Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2003 i Hot Rod

I'm nearly ruined. I've become a soft late-model guy, appreciating my '01 Mustang’s amenities as I cruise 75 mph in numbskull comfort on the way to the dragstrip. I’ve discovered that, with a newer car, you don’t need to spend a million dollars restoring the thing before you can begin hopping it up. Your project doesn’t sit on cinderblocks for six months, the neighbors don’t call the cops, and girls will actually ride with you. Monthly payments? Ain’t no thang; It’s not like I wouldn’t spend that dough on speed parts and impound fees for my older wrecks, anyway. But there are still the hassles of electronics and vacuum hoses, smog nightmares, too much plastic, and—this could just be me—the aggravation of having to keep the car washed and even…

We’ve got Funny Car fever this month, what with the long-awaited Wilshire Shaker altered-wheelbase match basher completed and running wild on the freeways of L.A. The ½5-scale plastic model cars shown here were scratch-built by me and aren’t for sale, but they do demonstrate what could be the next trend in die-cast scale replicas: action-posed suspensions. Rather than having otherwise dynamic drag race models sit lazily at rest, the manufacturers of these neat replicas could add tons of extra excitement by duplicating the stance of a good hard launch. All it takes is a taller extended spring on the left rear corner of the chassis and a shorter compressed spring on the right rear. Throw in some wrinkled slicks and a lunging driver figure and static display models spring to…

The ’04 Woodward Dream Cruise nearly turned into the Nightmare on Woodward Avenue when the largest blackout in American history engulfed most of the northeast, including the entire city of Detroit, in total darkness two days before the annual event’s “official” Saturday start. But not even a blackout or scattered thunderstorms could quell the enthusiasm of the crowds who descended on suburban Detroit the third weekend of August. As has become the annual drill, anything on any amount of wheels was welcome and likely to be seen, from street rods to musclecars, factory prototypes to minivans, and buses to bicycles.…

These Innovative Turbo maps are just a few examples of some of the many available compressor variations. We’ve selected them because they meet the needs of common high-performance engine combinations in terms of efficiency and airflow. The selection is based on 15 psi of boost pressure (approximately a 2.0:1 pressure ratio), the absolute maximum for an electronically managed and efficiently intercooled engine running on pump gas. To select a compressor by means of an airflow map, use the engine airflow in lb/min to establish an operating line on the compressor map for the turbo combo in question. Choose a map so that the intersection point of lines drawn from the desired engine airflow in Ib/hr (the green vertical line in these examples) and the boost pressure-ratio axis (the blue horizontal…

Here's the big difference between this and a typical magazine motor: We ignored horse-power and went straight for big torque and total driveability. And to make it interesting, we did it with a small-block—a 450ci small-block—on 87 octane. How does 500 lb-ft at 2,000 rpm sound? That’s just where it gets started. This idea first hit us about 10 years ago when GM introduced the Rocket Block, an Olds-branded casting designed specifically for big-inch, small-block drag race applications with a raised camshaft location and 0.800-inch-wider-than-stock pan rails, both designed to clear long-stroke crankshafts. The Rocket was also available with a deck height of 9.325 inches, 0.300 taller than the blueprint spec of a stock Chevy block. At the time, those features demanded a bunch of fabricated parts that made the…

Keeping in mind that we wanted an absolutely smooth idle, huge torque, and zero-hassle driveability, we started out with a miniature hydraulic roller cam. And since we had trouble living with ourselves for choosing the tiny stick, we also tried a big one. Here’s how it went. Comp Cams XE270HR: This one’s got 218/224 degrees of duration at 0.050 tappet lift, a 110-degree lobe separation, and lift of 0.528/0.535-inch. That’s pretty tiny, proof of which was the no-load idle of 600-700 rpm with no lope whatsoever and a vacuum reading of 16-17 inches. That’ll run any power-brake system, run smoothly with an EFI setup, and will sound like a stock 350 to anyone you want to fool. With the 9.3:1 compression and aluminum heads it’ll never ping on 87 octane,…

