Indholdsfortegnelse for October 1981 i Hot Rod

GM’s New “Super” Truck General Motors has a new line of down-sized pickups available from both Chevrolet and GMC truck divisions to go along with their regular full-sized pickups. These new pickups, dubbed the “S-series,” are available in both ½ and ¾-ton fleetside models, replacing the LUV series of light-utility trucks. However, the 4WD and diesel LUV models will be retained, at least for the time being. The S-trucks offer refined aerodynamics, great fuel economy, improved ride, and more interior space than foreign-made light-utility trucks, but the real story is under the hood. Available as an option for the first time in any mini-truck is Chevrolet’s 60-degree 2.8-liter V6 engine (110 hp). The engine is currently used in the front-wheel drive X-cars, but conventional engine placement and rear-wheel drive will…

Last month we began our firsthand attempt to build a 3?-mile-per-gallon 350-cubic-inch Chevy V8 street rod using the Crower Mileage System. As we promised (when we detailed the rebuilding of our tired small-block V8), we’ve completed the installation of the engine in a ’37 Chevy two-door sedan. Seemingly, we were ready to evaluate the mileage efficiency and driveability of our Miserly Mouse, and in fact we did get some first impressions, but there were a few complications and we learned that we’ve still got some work to do. As one of the postulates to Murphy’s Law decrees, “Nothing is as easy as it looks.” In other words, we ran into several problems that are typical of what most hot rodders encounter during the buildup of a street rod. These problems…

Imagine, if you will, an engine that starts cleanly on a cold morning without a choke. Imagine being able to drive smoothly away immediately after starting that same cold engine. Imagine an induction system that provides exactly the right fuel metering in every environment from sea level to the highest mountain pass; on muggy, rainy days and in the middle of the arid desert; a system that automatically adjusts the idle speed when air conditioning or alternator loads are imposed on the engine; and a system that always provides optimum mileage and clean vehicle emissions, and never needs an overhaul or adjustment. Sound good? Well, imagine a few other things, too. Imagine an induction system that is so atuned to a production engine that you can’t make any engine changes…

It’s the hottest production car coming off Detroit’s assembly lines in ‘82. It’s faster, quicker, and better handling than any stocker we have seen so far, and the potential for modification is oh so inviting! It’s hard to restrain our excitement, but let’s start at the beginning … Now that the technology has been developed to meet the government-mandated emissions standards and fleet mileage requirements, the car companies are once again turning their attention to building the kinds of cars people want. Major emphasis is being given to styling, personalized packages, and performance. That’s right, performance. And the first of this new generation of American “Supercars” comes from the people who started the whole ponycar era back in ‘65—Ford. We’re talking about the 1982 5.0-liter Ford Mustang GT. Yes, there…

Tony, the Loner, Nancy is a renaissance rod builder. He can do it all if “all” includes fabrication, engine building, bodywork, painting, and interior trimming. In fact, Nancy has to be the world’s fastest, most traveled trimmer. From 1963 to 1977, globe-trottin’ Tony has dragged it out in England (239 mph on fuel, 195 on gas), Italy (set the still standing 400-meter mark of 198 mph), Germany, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. The Loner has raced everything from gas roadsters to top fuelers, blown flatheads to silver bullets. His fully detailed cars have always run hard and usually under the banner of “twenty-two junior.” “I got that name because I stopped counting the cars I built at 22, and the ‘junior’ part was what me and my buddies called…

The 59th running of the annual Pikes Peak Hill Climb marks a complete rejuvenation of this venerable event. The Hill Climb is second in age only to the Indianapolis 500, which held its 65th annual race this year. With a new promoter, a new sanctioning body, and a new class of racers added to the program (in addition to the reappearance of the motorcycles), this year’s Hill Climb has taken on a whole new look. The expertise of the new promoter, Charlie Tutt, was evidenced by the increased interest in the event in both attendance, in excess of 50,000 people, and the largest purse ever paid at this event, which totaled more than $65,000, not including contingency awards. Prize money extended down to 10th position in each class. In the…

Gary Gasaway, the Fontana, California-based auto parts and paint store mogul, has a certain amount of ‘glass. It’s in the form of his “Berdoo-built” ‘64 Corvette roadster. “What I wanted was a Corvette, one that was different in every way.” And by its looks, ol’ Gary has achieved his goal. The Vette’s body has been molded front and rear—modified fenderwells, a front air dam, and a paint combination (Porsche Indian Red augmented with brilliant blue graphics) that is certainly different. Check out “Classaway’s” interior. The Recaro seats pick up the plastic fantastic’s color scheme to a “T.” But don’t ask me about the wheels. They’re rare 10 and 12-inch aluminum/mag units made by the defunct Rialto Automotive Machine Company. They are used in conjunction with B.F. Goodrich P275/15 and P295/15…

To give you an idea how tough the competition on the ISCA show circuit is, we decided to feature just some of the finalists in attendance at the Grand Finale wrap-up at the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas on June 11-13. Only the top 10 points finishers of the five ISCA divisions are invited to the Grand Finale, and the International Grand Champion is usually decided at this show if the points race is close. This year, Everett Rezendes was given top honors with his Cranberry Delivery (featured in Oct. ’80 HR). He was closely pursued by Tony Federlein in his Comp Class T-roadster. The winners are determined by the points total from an entrant’s four best shows plus the, Finale. These guys deserve a lot of credit. The show…

