Indholdsfortegnelse for August 1987 i Hot Rod

Something's happening here, and what it is ain't exactly clear.” That line from an old Buffalo Springfield song holds some significance for the new generation of supercars charging out of Detroit. It also applies to my perspective on the state of musclecars today. You see, I've always been a true believer when it comes to '60s supercars. I now own five different street machines, and not one of them is newer than 1967. While my age-group contemporaries nervously anticipate the time when they can dial themselves into a Porsche, BMW, or Mercedes, my daydreams consist of a completely restored big-block Chevelle or a 500-inch Pro Street '55 that could be driven cross-country. That may not do much to generate esteem among my peers, but that's okay because I'm having fun.…

We are very happy to announce that, yes, the HOT ROD National Model Car Contest will happen again this year. Not only that, but through the generous sponsorship of Revell, Inc. (makers of the HOT ROD Series of model car kits), this time we will be awarding cash prizes to the first three places in each age division, with a cool $1000 up for first place in both Adult and Teen. The other big news is that the contest is now open to any type or brand of model car or pickup. It can be based on a kit or scratch-built, 1/s-scale or smaller. However, remember that judging—by another panel of invited model and hot rod experts—will be subjective, and will emphasize creativity, design, use of color, proportion, originality, and…

We are sad to report the demise of Fat Jack Robinson's '46 Ford coupe—a car we judged one of the 10 best hot rods of 1986, and a hot rod which assuredly has secured a place in the history of the sport. After a disappointing season last year breaking Powerglides on the line, then installing a Lenco and blowing the driveshaft out of the car, Jack had beefed the entire driveline over the winter and was gunning for the 8s and a Pro Street class win against the blown Willys Gassers at the 7th Nostalgia Nationals drags at Fremont last May. Driver Dave Condit had made two promising partial passes getting the shift linkage set, then charged off the line late Saturday on a very strong run. At about three-quarter…

Unlike most of its competitors, the Chevrolet Mark IV Rat motor was designed from the beginning to be a high-performance race engine, with the initial Daytona “Mystery Motor” configuration merely toned down to meet the exigencies of everyday, real-world economic reality. Because of its racing heritage, Chevy's big-block can easily be built to just about any realistic horsepower and torque level imaginable—using mostly factory parts. On the street, you don't even need most of the high-performance exotica developed for Chevy's all-out non-racing race program. It's so easy to get 450-plus hp that, in addition to the usual “mild” and “wild” combos, we've come up with a “super wild” build spec that's still streetable, yet produces well in excess of 500 hp on 92 octane unleaded pump gas! Over the years,…

Editor Jeff Smith feels that John Lingen felter's simplified approach to the inches-are-everything philosophy is embodied in one of John's 496-inch (okay, so it's not 500-inch, but 496 is close enough) eco streaks. Lingen felter's cost-conscious combination is based on a .060-inch over 2-bolt main 454 cast-iron block, and the most expensive part in his conversion, a “quarter inch” stroker crank. This 4.130 by 4.250-inch combo relies on an unmachined raw forging which is reground to provide a 250-inch-longer stroke than with a stock 454 crank. Other elements in this poke 'n' stroke scenario include shaving .125 inch off the piston dome (John prefers a Sealed Power 7060P forged aluminum slug) to keep the compression ratio to around 9.2:1, reworked (and resized) production steel 454 rods, one of Competition Cam's…

Although we've treated these 500-plus-inch monster movers in a generalized form, using the O.E.M. (original equipment manufacturers) cast-iron blocks as the basic ingredient in this “inches-are-everything” overview, there is another alternative to this scenario. We call it “the golden rule” factor. In other words, “he who has the gold, rules.” For an additional $4000, the real dominant displacement demon can buy an aftermarket aluminum block—just like the Top Fuelers do—and really get cubic-inch crazy. For instance, Alan Root's tail-deck Boss blocks allow the Ford fanatics to stick 700-plus inches of hemi or wedge Henry under the hood. We also understand that Nick Arias is now offering an aluminum big-block for Fords, too. Chevy lovers, however, are the ones who have it made. In addition to Chevy's own “Bow-Tie” aluminum block,…

