Indholdsfortegnelse for July 1987 i Hot Rod

It’s happening. Slowly, the parts are becoming available. But more important, the acceptance of “smog-motored” cars and parts as performance platforms is rapidly becoming a reality. This may not sound like earth-shattering news, but consider where we were in the mid-1970s and early ’80s. Few hot rodders would have dared to consider a 1978 Camaro, for example, as a starting point for a high-performance street project. The cars were heavy, slow, and burdened with bulky smog pieces. For the bold few who tried to make these cars work, the smog parts were usually the first things removed. Thankfully, this attitude is beginning to change. Take, as an example, our stories this month on HyperTech’s computer chips and the Gale Banks exhaust system. Both of these aftermarket add-ons were designed to…

CLUB RACING To most people, the words “car club” represent an established group of automotive enthusiasts who enjoy one-particular style of car, usually street driven classics of one form or another. One motor-minded group, however, was formed for the love of drag racing. Now 30 years old, the Coachmen Auto Club has built a number of drag racing cars for competition purposes. Their latest endeavor is a 1986 Corvette Super Comp Funny Car built by Mick Baker Race Cars. The Corvette was built with a large assortment of adjustments to accommodate the full range of members within the club. Motivation comes from a carbureted big-block Chevy while the remainder of the drivetrain is comprised of a Coan Powerglide and a Strange differential. In addition to their racing activities, the Coachmen…

As someone said the other day, “There’s a lot more to drag racing than just NHRA.” What he was specifically referring to has been the International Hot Rod Association’s (IHRA) incomparable array of Top Sportsman bracket racers. Unlike Maryland’s “booked in” Wild Bunch of supercharged gassers and roadsters, or the NDRA’s mild bunch of diggers, comps, and modifieds, the IHRA’s Top Sportsman potpourri of doorslammers, altereds, and diggers, is fast becoming the most popular segment of IHRA’s nine-event racing schedule. According to Butch McCall, the IHRA’s marketing/public relations rep, “Our Top Sportsman category evolved out of the ’Street Rod’ bracket class which we created back in 1978. By 1981 the Street Rod bracket outgrew its original T-bucket image and was atracting both dragsters and doorslammers, so we renamed the bracket…

In the course of developing calibrations for the Hyper-Tech Power Chips, Heffington also uncovered a few items of interest. “We found that procedures long used to improve the performance of both street and racing engines also work on computer-controlled engines if the proper modifications are made to the PROM,” Mark stated. “For instance, lowering coolant temperature increases horsepower because the intake manifold is cooler and that makes for a denser intake charge. We found that installing a 160-degree thermostat in place of a 195-degree model consistently added 15 Ibs./ft. of torque at 1500 rpm, and 5 lbs./ ft. at 5000 rpm. The torque gain at higher rpm is less because the air is moving faster through the intake system, allowing less time to pick up heat. Cooling the intake charge…

Both NASCAR (the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) and the SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) made places for the ponycars in two separate series of superspeedway and road course contests—the Grand Touring and the Trans-American, respectively. Rules involved called for a 5-liter (or, 305-cube) displacement limit, a specific wheelbase dimension, limited weight, homologated model eligibility (a certain number of each car had to be built), and a single 4-barrel carburetor. NASCAR’s “Baby Grand Nationals,” or “Baby Grands,” as they were called, were well-accepted, but the series was relatively short-lived. The SCCA’s Trans-Am ponycar contests were also popular, and the series is still being run today, although in somewhat more radical form. Dodge T-A entries in 1970 were fielded by Ray Caldwell’s Autodynamics Corporation, where a pair of…

As someone said, “form follows function.” Six years ago, with this in mind, Gene Burkland of Great Falls, Montana, began to convert a 1975 Datsun B210 into a competition coupe designed to go over 300 mph. And it did, two years ago, on the return leg of a two-way-averaged, 294-mph blast at the ’85 Bonneville Nationals. Gene, a welder by trade, started by fabricating a chassis out of chrome-moly tubing stretched over a 165-inch wheelbase and fitted with a custom-built dropped tube axle, tube radius rods and Watts links, plus Monroe shocks and Bendix disc brakes. The coupe’s (?) rear suspension is centered around a Halibrand “quickie” using a 2.08 ring and pinion, floating axles, tube radius rods and Watts links. The wheel and tire combo features Cagle 16x6 front,…