You know you’re sick when a naturally aspirated 536 hp and 581 Ib-ft aren’t good enough. We considered the 450’s 9.3:1 compression and the stout Dart/Lunati short block and realized that boost had to happen. Since low-rpm torque was the quest, we pushed the centrifugal aside and yanked a big ol’ Roots huffer off the shelf. Sadly, the 420ci Holley MegaBlower that we tested was recently discontinued, but Weiand still offers both 6-71 and 8-71 GMO-type lungs for small Chevys. We feel that either one can match the power of the MegaBlower, which shoved our mega Mouse to 700 Ib-ft forever and (oops … we really didn't mean to) 722 hp at 6,200 before the valves floated. Way flat torque curve! The improvements over naturally aspirated were a ludicrous 120…

The hoary “Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday’ credo was coined before most of us reading this Were born; the idea, of course, being that whoever manufactured Sunday's race-winning car would be top-of-mind among those who needed a new car. little in most These days it makes with major forms of racing sharing sense, vehicles only a nameplate with their street-driven counterparts. Dig a little deeper, however, and WOSSOM is alive and well. Greg Gessler drag races his '72 GS Stage 1, and proudly waves the Buick Tri-Shield banner wherever and whenever he can—most recently and prominently in the Year One-sponsored Factory Appearing, Stock Tire (FAST) class, where he prods 2 tons of bias-ply-shod Buick through the traps in about 11.5 seconds at 121 mph. But clearly you can’t pop…

Say third-gen, as in Chevrolet's third iteration of the Camaro. Now say it without the “h,” as in how a lot of people not-so-affectionately feel about the ‘82-92 F-body. Built decades after the musclecar era, they aren't quite old enough to be classics, and with either smog-choked carbs or EFI and miles of convoluted wiring and vacuum hoses, they're new enough to scare off traditionalists. Their overwhelming popularity among those with business-in-the-front, party-in-the-back coiffures doesn't exactly help win style points either. Such disenchanting sentiments notwithstanding, there exists a group of die-hard third-gen fanatics that adamantly defend their precious machines. Compared to the now-euthanized fourth-gens, at least they were still really made in America and built out of actual steel. And let’s face it: There’s a good chance that most fourth-gen…

Some things really do run in the family. Since both of Kenny’s parents were talented artists, it was only natural he would pick up the trade as well. After spending a day at the San Gabriel Dragstrip at the age of 12, he was hooked on all things automotive. His airbrush work first appeared on the top drag machines of the 70s, where "Blood Did It" became well known. He then transferred his skills onto drawing boards and canvas, and later designed the graphics for the ZZ Top Eliminator car. Kenny now offers limited-edition prints featuring racing action of all varieties through Youngblood Motorsport Gallery: www.youngbloodart.com.…

Over the years, “blower" has become a generic term synonymous with beltdriven supercharger. Most enthusiasts use both words interchangeably, but technically, not all blowers are true air compressors. Blowers originated in non-automotive applications back in the 1800s, when the Roots brothers designed them to ventilate the hazardous air in coal mines. Once strapped onto internal combustion engines, they functioned in much the same way by “blowing” air from one place to another, in this case from ambient air into combustion chambers. However, unlike centrifugal and screw-type superchargers that actually compress air within their respective cases, Roots blowers simply “move" or “blow” air instead. So in essence, while still superchargers, Roots blowers are air-movers as opposed to true air-compressors. Does such nitpicking really mean anything in the quest to force-feed your…

Kids eating vegetables, the sun setting to the east, and college professors voting Republican—some things just aren't supposed to happen. So when Junior grabs a carrot instead of a candy bar, the earth reverses rotation on its axis, and Professor Smith votes for Bush, it’s a pretty big deal. In the world of drag racing, for brutally hard, consistent launches and impressive e.t.’s for a given mph, nothing beats a stalled and 'braked automatic until you get into Lenco/Jerico/Liberty territory. Conventional stick cars just aren't supposed to run repeatable 8s, but when Mark Luton of X2C Motorsports in Van Nuys, California, runs 8.99 at 155 mph and sets a new Tremec-five-speed record in the process, it warrants some hard-earned attention. All that at Los Angeles County Raceway, a track half…

