Indholdsfortegnelse for August 2005 i Hot Rod

SPOUSAL BONDING" '71 CHEVY NOVA SS BONNY DOSDALL DIAMOND BLUFF, WI After picking up their Nova for $650, the Dos-dall’ s wrenched together to restore it to street worthy form. The husband and wife team dusted off a spare 350 sitting in the shop corner, added Vortec heads, a mild Crane cam, an Edelbrock Air Gap intake, and a Demon carb, then matched it up with a Richmond five-speed trans. It puts out 450 hp on the dyno, and ran 12.49 at 111 mph on its first pass. IN MEMORY OF ZACHARY '72 CHEVY CHEVELLE •LARRY WHITTEKIEND •EVERETT, WA When Larry's son, Zachary, unexpectedly passed away while rebuilding this Chevelle, he was faced with the dilemma of either parting it out or finishing it. By working on it six days…

VIC EDELBROCK JR. RECEIVES THE ROBERT E. PETERSEN LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Bob “Pete” Petersen, the guy who founded HOT ROD magazine and many others, has been closely linked with the Edelbrock family and Edelbrock Corporation for many decades through not just advertising, but also a shared passion for the automotive industry. That's why it was fitting that Vic Edelbrock Jr. was named the recipient of the '05 Robert E. Petersen Lifetime Achievement Award during the “Breakfast of Champions” at the Hotrod & Restoration Trade Show in Indianapolis in March. Edelbrock was honored for his contributions to the hot rod and automotive industry. This follows the Edelbrock family and company's induction into the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum several months ago. In the photo is, from left to right: Hot Rod…

It's only been a scant twenty-four months since DaimlerChrysler revived the Hemi nameplate as a marketing tool for the '04 model year, but the resulting tidal wave of rekindled name recognition has done some amazing things. First of all, Dodge truck and SUV sales are going strong even though the vehicle platforms are not new. Yep, that optional 5.7L Hemi Magnum is pulling 'em into showrooms. And not everybody buys a Hemi-powered truck. Many V-6 and base 4.7L V-8 Rams and Durangos might not have found buyers without the Hemi's halo effect. These trucks were followed by a blossoming stream of rear-wheel-drive passenger cars, such as the popular Chrysler 300C, the innovative Dodge Magnum, and the just-released Dodge Charger. Again, Hemi power is optional, and many opt for the lesser…

“The dope was part of the '70s, but the real big thing was the broads. They were lined up at the trailer; we had all the women you could imagine.”—Joe Jacono The mid-'70s Funny Car match-race scene in the Northeast was like a Frank Zappa album come to life. There were crazy folks everywhere back then, but these guys, well, they were something else. Driver Joe Jacono never won a major title in those days—his main claim to fame was a magazine story that showed him dressed as a caveman in a quarry banging rocks together with his '73 Rollin' Stoned Plymouth 'Cuda flopper in the background. Those who saw that photo never forgot it, and many assumed this party-hard/drive-harder wild man was headed for a Darwin Award-winning demise. In…

The difference between hot rodders and restorers generally comes down to this: Hot rodders seek to impose their egos on their cars, while restorers prefer to recreate the past. Is one better than the other? No way. Both are equally important to the big picture. But when these two schools are in session simultaneously, you get a funky revisionist-history lesson that's likely to make your head spin. You get a “phantom.” Such is the case with this trio of never-was '71 Dodge and Plymouth phantom wing cars. Dubbed the G-Series, after Chrysler's alphabetic designation for the '71 model year, they're the work of Gary and Pam Beineke and Mike Goyette of Dayclona Enterprises in Sharon, Massachusetts. These amazing winged wonders pick up where the '69 Charger Daytona and '70 Road…

Lincoln spent untold dollars and God-only-knows how much time earning its class wins in the last three La Carrera Panamericana races. In stark contrast to that effort stood hot rodder Ak Miller and his Caballo de Hierro. Writing in the February '53 HRM, Miller said that during the 1952 race in an Oldsmobile, he developed a deep longing for his roadster on the long straightaway roads. Miller was a DNF in 1952, but on the drive back home to California, he and codriver Doug Harrison were already mapping out their plan for the next year, “this time with a bona-fide hot rod. With lots of brakes and plenty of gear and engine, we believe we can make a good showing in the Sport Class category.” That would be a mighty…

GTO BLOWER Pro Charger 913/338-2886 www.procharger.com If you bought an '04 GTO, you're probably mad that the next model year came with an extra 50 horses. Get it back, and plenty more, with Pro Charger's new centrifugal blower for the '04 Pontiac GTO that produces 525 hp at 7 psi of boost. It features an air-to-air intercooler for pump-gas compatibility and a self-contained head unit that eliminates the need to tap into the oil pan for lubrication. If that's not enough, Pro Charger also offers the kit with a larger D-1SC head unit good for over 700 hp. SIDE PIPES Hooker Headers 270/781-9741 www.ilovemyhookerheaders.com Annoyed by those Harley guys without baffles in their pipes? Give 'em a taste of their own medicine with these Hooker Super Competition full-length headers in…