HIS HERS As we all know, good things come in pairs, and ’66 Mustangs are no exception, especially for Bakersfield, California’s Bob and Janice DiRocco. Bob’s love affair with ’66 Mustangs dates back to 1975 when, as a fresh high school graduate, he bought his first car, a 302-powered notchback. The car was typical of the era and Bob’s inexperience: jacked up and rolling on oversized rubber. Soon, Bob had convinced girlfriend Janice (now his wife) to drive a Mustang herself, and she eventually bought her ’66 in 1978. Double-dating then took on a whole new meaning. Later, a close encounter with something concrete sent Bob’s first Pony to the boneyard, but not until he and friend Pete Henderson had transferred all of the mechanicals into another ’66 shell. Bob…

Last month we introduced you to a typical East Coast classic car—a ’57 Thunderbird with patches, pop rivets, cracks, plastic filler, and plenty of insidious rust under its skin. As a demonstration to highlight the uses of their abrasives and other autobody products, as well as to keynote a similar (but pristine) ’57 ’Bird they are giving away in a national contest, the Norton Company delivered the cancerous car to Stew Abrams’ Ballston Auto Body (Ballston Spa, New York) and said, “Fix it… the right way.” They also offered to let us watch, and report the correct procedures to you. Stew started by stripping the ’Bird of all paint and prior bodywork, and followed by cutting all rusted or improperly patched sheetmetal from the body. Rust is just like cancer:…

Conventional inclinometers, protractors, and angle finders are not really suited for race car or high-performance use. Crawling around underneath a car, it’s hard to use or read these devices within 1 degree of accuracy. Most manual inclinometers also suffer from “hysteresis"—that is, the indicator lags behind the actual true reading. Lamb Components (Dept. HR, 1259 W. 9th St.. Upland, CA 91786, 714/985-1901) now distributes this trick Sperry AngleStar electronic digital protractor, it features a 90-degree range with 360-degree positioning, and reads out to within 1/10 of a degree. As such, it’s ideal for setting spoiler angle, adjusting suspensions. and dialing-in caster and camber. According to Roger Lamb, this device, in conjunction with a good commercial Snap-On toe-in gauge, will allow the do-it-yourselfer to perform more accurate home wheel alignments than…

CARS & DRUCKS ’55 CUSTOM BUICK. 56.000 original miles, completed June ’86 S8000, or trade for street rod or Corvette Walt Campbell, 5631 Lake Michigan Dr. Fairfield, OH 45014. (513) 829-4675. ’67 CAMARO COUPE. Red, 327, Powerglide, all original, adult-driven. Never raced or wrecked. $6000 cash. Greg Lawler, 118 Dexter Cir., Madison, AL 35758, (205) 830-0185. ’70 CHALLENGER T/A. All original, good shape, orange, black interior. Priscilla Pennington, HC 70 Ruin Rd., Sandy Hook, KY 41171, (606) 738-4330. ’55 CHEVY SEDAN DELIVERY. 327, 4-speed, only 3100 made. Runs and looks great. $6000, o.b.o. (215) 624-9908, days; (215) 331-8024, nights. 65 CORONET. Unmodified rebuilt 426 Wedge, new red paint, no rust ever, 3.23 rear. Very beautiful, fast car. $5500. Frank Mallory, 1350 N. Crestview, San Bernardino, CA 92404, (714) 888-4484. CHRISTINE!…

MORE SWIMSUIT YAY AND NAY Hey, you guys, I just picked up your latest and possibly best issue, the Swimsuit Edition. I am deeply disturbed that you said it might be your last. In response, I have taken my baby brudder hostage. I’m holding a loaded. 030 caliber water pistol to his nead; and if that fails, 10 large red wax candles are strapped to his body and set to go off if you do not make this a yearly ritual. My demands are simple: hot cars, hot trucks, hot bikinis, and hot gals—all fitting in a magazine called “HOT ROD.” The ball is in your court. A.A.B.B.(American Association for Babes in Bikinis) Congratulations on your first and hopefully not last Swimsuit Issue. This is what hot rodding is all…

