Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2002 i Hot Rod

FOLLOWING THE RULES I’ve got the rulebook jones, and I can’t shake it. Seriously. I’ve gone through the phase of owning cars just to own ’em, I totally bypassed the show-car thing, and now I’m into pure function. Make that pure speed. There’s drag racing, land-speed, circle-track, open-road racing, off-road racing, road racing—and I want to do it all. I want to scheme the sneaky combination, and I want to flog it until I can’t breathe. Most people think the fun is in driving a race car at ten tenths, but to me, there’s another thrill in just figuring out how to make it work. I’ve driven 227 mph at Bonneville, but it’s not the same as driving my own car at 227—something that I saw in my head, planned,…

I read your article on the Music Box wagon (July ’02) with a lot of interest. In 1971, Mike Hostetler, my brother, and I ran a ’56 Chevy 150 wagon with a 225hp 265, a cast-iron ‘Glide with a B&M 3,000-stall converter, and a 5.38 gear. We had a lot of success and a lot of fun. We were beat in the final four at the Milan, Michigan Points Meet by Dave Boertman’s wife, and one time I was beaten in the final of a large Stocker meet by Mike Burkitt in a ’71 Super Bee. There were more than 60 topnotch cars there that night. What a great feeling when some of the big Chevy racers came by to ask about our combination. Also of interest might be the…

Good Bye Camaro, Firebird, S-series Saturn, Mercury Cougar, and Mazda 626 That’s it. The “Last” 2002 Camaro sold for $71,500 at a charity auction at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival on Sunday, September 1. Technically it was the second-to-last one-the very last one off the assembly line went to the Chevrolet museum. The lucky bidder was Mark Gembinski from Mayville, Michigan, who said that he “wanted it bad,” and for $71,500 we believe him. His new last-one-made is a red T-top Z28 with a 5.7L LSI, four-speed auto, and Ebony leather seats. One hundred percent of the proceeds went to S.A.V.E. (Students Against Violence Everywhere-see www.nationalsave.org). The Camaro and Firebird weren’t the only ones that got killed this August. The Mercury Cougar nameplate, introduced in 1967, saw its final day…

This month: The real thing Last month we stumbled a bit with our report of the upcoming Cadillac CTSV (V now denotes the ultimate form, like BMWs M or M B s 55 series) supercar, substituting intuition for facts. Now we have them, but this is as much as we can divulge. The car won’t be available until the fourth quarter of 03 and will be powered by a 405hp GEN III engine. The V weighs 3,600 pounds, and an early version of the suspension on 245-series rubber enabled lap times at Nurbur-gring within a second or so of the ZO6 Corvette. The aluminum LS6 engine weighs a bit more than the standard V-6, so the task is to lasso the front-to-rear weight distribution and haul it as close to…

Mike LandiPasadena, CA’55 Chevrolet 210 ENGINE Type: All-aluminum aftermarket Chevrolet type, 54Oci Block: 02 Donovan, line-bored, decked and honed (Brummett Marine, Pasadena, CA and M&R Engines, Glendale, CA), 4.502-inch bare Oiling: Melling oil pump, pan baffled and modified (Jeff Johnson’s Billet Fabrications) Crankshaft: Lunati forged steel, 4.250-inch stroke Connecting Rods: Carillo forged steel, 6.375-inch Pistons: CP, 9.0:1 compression ratio. Total Seal ring pack (gapless, ductile iron second ring), CP pins Cylinder Heads: Brodix BB 2 Xtra, light port and polish intake and exhaust, 1I9cc combustion chambers, Man-ley Super Duty 2.30/1.88 valves Camshaft: Crone Cams/Russell Kelly custom grind, (mure than) 0.630-inch lift, (more than) 270-degree duratinn at 0.050, Isky valvasprings. Manley retainers and locks, Cloyes timing gear, Jesel 17:1 shaft rocker arms, Smith Bros. pushrods, Crane roller lifters Induction: Mart Littlefield…

COMMON ON HPI & HP3 Block Crankshaft (Cast Nodular Iron) Flywheel Harmonic Balancer Pistons Connecting Rods Oil Pan Engine Ventilation (Integral PCV) Front Cover Water Pump Throttle Body Unit Injectors Valve Lifters Valves (Intake & Exhaust) Spark Plugs, Wires & Coils HP3 UPGRADE CNC Ported Cylinder Heads High-Volume Oil Pump Assembly Engine Oil (15W50 Synthetic) CNC Port-Matched Intake Manifold Fuel Pressure Regulator (400 kPa) High-Flow Exhaust Headers Camshaft (High Lift) Stock Car Valvesprings Rocker Arms (1.70:1 ratio extruded aluminum) Rocker Arm Studs Pushrods Camshaft Sprocket (Machined Steel) Calibration (HP3 Specific)…