Each year, tens of thousands of cars appear at shows and races nationwide. HOT ROD gets a chance to see more of 'em than most folks, and we have the humbling responsibility of picking the miniscule percentage that will end up photographed for the pages of the magazine. Our featured cars forever become part of the American hot rodding legacy, but once each year we focus the glory beam even more sharply as the staff selects the best of the best: The HOT ROD Top 10. Here's how it works: Any vehicle that has appeared anywhere in HOT ROD editorial during the year's 12 issues is eligible for a Top 10 vote. Each editorial staff member lists his 10 favorite rides and submits it for compilation. Votes are tallied, then…

When the eBay phenomenon blossomed on the Internet scene a few years back, it seemed the perfect venue for unloading old Partridge Family lunchboxes, unopened cans of Billy Beer, and just about any other Item of kitschy Americana you could imagine. Few people realized that “The World's Online Marketplace” would also become an incredibly useful resource for the buying and selling of cars and car parts. But it has, and activity in this virtual swap meet has reached such mammoth proportions that eBay spun off eBay Motors (www.ebaymotors.com), an arena devoted solely to automotive enthusiasts of every persuasion. Though some may be suspicious of the idea of buying parts or cars based solely on digital images flickering on a CRT monitor, guess what: It’s no different than conducting business via…

Hot girls and hot cars go together like sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll. But don't take our word for it, we’re just quoting one of the five models we selected to compete in our first-ever Miss HOT ROD Model Search. So what’s this all about? In years past, we’ve done the searching ourselves, taking on the arduous task of scanning folders full of Zed cards looking for that one lady with just the right look to carry the Miss HOT ROD banner. This time, we’re leaving that job up to you, our lucky readers. Hey, we’ve heard for so long how great our jobs are, we decided to share the experience with a few hundred thousand of you. The task is pretty simple, but we’ve made it as difficult…

'62 Chevy Bel Air Wagon David Haptonstall Hanna City, IL Some folks just can’t stomach the concept of storing their cars for the winter, but if your car looked as good as David's '62 Bel Air Wagon, you probably would. It sits on Air Ride Technologies airbags for that snow-skimming stance, and all the handles are shaved for that extra touch of cleanliness. Motivation comes from a mildly cammed 283 tied to a four-speed trans. '70 AMC Gremlin X Dusty Wooddell Parker, AZ How’s this for an odd couple? A 16-year-old who proudly flaunts his AMC. After he “washed 20 years worth of bird feces” off the Gremlin X, Dusty strapped an Edelbrock Performer intake manifold. Holley 650-cfm carb, and Mallory ignition to the 304ci mill. A TCI 2,500-stall converter…

… billet pulleys and mounting brackets for a '68 Pontiac 400? Greg BonatoVia e-mail For ’67- and up Pontiacs with 11-bolt short- or long water pumps and a four-bolt crank pulley, Rodney Red Performance Products (Evansville, IN; 877/962-7733 or 812/962-2222; www.rodneyred.com) sells serpentine beltdrive systems complete with billet pulleys and a late OEM-style belt-tensioner. Rodney Red serpentine-drive setups fit most '67- and up real Pontiac U-8s. If running power steering, you need to install a '74-and-later press-on-pulley pump. Rodney’s A/C pulley fits the popular Sanden aftermarket compressor, but the OEM unit still works by retaining the stock pulley. … higher-ratio rockers for an '89 Jeep 4.2L straight-six? Paddy FritzVia e-mail According to Hesco Inc. (Harley Engine Service Co.; Birmingham, AL; 205/251-1472; www.hesco.biz), a leading AMC straight-six racer and engine-builder, higher-ratio…

IN THREE WORDS: The World's Series THE GIST: Call it the World Cup of motorsports. Excluding us silly Americans and our obsession to go straight or turn left, just about everyone else in the world unanimously regards Formula 1 as the pinnacle of motorsports, period. From Monaco to Malaysia, from Suzuka to San Marino, from the Nurburgring to the Brickyard, F1 envelops all the great tracks of the world on a staggering global scale. The nationalism a home team generates rivals the Olympics, and the politics between drivers, owners, engine-builders, and the FIA puts Washington to shame. On two wheels or four, nothing on earth can turn quicker road-course laps than these mega-buck open-wheelers. VEHICLE SPECS: • Naturally aspirated V-10 engines spin to 18,000 rpm and generate 800-900 hp from…