According to Scott Plunkett, a car painter from Marietta, Georgia, “I originally bought my '72 Camaro knowing that it was already set up for a blower and all it really needed was a transmission and a paint job. So fixed it up and here am.” This, ladies and gents, is one way to build a low-cost Camaro—find a nice car that someone else has given up on, and finish it off. Being a car painter by trade, Scott merely laid on an arrow-straight black acrylic lacquer paint job, then added some subtle candy purple graphics. Interior-wise, Scott's rod remains conservative. Just the addition of a stainless steel dash, a set of Stewart-Warner gauges, and a wood grain steering wheel keeps the interior away from stone stock. Other than offset spring…

It's hard to imagine that once upon a time, Chevrolet, a division of General Motors Corporation, was instrumental in the production of racing cars which were “skunk-works"-designed and constructed for all-out stock car competition. What's more, Chevrolet actually invited the country's circleburning set to do the same. The invitation was tendered in a two-part form. Part one appeared, during April 1957, as a 26-page pamphlet entitled “1957 Chevrolet Stock Car Competition Guide.” The guide's introduction, written by Robert D. Lund, National Sales Promotion Manager at Chevrolet, contained the following paragraph: “This Stock Car Guide is the first publication of its type in the country and contains information that can be used to assist individuals who plan to participate in stock car racing. This valuable brochure is provided to acquaint dealers,…

Forrest Thornbrugh's practical approach to building a 12-second street machine is based on an inexpensive, S500 '77 Buick Skyhawk that provided the basic platform for his unique engine swap combination. Utilizing kit components from Kenne-Bell Performance Products, he built and installed a streetable 350-cubic-inch Buick V8 that really cranks! The Buick 350 is almost 100 pounds lighter than a small-block Chevy, and it makes plenty of power when equipped with Kenne-Bell's high-performance engine components. Their swap kit makes the 350 Buick a bolt-in with chrome headers designed specifically for the Skyhawk application. The car also runs a Kenne-Bell Turbo 400 trans with a switch-pitch torque converter and 4.10 gears in the stock 10-bolt rearend. The light weight and high specific output of the 350 Buick engine enables the car. to…

Pontiac's Trans Am GTA and Nissan's 300ZX Turbo are two of the most popular high-performance automobiles available today. As frontline representatives of today's musclecar lineup, the GTA and 300ZX Turbo both offer advanced performance and styling that clearly illustrates how far we've come in the 20 years since musclecars became the rage. Both are high-profile image cars with distinctly different approaches to the total performance formula. They turn and brake with near race car precision and accelerate quickly enough to keep any early musclecar in sight until they can blow by it in the first hard corner. Now in the sixth year of its current body style, the top-of-the-line Pontiac Trans Am GTA is the creme de la creme of Pontiac's musclecar heritage. This all-American GT delivers Pontiac excitement in…

While the early Chevy II is still a darling of the street machine set, '68 and later Novas are vastly overlooked in terms of availability and street machine potential. Tod Stafinbil's muscular '69 Nova is a perfect example of what you can do with a bread and butter car that is inexpensive and available on almost any car lot in town. Seeking the popular Pro Street look, Todd modified the chassis in his Nova with an Alston rear subframe, aluminum wheel tubs, ladder bars, a track locator bar, and a 12-point roll cage kit. A Dana 60 rearend was hung with Koni coil-over shocks and Chrysler drum brakes. The 15-inch-wide McCrearys on 15x14 Weld wheels get credit for the car's aggressive stance while 15x3 Weld wheels and 5.60x15 front tires…