Once upon a time there was 105-octane super premium gas. Even run-of-the-mill premium was 100 octane, and normal regular spec’d out at about 95-97 octane. You could run just about any compression ratio you wanted … and pay only 25¢ per gallon. If all this now sounds like a fairy tale, you’re right. Even as the price of gas continues to climb, the octane—or ability of the gasoline to resist pinging—continues to fall. Today, pump premium is down to about 91 octane, and as for regular … forget it. Hot rodders must learn to build their engines according to real-world conditions. One hot rodder, George Striegel, proprietor of Clay Smith Engineering (5870 Dale Ave., Buena Park, CA 90621, 714/523-0530), has developed some general guidelines for building low-compression engines that will…

Remember the old respiration axiom, “In comes the good air, out goes the bad air?” Well, last month’s Series dealt with the various methods of inducing air-fuel mixtures into an engine. This month we’ll explore some of the aspects of exhaust gas removal, interwoven with a number of related wrinkles that you may be able to apply directly to a favorite exhaust gas producer. But first, let’s lay a little foundation for some later discussion. Suppose we have a single-cylinder, four-stroke-cycle engine. Its exhaust “system” consists of a single pipe leading from the exhaust port to the atmosphere. At the instant the exhaust valve first opens, expanding exhaust gas creates a high-pressure “wave” in the pipe and begins moving toward the open end. Consider how this process takes place in…

High-Powered Powder Bullet-Proof Powder Coating (Dept. HR-10, 14710 Lull St., Van Nuys, CA 91405) has announced the availability of custom epoxy powder finishing for all chassis and engine parts. The process features 160 psi impact strength, run-and-blemish-free coating, and resistance to gas, solvent, nitro, and brake fluid. A multitude of colors (including candies and metallics) are offered. Brochure: $1. Dash of Hope Made from a single piece of aluminum, the Motorcar Design Corp. (Dept. HR-10, P.O. Box 513, Plymouth, MI 48170), new “modular” instrument panel is designed to fit any flat dash, giving it a modern, contemporary look. The new dash is designed for recessed rear mounting of Stewart-Warner gauges, which are optionally available with the panel. Well Reared This Hi-Tuff alloy steel Ford axle from Dura Blue Mfg. (Dept.…

The place is Huntington Beach, the center of SoCal surfing activity just north of exclusive Newport Beach. It’s a beach community lined with surf shops and fast food eateries, and divided by the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), a perfect place to cruise with its abundance of bikini-clad ladies to look at. It used to be a territory owned by Woodies, highboy roadsters, and an occasional Ferrari spilling over from Newport. Now there’s a new breed stealing the scene, bug-like sedans, flamed and louvered, emitting sounds like Terry Vance’s 12,000-rpm Pro Stock Suzuki bike. They’re tough customers at the stoplights. In first gear it’s back on the wheelie bars with the front wheels just skimming the pavement. These are true 12-second Streeters that cost under $5000 to build, make 15-20 mpg,…

Anyone who believes “bracket racing” isn’t a big-time sport hasn’t been to Byron Dragway lately. Located 15 miles southwest of Rockford, Illinois, this track, during the last weekend in June, was host to the largest bracket race ever held. Owner Ron Leek, who perhaps has done more than anyone else to help bracket racing come of age, advertised a $70,000 cash purse for the main event and for the first time in three years was able to pay it all out, thanks to the full field that came out to compete. Winning the $10,000 E.T. 1 first prize was Marty Woods’ ’70 Opel; he drove past the redlighting Funny Car of Gary Gorman to do it. In E.T. 2, Joe DeMarais in a Chevelle beat consistent Glenn Reeder (last year’s…

Summertime in Muskego, Wisconsin, brings out the best in high-performance fun runners because that’s when Mike Freeman unwraps his candy orange, red, gold, and brandy wine ’69 SS Camaro and makes the local street scene. Save for the set of 600-cfm Holleys that erupt through the stock hood, Mike’s magnificent marauder remains visually stock on the outside. But not on the inside. Under its 12-year-old sheetmetal lies a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The Camaro’s front suspension has been altered with the use of 80-20 shocks attached to a Jack Liberto-massaged 2x2-inch square tube subframe. The hero’s rearend, narrowed to 44½ inches, has been fitted with full floating ladder bars, polished wheelie bars, and a set of leaf springs augmented with Pro Shockers shocks. Meanwhile the wheel/tire combination features a pair…

New Ignitions Vary Timing To Fight Detonation Pinging—that sound that resembles pebbles being thrown on a tin roof—has become familiar to all of us as a common occurance with today’s low-octane fuel and reduced engine speeds. Call it pinging, spark knock, or detonation, it’s certainly not music to the ears of anyone who appreciates finely tuned, smooth-running engines. Still, it is something with which we must deal. It used to be thought that all detonation was detrimental to an engine; however, recent research has shown that isn’t necessarily the case. Lower levels of detonation may not substantially reduce engine life, as previously believed. Only when the level of detonation exceeds the structural strength of the engine does it become destructive. In fact, some engines, such as diesels, continually run in…

Just six months ago HOT ROD wrote that computers would someday control many functions on a motorcycle. Well. Honda just squashed our prediction of a long wait by introducing the incredible CX500 Turbo, which sports an elaborate computer, a whole bunch of horsepower, a tiny turbo that revs like crazy, styling from somewhere in the 1990s, and enough new technology to keep a patent lawyer on permanent retainer. In one leap, this machine becomes the most technologically sophisticated motorcycle in the world—by a mile. It will dazzle engineers from IBM, AiRe-search, and General Motors. It brings motorcycles to the forefront of vehicular technology. It symbolizes where bikes will likely be in the late 1980s. But perhaps most importantly, it’s a good motorcycle—fun to ride, powerful, a handling fool, sleek looking,…