MERLIN ILL STOCK Four-bolt mains, center three splayed Non-splayed four-bolt or two-bolt Steel caps Cast-iron caps Fits 4.750 stroke 4.250 max stroke with grinding 4.625 max bore 4.310 max bore on most blocks 638 max ci 496 max ci 9.800 or 10.200 deck heights 10.200 deck very hard to find 0.750-thick deck at 9.810-9.820 height 0.250-0.650 deck thickness (varies) 0.440-thick cylinder walls at 4.490 bore 0.303-thick at 4.250 bore (varies) Blind head-bolt holes Head bolts go into water jacket Priority-main oiling Lifters fed through rear cam bearing Solid oil-pan rails Oil galley in driver-side pan rail Drilled for Chevy or Moroso oil pan Chevy pan pattern only Consistent deck pattern Pattern varies from year to year Accepts Mk IV, V, or VI heads Block/heads/gaskets must match Extra head-bolt bosses in…

The unique versatility and convenience of the self-contained Toronado driveline led to the construction of several twin-engine Oldsmobiles besides the Hurst Hairy Olds. OK, this ’68 4-4-2 doesn’t have twin engines, but it’s got front-wheel drive and is a product of the fertile minds at Hurst Performance Research, so we’ve included it Built in late 1967, it shows that despite their sour experience with the Hairy Olds, Hurst was still obsessed with the Toro drivetrain. Based on an otherwise stock 4-4-2, a complete ’68 Toronado W-34 cold-air-455 drivetrain was installed, a “dead” tubular rear axle replaced the Salisbury unit, and the wheelbase was stretched by 2.5 inches to 114.5. Where is it today? In 1966, Grant MacCoon, president of Grant Piston & Ring and Grant Industries, built the twice-motored Toronado…

We’ve always longed for an ultimate street racer with a driveable cam-and-inrake combo atop a bulletproof short-block to accommodate the required accessory: huge nitrous. With the Anvil, we’ve got it. You watched in the October and November issues as we built a 359ci small-block Chevy with a Lunati bottom end in a World Products Motown block, then ran it for the first time with Holleys Wild Street package. It made, like, 460 hp and 445 lb-ft. It idles a little thumpy, but you could drive it anywhere. We felt like putting the thrash to it, but quick. Like this: Fogger. The miracles of nitrous are no secret, and most readers are familiar with the plate-type systems that can be good for power gains in excess of 400 hp. But NOS…

Yeah, the party seems a year early to us, too, since the Corvette debuted as a New York Motorama show car in January, 1953. But what the hey. The birthday parade came to the West Coast in August, as Corvette was the featured make at the annual Monterey Historic Automobile Races. Not familiar with the Monterey bash? That’s probably because you go to Bonneville instead; the two usually inhabit the same real estate on the August calendar. “Monterey” has become a one-word description of an annual automotive orgy centered around two premier events: the historic races that take place at the Laguna Seca racetrack, and the Pebble Beach Con-cours d’Elegance, held on the greens at the seaside golf course. Over the years, entrepreneurs looking to reach Monterey’s enthusiast audience have…

Whether it’s the wiring, fuel system, engine, or drivetrain that’s putting a crimp on your action, we’re here to help. Before things gn terminal, make a positive connection to Pit Stop via conventional mail, e-mail, or fax. I’ll try to answer as many questions in the magazine as space permits, but to be fair to everyone, please ask only one question per letter. Here’s how to write: SNAIL MAIL: HOT ROD Pit Stop, 6420 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048 EMAIL: hotrod@primedia.com; include “Pit Stop” in the Subject line, and don’t forget to pul your real name (not screen name) and hometown in the message body FAX: 323/782-2223 Rocker Nuts on the Loose I have a ’72 Olds Cutlass. I have rebuilt the engine and worked the heads with 2.072/1.71-inch…

Is there someone out there producing Hemi heads for the 440 Mopar? I first saw them many years ago and recently heard they are out there again. Capt. Pau “Doc” HerzbergVia e-mail Stage V Engineering (Walnut, CA; 909/594-8383; www.stagev.com) has been manufacturing a high-quality cast-aluminum replica of the Chrysler 426 Hemi head since 1987 that incorporates specific changes which allow it to bolt atop a Stage V B/RB Mopar Wedge short-block. However, even using Stage V custom rocker arms, you still need to grind pushrod reliefs in the block’s valley area. Also required are Hemistyle pistons and-because of differing intake/exhaust valve order-a Hemi-specific camshaft. For a detailed buildup of a 520ci Wedge with Stage V conversion heads, see “Half-Price Hemi” (Oct. ’99).…