DRAG RACING July 31-Aug. 1—UDRA Northern Nationals, Wisconsin International Raceway, Kaukauna, Wisconsin Aug. 2—UDRA 19th Annual Manufacturers Funny Car Showdown, Byron Dragway, Rockford, Illinois Aug. 14-16—NHRA 6th Annual Quaker State Northstar Nationals, Brainerd, Minnesota Aug. 22—Chief Auto Parts Fox Hunt Drags, Firebird International Raceway, Phoenix, Arizona Aug. 28-30—IHRA Motorcraft World Nationals, Norwalk Raceway Park, Norwalk, Ohio ROAD RACING Aug. 1-2—SCCA Bendix Trans-Am Series, Lime Rock Park, Lime Rock, Connecticut Aug. 2—IMSA Camel GT Series Ford California Grand Prix, Sears Point International Raceway, Sonoma, California Aug. 15—Firestone Firehawk Endurance Championship Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin Aug. 16—IMSA Camel GT Series Lowenbrau Classic Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin Aug. 29-30—SCCA Bendix Trans-Am Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin CIRCLE TRACK Aug. 2—CART/PPG Indy Car World Series Michigan 500, Brooklyn, Michigan Aug. 9—NASCAR The…

America is mini-truck crazy. We all know that. After all, wasn't FoMoCo's F-150 the best selling vehicle domestically in 1985? Pickup trucks have been dressed to play nearly every automotive game created by mankind. But mini pick'em ups had yet to be seen screaming around a road course prior to an Indy car race or a Formula One Grand Prix. Until now. New for 1987 is the SCCA Coors Racetruck Challenge! The series is open to all base-model, short-wheelbase, two-wheel-drive trucks powered by 4-cylinder engines with 5-speed transmissions, which guarantees the involvement of virtually every truck manufacturer along with some major sponsors. The trucks must comply with SCCA's Showroom Stock class specifications which allow a 3-inch lowering, the addition of stiffer springs and anti-sway bars, P215/60R-15 tires, and full roll…

FUTURE FUELER My name is Scott Hall and I decided to send pictures of my very detailed Lego Top Fuel dragsters. These cars are about 20 inches long, weigh 14 to 16 ounces, and can go 20 mph. My best car has a Don Garlits nose and canopy, Shirley Muldowney Indy-type rear wing, and Gary Ormsby's rear streamlining. P.S., I am the son of Dale Hall, the Rodeck Top Alcohol Dragster driver who went 6.26 at the Keystone Nationals. Scott Hall Granby, Connecticut NUMBERS MAN SAYS Your June '87 issue shows why my HRM collection is approaching 400 copies-it only gets better! Got one problem, though. As the numbers' man for the only Chevy engine plant to build big-blocks, I have to correct a statement in the “Best of the…

We're about to open a can of worms. That's inevitable when the bench racing discussion turns to building a hot small-block Ford. For starters, what exactly is a smallblock Ford? There are at least four possible versions, all more or less related. First is the 289-302 V8, which is definitely a small block. Second is its big brother, the 351-Windsor, which has a taller deck and much beefier bottom end with massive 3-inch main journals. Both the 289/302 and 351-W engines are considered “Windsors,” and use similar, inline valve wedge heads. Third, we briefly had the Boss 302 ('69'70) which combined the 302 short-block with Cleveland 4-barrel heads. Fourth is the 351-Cleveland, which uses a completely different block and a cylinder head with canted valves and huge ports. (A fifth…

This ground-scraping, fat-tired, mirror-smooth, black-lacquered, big-block '41 Willys would be an attention-qrabber in any hot rod crowd. But Ian Dawes' “Americar” is one of only three rodded Willys driving the narrow streets of England. Don't let that California plate fool you—Ian ordered it when he bought the '60s-style ex-race car sight unseen from Don Waldron in the sunny state and had him stow it on a boat bound for Ashford, Kent, U.K. Upon arrival, Ian totally rebuilt the stock frame with a narrowed rear, a K-member, a dropped tube axle in front with stainless four-bars, and the existing 5.36 early Olds rear narrowed to 44 inches in back. He then channeled the all-steel original body 6 inches over the frame, built tubs for the 33x19.5 M/Ts on 13x15 Center Lines,…