You know you We hit a nerve with a story when you get inundated with letters and e-mails on the subject, and there were a couple of recent bits we did recently that got a lot of very thoughtful feedback. We knew Freiburger's Starting Line column on imported speed parts would get a response, and it sure did. Same deal with our story on the Goldenrod. Remember, Bench Racing is your forum, the place where you can tell us and everyone else what you think, good or bad. And we promise not to ridicule you unless you really deserve it. E-mail stuff to HOTROD@primedia.com, or stamp and send to HOT ROD Bench Racing, 6420 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 9OO48.—ROB KINNAN GOLDENROD I don't know of a greater fan of…

1985 FORGOTTEN FUNNIES Soon after reading this month's story on Joe Jacono's Rollin' Stoned, we found this photo on the floor of our photo archives and started to think about when, exactly, Funny Cars became uncool. Fogies like to gripe that they just aren't fun anymore, but after flipping through a few decades of images, we decided that passion for Funnies is totally based on point of reference. The early cars may have the most character, but not every fan was around when they were new. The Fuelers of our own teen years were what triggered our interest, and they were of the era of these circe-1985 offerings: Dale Pulde and Mike Hamby's awkward Buick Somerset and Tom McEwen's C4 Corvette. Aside from the beer wars, it was a heyday…

GM '55 CHEVY Is there any cooler way to celebrate the '50s and '60s glory days of NASCAR than by building a modern-day clone of a vintage Stock Car? During a recent trip to the GM Performance Division project shop, we spied this immaculately restored '55 Chevy 210 being built as a tribute to the Smokey Yunick-prepped No. 10 Chevy driven by Herb Thomas to a win at Darling-ton in 1956. It was one of the first NASCAR wins for the then-new small-block Chevy, which you might say enjoyed a fair bit of racing success over the ensuing five decades. A GMPP ZZ4 crate engine is being disguised to pass for an original 265ci small-block, and the car is scheduled to be driven by Junior Johnson at England's Good wood…

Location: John Force Racing, Yorba Linda, California GO FAST ON PUMP GAS PG.98This is the kind of story that Marlan loves, with illustrations, graphs, and lots of theory. But the end result is an informative piece that you'll want to reference for a long time, because it tells you the secrets to making big power on junk gas. 5.7 HEMI CRATE MOTOR DYNO TEST PG.106Dulcich gets the first 5.7 Hemi crate motor and sticks it on the dyno at Westech to see what all the fuss is about. It made 376 hp out of the crate and 398 once we were done with it. RETURN OF RHOADS PG.114Remember the Rhoads lifters from the '80s? They're back, and now in hydraulicroller form for the Gen III Chevy. Marlan flew all the…

The best thing U.S. automakers have going for it today is yesterday. Good old American muscle is firmly ingrained in our popular culture, and that gives them an edge over foreign competitors. Chrysler can bolt together Charger R/Ts in 2005 and the name sparks attention and even controversy. But foreign competitors would attract quite a different kind of controversy if they brought out a BMW Panzer or Mitsubishi Zero. History is on our side. Chrysler has the advantage in this regard. While hard-core followers of the performance creed take notice of the words “Cleveland”, “Rat”, or “L-Whatever”, “Hemi” has equity that spills over to the general public. The German step-parents of Mopar can splash the Hemi designation on trucks, wagons, and sedans, and it's got instant cred. Somehow, we can't…

FLOWMASTER '05 MUSTANG GT EXHAUST We could probably retire off the dough Flow master's made selling exhaust systems for 5.0L and mod-motor Mustangs, so when it introduced a new set of pipes for the '05 Mustang GT, we had to try them out. Actually, Flow master's new American Thunder kit isn't really a set of pipes, but simply a rear-section kit utilizing the stock intermediate pipes. That's not so much a knock on Flow master, but proof of how good the stock exhaust system is with its dual 2%-inch tubing and integrated H-pipe. Our test bed for the day was the Toyo Tires Mustang, built by numerous Primedia magazines as part of a giveaway promotion. The car already had a K&N FIPK installed, which bumped the dyno figures from a…

PROJECT GTO UPDATE We're done bolting parts onto our GTO but wanted to make one last hurrah down the dragstrip to confirm its performance before it is given away during Power Tour(tm). After 14-brutal hot-laps at Irwin dale Speedway's eighth-mile strip, the GTO finally laid down some consistent numbers from pass to pass. The best run of the day at its 2,550-foot density altitude was an 8.38 at 86.38 mph, but more importantly, trap speed registered between 84 and 86 mph on every pass. On our previous best quarter-mile pass of 12.88 at 111 mph with the nitrous sprayin', the GTO's eighth-mile numbers were 8.41 at 87 mph. Granted, that was with density altitude roughly 1,000-feet higher, but despite running the car off the bottle this time around it still…