Dateline: Detroit, Michigan, 1981—in an effort to meet more stringent exhaust emissions and fuel economy standards, automakers have developed on-board computerized engine controls. With ignition timing and fuel management in the hands of a system “brain,” known as an Electronic Control Module (ECM), ignition and fuel system variables can be more precisely controlled to meet government standards. However, with the advent of these electronic systems, the capability of modifying ignition and fuel calibrations has been taken out of the hands of the vehicle owner, backyard mechanic, and even the factory-trained service technician. Engine modification is also no longer an option for car owners as the computers will not function properly if aftermarket performance parts are installed. Dateline: Memphis, Tennessee, 2987-Disregard the previous paragraph. By simply changing the Programmable Read Only…

While HyperTech is currently the most advanced performance computer chip company, there are also a number of other manufacturers offering their own brand of silicon super-charging for late-model high-performance cars. This technology did not come easy as the people at HyperTech can attest. None of the major auto-makers were cooperative when approached about their chip technology, so performance chip manufacturers could only learn the factory codes by trial and error. It took HyperTech two years to decipher the GM data tables, and while they already have the Chrysler data, much of the Ford information is still being pursued. The point is that HyperTech has a lot of high-caliber computer science on their side, so it seems reasonable that they would be capable of making a proper chip. Others may or…

This little blue pickup is incredible. Neither a picture nor a thousand words do it justice. Start with the fact that it was built by 53-year-old Jim Ellett and a bunch of friends (including Jim and Marty Gooch, Don Ellett, and Jerry Hilt) ’ in rural Eastern Oregon (The Dalles) without any big-time “Pro” help. Consider that it is fully street-legal—and street driven. Yet by merely bolting on a set of slibks (as shown here) and running through four mufflers, it has already cut low 9’s at the track at over 140 mph, and Jim is confident of hitting the 8’s. But the clincher is that “Lil Blue” has also been blowing them away on the car show circuit. It won the ISCA national class championship in 1986, leads in…

It used to be the only cars worthy of sports car status were those limited to two seats—one for the driver and the other for a favorite companion. In the Eighties, however, practically every high-winding econobox is marketed as being “sporty.” So it’s a welcome sight when you run across a few traditional sports cars that put those pretenders to the title in their place. We’ve selected three of the most affordable performance two-seaters for this shootout. From least expensive on up, they include the Pontiac Fiero GT, the Toyota MR2, and the Mazda RX7—three hot profilers targeted at the working class street hero. All three of our boulevard cruisers are rear-wheel-drivers. While externally traditional, two very distinct powertrain methods are used to propel this trio’s rear rubber. In the…

Scott Depew of Keokuk, Iowa, was quite content with his ’83 Pontiac Trans Am until his stepson convinced him to attend a meeting of the local Tri State Street Machines club. He immediately became a convert to the street machine way of life. Soon after that Scott was busy building a motor and installing a Latham supercharger. A low-profile Latham intake manifold mounts the blower, which is fitted with a 600-cfm Holley carburetor and a Weiand air cleaner. The engine is equipped with Holley valve covers, Earl’s braided steel lines, and assorted engine dress-up components from Mr. Gasket. Scott chromed some of the underhood components, but relies mainly on the supercharger and fine detailing to make his street machine statement. Completing the Trans Am’s appearance was as easy as bolting…

The motorcycle before you may well represent the future of streetbikes. Called the MC2, it’s a unique combination of an outrageous showbike and a functional demonstration prototype of an all-new front suspension system. In practical terms the most startling aspect of the machine is the front end. Almost all conventional motorcycles use telescopic forks—but there are, insist suspension innovators like James Parker (the moving force behind RADD, Incorporated, and the builder of the rolling chassis), better ways to position the front wheel on a motorcycle. Eliminating the long, flexy legs of conventional forks allows a chassis designer to make the frame more rigid, lighter, and places the weight lower. It can also reduce steering inertia dramatically, allowing the machine to be highly responsive to steering inputs, while simultaneously improving stability.…