The face of performance is changing, Detroit is altering our conception of what it takes to build a hot boulevard bomber with an emphasis on complex computer-controlled engines and suspensions. So where does this leave the average hot rodder? Do we ignore this new generation of supercars, especially the tuned port-and fuel-injected smallblocks, or is there a way to tune these machines to reach even higher peaks of performance? If your answer to this is a resounding “go for it,” then stick around because, like the song says, “The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades!” Ford's 1987 Mustang GT is one of the strongest straight-line performers to come out of Motown in many moons. Not only is it powerful and plentiful, but it also affords a great starting place…

The term musclecar was originally used to describe big engined, ground-pounding, factory street thumpers. After all, cubic inches have always been notorious muscle builders and the “bigger is better” theory was prevalent in the days of pre-catalytic converters. Ford mass produced a number of these torque-biased boulevard blasters throughout the late Sixties and early Seventies showcased in Mustang, Montego, and even Torino sheetmetal. For enthusiasts such as Scott DaPron of Calimesa, California, the Cobra Torino represented one of the ultimate big-block sleeper cars. His 1970 “Yellow Jacket” pictured here is a direct descendant of the affordable Ford Fairlane. An intermediate in size, the Cobra Torino featured Ford's SportsRoof fastback option originally designed for low aerodynamic drag on the circle track circuits. Cobra Torinos came equipped with Ford's 429-cubic-inch bigblock based…

Cole Cutler talks about the learning curve he's experienced with his '34 Ford coupe. By now that curve should be asymptotic to infinity. More than 15 years ago Cole salvaged the ex-jalopy race car body from a junkyard for $20. The doors were welded shut; the body had been welded to the frame. In fact, he found the original frame in a dump nearby and hauled it home for free (he knew it was the same frame: part of the body was still welded to it). Cole enrolled in junior college auto body and paint classes to learn how to rebuild his '34. Before the end of the year the top was chopped, the body was channelled over the frame, and it was painted black lacquer with Cole's first-ever set…

Struck with dizziness after 10 years of left turns in NASCAR's Sportsman class, Boyce Eckard finally straightened up and decided on a change of pace, applying his chassis engineering savvy to the construction of a street-worthy Pro Style '78 Monza. Of the original Monza, Boyce only retained the body shell. After chemically lightening it up and hacking the original floor in favor of a flat 20-gauge steel piece, Boyce hung the hatchback body over a homebuilt 2x3-inch tube frame topped by a 10-point roll cage. Custom front and rear suspensions using modified Pin-to components, along with a 9-inch Ford rear located by a rod-ended three-link and a Panhard bar, bounce on Monroe coil-overs. Quick stopping is achieved via Pinto front binders and modified Mercedes rear disc brakes that mount 14x6…

SPOILING FOR WORK Q Would it be possible to take the front nose piece off (with headlamps and bumper assembly) and install a 1983-'87 Monte Carlo SS nose piece on my '81 Monte Carlo, plus add the rest of the SS body components to the rear scoop [sic] on the trunk lid? Mark W. C. Jones Covington, Kentucky A The entire Monte Carlo SS front nose piece (“fascia,” GM 16502362), front bumper bar, headlight assemblies, and all ancillary internal and external parts related thereto up to and including the front bumper energy absorbers will bolt to the existing '81-up Monte Carlo frame and fenders. To match the front end, front fender extensions 16502365 (left) and -6 (right) are also required. Once the correct holes are drilled in the existing trunk…

“We went, we saw, and we had a ball'' at the 7th Annual NDRA Nostalgia Nationals in Fremont, California—one of the few events devoted to genuine hot rodding, namely “affordable piston-powered butt kicking.” If the race car entry numbers (340) were slightly down in comparison with last year, the quality level was definitely on the rise, and the spectator attendance reached a record-breaking 11,000 for the May 1-3 event. Highlights included Jim Davis' sub-7-second clockings and his 214-mph top speed of the meet at the helm of the Tourte, Kaiser, and Davis digger. Sammy Hale's huge wheelstand at the wheel of the Champion Speed Shop Top Fueler; the awesome showings of the blown Gassers of Jack Coonrod, Ron Bizio, Junior Thompson, and Wayne Harry; and the excellent 7.33/205 by Don…