What handles JE a BMW M3, stops like a new Corvette, and look like it rolled out of a Banhaus art Studio back in the ’30s? That would be' Chrysler's new Crossfire sports car the first result of the marriage of American style with German engineering that was wrought by the merger of Chrysler and Daimler-Benz. When the Crossfire was introduced back in 2001 as a concept car, it followed in the footsteps of a wave of aggressively innovative Chrysler design exercises that did more than just tease the possibility of future production. Based on the success of the Viper, Prowler, and PT Cruiser before it, it was virtually certain that a nearly identical production version of the Crossfire Concept would be offered for sale. Well, that day has arrived,…

We’ve all heard the homilies, “There’s no replacement for displacement,” and “You just can’t beat cubic inches.” The basis for these statements is that the greater an engine’s displacement, the more air and fuel can be squeezed into the cylinders, and the higher its potential power output. But they’re not entirely accurate: There is another way to stuff more air and fuel into the cylinders—lots more, in fact—without increasing an engine’s size. It’s called supercharging, which is a way to force more air into an engine than it could normally take in by atmospheric pressure alone. Only the most efficient normally aspirated race engines with very specialized induction tuning can exceed 100 percent volumetric efficiency (VE), but a supercharger’s forced induction makes exceeding 100 percent easy; 15 pounds of boost…

I remember the summer of 1974 like it was yesterday. I was 10 years old and no I amount of advertising hype could fool me into believing there was anything cool about the latest crop of new cars. Factory high-performance options like solid camshafts, big-blocks, multiple carburtion, 4.10:1 axle ratios, and cold-air induction were extinct, blown off the map by unleaded fuel and ugly 5-mph bumpers. It was a horrible experience for a car-hungry kid to awaken into such a famine. Then I discovered a stack of old car magazines at a yard sale. In those musty 1964-1967 back issues of HOT ROD, Super Stock &£ Drag Illustrated, Super Stock & FX, Car Craft, High Performance CARS, and others, I escaped to another world. It was an alternate reality where…

In addition to driving the NASCAR oval, the High Roller 100 offered sessions on the track’s infield road course, which incorporates turns 1 and 5 of the main oval into an infield road course with left and right turns. The non-competitive Master Class Driver’s Education (MCDE) events require a minimum of safety equipment (in most cases you don’t need anything more than a helmet to enter), and run groups include Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced groups with various restrictions on passing. The information Superhighway For more info on next year’s High Roller 100, or other MKM open road racing events including the Pony Express, log on to www.openroadracing.com. Into on other open road races can be found on the Web at www.bborr.com, www.silverstafeclassic.com, and www.visitmidlandtx.com.…

Fifty years have passed and old guys are still puzzled by the automotive actions of young folks. The exuberance and creativity of youth when combined with the combustibility of gasoline have always led to some very interesting results, yet the irony is that the hod rodders of the '50s who enjoyed the rebel, street-racing, loud-car attitude in A/V-8s of the day are the same ones who can’t understand the same actions taken on a sport compact today. So a group of traditional hardcore street rodders decided to take a look at this new automotive phenomenon and see what it was all about. Dubbed “The Fat and the Curious’ and aided by a 23-year-old guide and interpreter, this group of "old guys" found out that the more things change, the more…

THIS MONTH ON HOTROD.COM • Subscribe Online • Featured Vehicles • Message Boards • Hot Rod Project Cars • Events Visit the Hot Rod Shop to buy the 2003 Power Tour video or click Shop for Parts and watch a dyno run of Bill Mitchell’s 800hp 540-inch Chevy before you buy. Also … Vote for Miss HOT ROD Simply put, you can log on to HOTROD.com and cast your vote for one of the five Miss HOT ROD 2004 poster girls. You can also view the dozens of outtake photos that didn’t make the final cut Troy’s Collection Shaved, nosed, decked, and smoothed with two screaming turbos and 1,000 hp. Some of the reasons Troy Trepanier is guilty of making us all want to quit our jobs and become professional…