Freiburger's June '05 Starting Line (“The New Imports: Speed Parts”) sure did get a lot of response. As predicted, a lot of folks jumped on the bandwagon of “I'll never buy foreign parts,” but there were a few more well-thought-out responses, including the most insightful (and lengthy) one from Tom Lieb at Scat. As he and others pointed out, it's not a real black-and-white issue, and there are a lot more forces at work than just greedy companies and greedy unions. If you disagree with knock-offs, say so with your pocketbook.—ROB KINNAN Regarding the June Starting Line editorial on imported speed parts, you missed the plot. The Taiwan connection was started in the '70s and early '80s by name-brand U.S. companies we all know and respect—Mr. Gasket, Trans-Dapt, Edelbrock, Ford,…

Vehicle Specs: •Tube-frame chassis with offset engines and suspensions to help turn left •Independent twin A-arm front suspensions with coil springs; solid rear ends •Iron Chevy, Chrysler, and Ford V-8s with aluminum heads displacing 350-360 ci •With 12.0:1 compression and a Holley four-barrel carb, engines produce 550 hp and 500 lb-ft •Fuel cells hold 22 gallons of 112-octane fuel •Vehicle weight: 2,610 pounds with driver Fun Facts: •Modifieds run bodies based on production '87'05 Monte Carlos, Cavaliers, Mustangs, Escorts, Sunbirds, Grand Prixs, and Dodge Avengers and Stealths •Roof panels are actual production-car pieces •Modifieds can reach speeds of 150 mph •Each car costs roughly $60,000 to $75,000 to build MOTORSPORT OF THE MONTH NASCAR WHELEN MODIFIED TOUR In Three Words: NASCAR's freak show The Gist: Running right alongside Stock Cars…

The East Feliciana Parish Courthouse in Clinton, Louisiana, is about 165 years old. It's one of those white-pillared buildings that puts the “old” in Old South; the sort of place where you can imagine guys with string ties have the political power and the sheriff has a wad of chaw in his cheek the size of a Hemi piston. And the town of Clinton is one of those places where the rest of the buildings look like they were built during one week in 1913, “good al' boy” is considered a compliment, and everyone is glad you came and wants to make sure you leave well fed. In other words, it's how you would imagine Hazzard County. That, plus generous tax breaks from the State of Louisiana—is why Warner Brothers…

There was a period in the '70s and '80s when, faced with declining gasoline quality and increasingly stringent governmental regulations, manufacturers and hot rodders alike were forced to scale back engine performance and compression ratios. Yet now in 2005, stock factory engines are once again humping at 11.0:1 compression, and we hear of high-compression hot rod engines running as high as 13.0:1 on the dyno, fueled by pump gas. What can we learn from this development, and how much of it is really applicable to the traditional pushrod V-8, wedge-headed, street-driven engines that still comprise the vast majority of hot rodding power plants? To find out, HOT ROD consulted with leading performance industry and OEM specialists in the field of cylinder-head, internal-combustion-engine, and fuel technology. Basically, it's all about learning…

For years Rhoads lifters have been one of the best-kept secrets for enhancing the driveability and performance of classic musclecars equipped with flat-tappet hydraulic-lifter camshafts. Before Rhoads came onto the scene, installing a big cam inevitably resulted in trading bottom-end tractability for top-end horsepower. Rhoads changed all that, designing a unique hydraulic lifter able to change a cam's lift and duration as a function of rpm, valve spring pressure, oil pressure, oil viscosity, and oil temperature. Rhoads' secret is a vertical slot ground top to bottom on the lifter's inner piston that lets the lifter bleed down at idle, slightly delaying valve actuation. Under idle and off-idle conditions, this effectively decreases duration and lift by as much as I 10-15 degrees and 0.030 inch, respectively. Reductions of this H magnitude…

THAT'S INCREDIBLE! Ford fans flock to Gateway Raceway in St. Louis every May for the Super Bowl of Ford Drag Racing, the World Ford Challenge. This past May's race was the 8th annual version of George Gonzalez's Blue Oval frenzy, and the star of the show was Manny Buginga, winner of the Pro Street Outlaw class. The fact that he won isn't what made him the star; it was his 7.37 at 194 mph pass that did it. That's fast in anyone's book, but when you consider he did it on 28x10.5-inch Mickey Thompson slicks—not the huge 30-inch-tall-by-12-inch-wide 10.5W tires, but legitimate 10.5-inch-wide rubber—well, that's just amazing. A big-inch small-block Ford with a 94mm turbo and a spot-on Job Spetter Jr. tune up did the deed. For you eighth-mile guys,…