Actor/race car driver Paul Newman had a rough day at the April 24th Los Angeles Times Riverside Camel GT Grand Prix. After spinning his Nissan Turbo ZX with no damage in Turn Six early in the race, Newman got crossed up entering the swoopy Turn Nine and put his Nissan's off-road handling capabilities to the test through the infield. A couple of laps later he planted the Planters Nuts-sponsored Nissan into the Turn Nine wall.…

There's something to be said for questioning the relevance of higher education when the Industrial Design majors class assignment at the Art Center College of Design is to race brick-powered cars! Actually, this semi-serious event was a three-dimensional form project originated by Environmental Design instructor Gaylord Eckles (also responsible for a rubber band-powered drag race). The contest not only included an aesthetics and design judging, but also a side-by-side race for gravity and non-gravity-powered vehicles. There were no size or weight restrictions, but bicycle-size wheels were a must. Balsa wood and Styrofoam were used for the chassis and rear wheels, film reels made for racy front wheels, and steering was pirated from radio-controlled model cars. Over a dozen vehicles were entered, but only a few bore any resemblance to NHRA-legal…

Speedtrak The New Timex Speedtrak hand-held speed computer calculates the lap speed of a race car in mph or kph by simply dialing in the length of the course and timing the car around the track. Other functions include a 10-hour chronograph with timing to 1/100th of a second, 999-lap counter, and five-lap speed computer memory. Look for it wherever Timex products are sold. Kapitol News This new Kapitol Klean-AII parts washer uses only biodegradable, water-based Marlex solvent that virtually eliminates skin irritation, fire and explosion hazards, and disposal problems. The wash sink features a splash guard, a disposable filter, and a solvent heater, and it can be cleaned with a garden hose. For more information, contact Kapitol Klean-AII, Dept. HR-08, 5424 S. 39th St., Phoenix, AZ 85040, (602) 437-9588.…

Frank Hawley's Drag Racing School, located in Gainesville, Florida, has negotiated a deal with NHRA to support an amateur drag competition series at four national events. Students who have completed the school's gas dragster course will be eligible to buy into the series. The 1988 Gatornationals, held at the school's home strip, will serve as the introduction to the series. Plans call for the school to provide five identically prepared nitroused 454 Chevy gas dragsters and transport them to each event. The cars will feature full canopies, wheel enclosures in the front, and a Powerglide transmission with brake, and will be capable of 7-second runs. The cars will be as identical as possible. Even drivers will be weighed and weight added or subtracted from each car to maintain total vehicle…

With the 350-cubic-inch version of Chevrolet's small-block V8 now celebrating its Twentieth Anniversary, virtually every possible combination of high-performance parts has been tried in the hot rodder's never-ending quest for the optimum street small-block. Power levels approaching 700 hp with a single 4-barrel carburetor have been achieved in full race trim, and powerful street engines can be built in dozens of different combinations. Power and durability are long established traits of the small-block Chevy, but today's street environment calls for new and different combinations capable of achieving respectable street power levels on unleaded fuel of moderate octane. In practical application, it is a pain in the neck to add octane booster to every tank of fuel when it is still possible to build strong power levels with low-compression engines. The…

Over the years, Chrysler has produced a number of powerplants with the potential for making incredible street brawling horsepower. While the small-block 340 has its strong points, it doesn't quite compare to the brute torque characteristics of the fat-block 440. For this reason, we've chosen the Mopar big-block engine to outline both mild and wild street engine parts combinations that you could easily duplicate. The Chrysler 440 falls in the RB class of Mopar big-block engines. The initials “RB” stand for raised block, meaning a taller deck height than the B-engine to accommodate the RB's longer stroke. Other engines which fall into this category include the 413 and the 426 Wedge. The stroke for all three engines is 3.75 inches while bore specifications vary depending on the intended displacement. RB…

