lots of custom fabrication. Or it might have been the Shelby Cobra kit car that we did a twin turbo installation on. We did all the installation and tuning, coming up with 603 rear wheel horsepower.

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While walking through the shop talking with Ron, I couldn't help but notice all the ridiculously cool stuff they had; along with the dyno*, they house two lifts in-house, and just about anything else you'd expect to see in a hot rod shop. He also showed me a supercharger kit that they co-developed with Torktech, Inc., and designed, developed and tested in-house. The kit fits the 99-04 Ford Mustang 4.6L V8. What's most amazing about the kit is that it's physically built here in the northwest, as opposed to being outsourced to overseas plants.

Come to find out, Fast Specialties also invests a lot of time working with the community. They held a high school Dyno Day, providing racers an alternative to street racing, and then donated 100 percent of the proceeds to the Clark County Skill Center. Amber (who works at the shop as service writer, parts selector and receptionist) does a little bit of everything and has over 13 years in the performance industry. She summed up for me in one sentence what Fast Specialty is all about:

"We provide performance modifications and service to muscle cars, trucks, and SUVs."
So if you're looking for one of Vancouver's hidden horsepower treasures, definitely check out Fast Specialties.

Fast Specialties is located at 4117-B N.E. Minnehaha in Vancouver. For more information, call 213-2781 or email aaldridg@fastspecialties.net.

* A dyno is used to measure a vehicle's horsepower and torque at the drive wheels. Fast Specialty houses a MD1750 dyno, which is capable of reading up to 1750 HP and 2000 ft. lb. It is the largest dyno in the area!