Pontiac has been collecting some mighty impressive results since the start of the IMSA season. After his Daytona 24-Hour class victory with the AT&T Camel Light Fiero, Bob Earl hopped in the Dingman Brothers’ 11-day-old GTO Fiero, covered 24 pratice laps around the Miami Grand Prix course, and then went on to win the event. The fact that it was the first race the new GTO Fiero chassis and 4.5-liter V6 engine were ever entered in adds even more significance to the car’s successful debut. At the conclusion of his maiden GTO ride, Bob Earl became the first driver to take Fiero entries to victory in IMSA’s GTU, GTO, and Camel Light classes. Earl was also awarded his first Norelco Driver’s Cup by the motorsports media for his outstanding driving…

The Gatornationals wasn’t “just another drag race” by any stretch of the imagination. For starters, Darrell Gwynn unloaded another as sault on the Top Fuel ranks with a new record 5.220/271.82 that should have also put him in the winner’s circle. But Joe Amato put together a string of 5.30’s along with a final round 5.29 to defeat “the Kid” for the money, in the fastest Top Fuel race in history, 5.295/274.05 to 5.307/266.74. Funny Car was equally as electric when Don “The Snake” Prudhomme, fresh from his year-long hiatus, proved he’d lost nothing in the interim by coming from a No. 7 qualifying position to defeat Johnny West, driving Roland Leong’s Hawaiian Punch, when West broke. This was the Snake’s first win since 1982! Pro Stock was also exciting…

Sassy Mufflers Borla Industries offers a full line of stainless steel exhaust system components, including glasspak and dynotuned turbo mufflers, straight and prebent tubing, tailpipes, and muffler clamps. For more information, contact Borla Industries, Dept. HR-07, 2639 Saddle Ave., Oxnard, CA 93030, (805) 983-7300. Lock ’em Dano You can now protect your expensive radial-shod steel (Rallye, steelies, and all others) wheels with McGard’s new “under-the-hubcap” wheel locks. Made of high-quality, through-hardened steel, these tough but lightweight locks feature McGard’s typical round and low profile that makes them impossible to grip with tools. For more information, contact McGard, Inc., Dept. HR-07, 852 Kensington Ave., Buffalo, NY 14215, (716) 833-6120. Plastic Convert ERTL has just released a 1/25th-scale plastic model of the 1969 Camaro SS convertible. This two-in-one kit (stook or street…

Gary “Goodguy” Meadors is up to his old tricks again. Five years ago Gary introduced street rodders to creeper races (automotive creepers powered by go-cart engines). Now at Gary’s upcoming event, the West Coast Nationals (August 14-16 at the Pleasanton Fairgrounds in California), he’s scheduled a zany valve cover showdown. Participants who enter a rolling valve cover will have the opportunity to race another competitor side-by-side down an inclined track using gravity for power. The track will be made up of one 24-foot divided plank raised 24 inches on the launch end which levels to an 8-foot flat track. Valve cover entries cannot employ engines or propulsion of any kind and must meet the following criteria: 15-inch maximum width, 30-inch maximum length, 10-inch maximum height, and 10 pounds maximum weight.…

It’s incredible that after spending a total of $14,000, plus two years of effort, all Randy Cram, a 33-year-old machinist from Waukegan, Illinois, could get in the form of recognition was a “most unique” award for his incredibly original 1938 Hudson Ter-raplane. Most unique sounds like “sorta interesting” or “kinda neat” instead of the truly outstanding effort that it is. It takes self-confidence to gamble on such an obscure rod. According to Randy, “The car came home all apart. I didn’t even know what it should look like or if all the parts were there.” Obviously, Randy pulled it off. He started by swapping in a “lowered” 1979 Mustang front clip and adapting a ’62 Chevy rearend to fit the otherwise stock Hudson frame. A further rake was achieved by…