Why did they call musclecars factory hot rods? Because Detroit emulated the hot rodders by putting the biggest V8s at their disposal into some of the smallest/lightest passenger car bodies in their product line. Now that automakers no longer do that, we must do it ourselves … only bigger and better. Bigger is shining on anything that is called a small-or medium-block and stepping up to some serious, stump-pulling suds. Better means taking that big-block Ford, Chrysler, or Chevy and fattening it up with factory-supplied or aftermarket-manufactured big-bore, long-stroke, camshaft, carburetor, and compression kits. Bigger also means, “We don't mess around with anything less than 500 cubic inches''; better is defined as doing so on a somewhat “limited'' budget. So we thought it would be fun to make some calls…

For the Mopurists, the Dick and Mike show at Dick Landy Industries (DLI) offers a 512-inch “stroker” Wedge that is as “torquey” as it is “cheapie.” Based on a 1968 to '70-style 440 wedge block, and fitted with a 4.250-inch Hemi crank, this combo can displace either 505 cubic inches (with a .030-inch overbore) or a larger 512 inches if the buyer decides to take the bore out to .060-inch over stock. In order to accept the longer, 1/2-inch stroke, the block is blueprinted, notched for rod clearance, and re-machined to accept a 1/2-inch oil pickup. The cranks themselves are either forgings or billets, many of which have been discarded by the Hemi “racers” because they've switched to the more current 5/8, 3/4 -, and 7/8inch strokers. Yet these nearly…

Bruce Butler, a Mopar fan par excellence, restored several 1968-'69 Darts in his Washington Court, Ohio, body shop before acquiring the 1965 Coronet you see here. After driving the car in its stock form for two years, Bruce decided to join the Pro Street ranks. In only six months, with the help of friends Bo Adams and Dave Duff, Bruce had reached his goal while spending less than $10,000. Bruce tackled all of the metalwork and the 1986 GM Flame Red Ditzler Deltron paint job himself. The modifications included welding the S&W Race Cars rear sub-frame and chassis connectors to the unibody, stretching a new rear floor between the Competition Engineering wheel tubs, and bending an eight-point roll cage complete with swinging door bars. The 11-inch narrowed 81/2-inch rearend housing…

In this day and age where monochromatic paint schemes are the happening craze, a street machine accented with traditional boulevard-bound graphics is downright eyecatching. While quickly becoming cost-prohibitive, Joe Hidalgo managed to budget a complete high-profile Larry Cawaling paint job into his $7000 project '69 Mustang. Motivation for Joe's stallion comes from a .030-over 351 Cleveland packed with a steel crankshaft, TRW forged pistons, a Sig Erson bumpstick, and Competition Cams rocker arms. The short-block's too end is garnished with ported heads, a Holley Street Dominator intake, 600-cfm of carburetion, and a performance ignition. Exhaust headers are Hedman items. A Trans King-built C-6 automatic transmission backs up this Mustang's hi-po small-block. For improved durability, Joe added a Hayden trans cooler and a host of B&M components (remote oil filter, deep…

Although John Cooper's candy purple highboy and Mike Chrispyn's mellow yellow fellow are from the same genre—Deuce five-window coupes—they prove the point that no two hot rods are ever the same. Mike's full-fendered '32 is what we call a “reacher,” a Streeter that he drove from Goshen, Indiana, to Ventura, California, and back in 1980. John's high-tech highboy coupe is more of a show stopper, a 2605-pound runner-up to the Ridler Award at Detroit in 1986. Nose-to-nose, they make quite a pair. Note that John's example oozes with all the latest tricks, including-Fat Jack modular wheels sporting 15x81/2 BFGoodrich Comp T/A tires on the front and 12.50x33 BFGood-rich truck radials on the rear. The engine compartment is stuffed with a fully detailed, triple-Rochester-carbureted, milled and filled small-block, in addition to…

Summer is in full swing and we've got to take ' advantage of every sunny day before Mother Nature takes all the fun away. You want to take your hot rod out, but you have no particular place to go? Does the local “same old stuff” car show do as much for you as warm brew? Do you want to do something different with your car? Let us help you fight the summertime blues with this guide to hot (rod) fun in the summertime. In the following pages, we've rounded up a selection of alternatives that includes some driving events and various forms of competition. The key word here is FUN! WHERE IS THE FUN? Keep abreast of the scene by reading the calendar section of specialized magazines, your local…

Pickup trucks have always enjoyed a great popularity with the American public, but the sportiness and modern styling of the current models is generating an even larger interest in these utility vehicles. This interest has spilled over to the hot-rodding set and tricked-out trucks are gaining favor with the street set. Conscious of the impact of auto racing on the consumer, Jeep has joined the sports truck bandwagon with their new Comanche and assembled a dirt and asphalt racing program that involves the Unser family in Mickey Thompson's stadium races and the Pike's Peak hill climb, and with the Archer brothers in the SCCA Coors Racetruck series. To further promote the sporty character of their new truck, Jeep is currently building both a tricked-out two-and four-wheel-drive street-oriented Comanche. No mechanical…

Jerry Kugel, the “Komponent King” of Whittier, California, has a number of things going for him. In all probability, he is the fastest street rodder alive, having gone over 250 mph more than once in his record-holding, turbocharged Bonneville roadster. Jerry also spent 10 years working for AK Miller, designing and building his own ultra dollar-down fuel injector, and since the early '70s he's been involved in the construction of turn-key street rods. One of Kugel's specialties has been adapting XKE Jaguar suspension components to early Ford chassis, and it's been that type of hands-on involvement which ultimately led to this particular '32 highboy roadster. “The roadster,” said Jerry, “was built to show off my line of new, fully independent, stainless steel suspension products at the various rod runs throughout…

HEAD SWAPS: FORD “WINDSOR” SMALL-BLOCK Chris Kaufmann, owner of Advanced Engineering West (12418/2 Benedict Ave., Downey, CA 90242, 213/803-3677), specializes in high-performance Ford products, both old and new. He reports that it's easy to lower the compression of Ford 289/302/351W engines to run on today's pump gas. According to Chris, high-compression 289 motors (approximately 10.5:1 compression) can lower compression to 9:1 with 1969-73 351W heads. The early 351W heads have slightly larger valves and ports than 289/302 heads. Later 1977-'85 302/351W heads will decrease compression to 8:1 or less; the late 351W heads also do not have the larger valves. Early 302-4V motors had 56cc heads. Using the 1969-73 351W heads on this longer-stroke motor reduces compression from 10.2:1 to about 9.45:1. With 1977 and later heads, a further reduction…

CARS & TRUCKS '86 BUICK GRAND NATIONAL Be one of the very few to own the fastest production car made in America. T-tops, low miles, loaded and immaculate in and out. $21,000 o.b.o. Richard, (505) 776-8322 or (505) 758-2900. '56 CHEVROLET. All new and fresh. $8000. Terry Barnhart, 2828 Wildwood Cir., Odfessa, TX 79761, (915) 366-7794. '67 CHEVY II TWO-DOOR NOVA. Body good shape. $3500. Richard L. Lloyd, 14100 Mel Smith Rd. N.E., Albuquerque, NM 87123, (505) 293-1229. CHEVROLET LUV. 600-hp, dual turbocharged, 4-bolt 350, aluminum heads, 400 trans, narrowed 12-bolt Positraction, much more, big tires, clean, daily driven. $5000. Todd Meador, 12328 Hwy. 238, Jacksonville, OR 97530, (503) 8466498. '59 EL CAMINO. Mild custom, 327, 4-speed, P/S, P/B, A/C, stereo, fresh red exterior, mint original interior, perfect bed. Looks…