When I first heard about the effect of HyperTech’s Power Chips, I was skeptical. But the concept was intriguing, so I contacted Mark Heffington and asked him for some performance figures. He quoted improvements in 0-to-60 times ranging from. 2 to almost 1.5 seconds stating, “By and large, the factory does an excellent job, considering that their calibrations are geared for the average person and average conditions. I’m not trying to imply that we’re smarter than the factory engineers, we just have different priorities. What we’re doing is trading off some of the tolerances (for things like low-octane fuel, inaccurate timing marks, and poor driving conditions) for additional horsepower. Our Power Chips bump up the timing to take advantage of 91-plus octane premium unleaded fuel. That improves performance, but you…

When Chrysler Corporation rolled out its all-new Dodge Challenger and Plymouth Barracuda E-body models for 1970, they were already developmentally behind the rest of the domestic ponycar pack. Chevy’s Camaro had had three years experience in proving itself a winner on racetracks and in the showrooms, and across town, Ford’s Mustang ponycar had been displaying its pavement pounding prowess since 1964. To counteract these distinct disadvantages in time, the Pentastar plan for their long-nose, short-deck E-cars was based around the same extensive engine option list that was offered in the corporation’s B-body Road Runner, GTX, Charger and Coronet R/T and Super Bee models. Specifically, available Challenger and Barracuda V8 options covered the 318-cubic-inch and 340-cid A-engines, the 383-cid and 440-cid B-series wedges (both 4-barrel and 440 6-barrel versions), and the…

One of the more introspective aspects of working at HOT ROD Magazine is wondering where all the cars went. What’s happened to all the cars that have appeared in HRM? Most, probably, got trashed. The one exception has been the Deuce. For some reason, the survival rate of 1932 Fords is phenomenal. And Gary Lorenzini’s “licked and tricked” three-window coupe is no exception. Gary’s example had been an HRM cover car about 20 years ago, but after buying the car in 1974, Gary became involved in the real estate business so the little Deuce coupe ended up a garage queen once again. There it sat in need of paint, updated chassis, and threads until a few years back when, in Gary’s words, “I turned the car, plus a set of…

When most people think of Pro Street cars, they immediately envision ultra-dollar, custom-built road chariots. Knowledgeable performance enthusiasts know that it doesn’t take mega-bucks to get Pro Street performance. Take Mickey Bodigon’s ’66 Chevrolet as a perfect example of a low-dollar, Pro Street attempt. Mickey bought this Chevy II while he was still a junior in high school. After sentencing the car to four years of commuter duty, he gradually started to optimize its potential. About the time Pro Street struck high on the popularity charts, Mickey realized this was the direction he wanted to pursue. To keep costs down, refurbished used parts were used instead of new whenever practical. The engine is a 79 vintage 350 bored. 030-inch over. Aftermarket horsepower-producing components include Chevy’s pink connecting rods, a Cam…

Lil’ Willy’s dream was to become a race car driver, like his dad. He started attending races as soon as he could walk and his goal was to meet his heroes, Phil Hill and Dan Gurney. While only five years old Lil’ Willy was already showing the self-confidence that he’s known for today, and he managed to get his picture taken with his heroes. Little did Willy know then that he would one day drive for Dan Gurney. For his debut at the helm of Gurney’s GTO Toyota Celica in the 1987 Sebring 12-Hour Camel GT race, Willy T. Ribbs did a fine job leading the pack, until a radiator puncture and subsequent engine failure forced him to an early retirement. Knowing Willy T., and his hearty driving style, it…

Watching drag races is fun, but driving one’s own dragster would be even better. Knowing few of us will ever have that opportunity, Winston created their new Drag Racing Center. Present at every NHRA national event, Winston’s new attraction features narrated photo gallery tours of the 1986 drag racing season, video highlights of last year’s championship, as well as an explanation of the points fund system. But the Drag Racing Center’s main attraction consists of the drag car simulators that allow the fans to test their reaction times for prizes. Since admission is absolutely free, we urge you to visit the Winston Drag Racing Center next time you attend an NHRA national event.…