Michael & Christina Riccio YORK, PA’71 CHEVY CHEVELLE OWNER’S OCCUPATION: Conveyors Assembler ENGINE: Chevy H.O. ZZ5O2 crate ENGINE MODIFICATIONS: None DYNO-PROVEN POWER: 352 hp and 386 Ib-ft at the rear wheels TRANSMISSION: TH35O REAREND: 10-bolt with 3.55:1 Richmond gears WHEEL TYPE & SIZE: Cragar SS, 15x7 front, 15x8 rear TIRE TYPE & SIZE: BFGoodrich Radials, P205/60R15 front, P295/50R15 rear PAINT COLOR: Custom-blended Heavy Metallic Blue with Metallic Silver stripes BODY MODIFICATIONS: All new body APPROXIMATE TOTAL INVESTMENT: “Enough that we took a second mortgage on the house …” WHAT THE BEST MODIFICATION YOU’VE MADE?: The 502 engine WHAT’S THE BIGGEST PROBLEM YOU’VE HAD?: Overheating HOW LONG HAVE YOU OWNED IT?: 9 years HOW MANY MILES HAVE YOU DRIVEN IT?: “30,000 since 1993, but less than 1,000 since rebuild” HOW FAST…

LS-1/LS-6 Instructional Video VHS Format, $19.95 Street & Performance Inc. Mena, AR; 479/394-5711; www.hotrodlane.cc Chevrolet calls it the “Gen III small-block,” but the only part its newfangled high-tech engine shares with its Mouse motor ancestors is the rod bearings. Because everything has changed, we old-timers need a roadmap of dos and don’ts. What are some of the problems you’re likely to encounter putting the engine into a classic musclecar? What do you do for mounts? Will classic transmissions bolt up? What about custom accessory brackets? Which oil pan works best? What do you need to do to the rest of the fuel system? Are there custom exhaust manifolds and headers available? How do you interface the electronics? Heck, is it possible to even run a conventional speedometer? The answers to…

A Legendary Ram Charger We are saddened to learn of the recent death of Chrysler drag racing pioneer R.E. “Dick” Maxwell, who on September 1, 2002, was involved in a single-vehicle traffic accident while riding his motorcycle near his Pickerington, Ohio, home. Throughout his tenure as a member of the legendary Ram Chargers car club and four decades with Chrysler, Maxwell was instrumental in numerous high-performance and competition development programs and helped direct marketing efforts to highlight the company’s dedication to superb engineering. Dick will be missed.…

Rack and Pinion for Corvettes Speed Direct888/253-9680 www.speeddirect.com Speed Direct’s new Steeroids rack-and-pinion steering conversion kit for ‘63-’82 Corvettes is a bolt-on that doesn’t require any permanent modification to the vehicle. Not only is this designed for greater steering feel (both on-center and with a quicker ratio), it’s also lighter and won’t leak on your driveway. The price tag is $1,156. It comes with all hardware and works with your stock power steering pump.. Garage/Shop Floor Coating UCoat It800/826-2848 www.ucoatit.com We all prepare for spills by putting down plastic trays and buckets, but they’re always full with last week’s oil change, leaving us with a mess. Check out UCoat It, an easy-to-apply floor coating that transforms concrete into a durable protective finish that makes messes easier to mop up. Protect…

The Best Western Pit Crew If guys are ever mournful for the old days of Top Fuel, here’s part of the reason: no big trailers and crews and ropes and hero cards and sound bites—just a hotel parking lot loaded with gearheads trying to stay in competition with their backyard-built slingshots. Down in our archives, most of the photo proof sheets of drag racing events from 1958 through about 1974 are bound into books with representative photos on the covers. This shot is from the First Annual World Finals binder, held in 1965 at Southwest Raceway (now Tulsa International Raceway) in Tulsa. The diggers in the photo appear to be Alan Bockla’s entry under the rafters, while Maynard Rupp & Roy Steffeys Prussian has its Hemi scattered all over the…

As HOT ROD approaches its 55th year next month, we realize that some of the best mail comes from the guys who’ve been with us the longest, and we love it when they share old photos and memories from back in the day. (Come to think of it, the only paper mail we get is from old guys or inmates). This month we’ve got four shots of rodding heritage, and we encourage you to send more. Just remember that we can’t return anything you mail to us, so either get duplicates made or scan the stuff in and e-send it. Here’s how. E-MAIL: hotrod@primedia.com MAIL: Hot Rod Reaction Time, 6420 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048 FAX: 323/782-2223 WEB SITE: www.hotrod.com…

The Think Electric Vehicle Division Fizzles Would you want an electric car the size of a golf cart that costs thousands more than a gas-powered, golf-cart-sized car? Or that requires six hours to charge the batteries (which have to be replaced every few years) to go barely 60 miles at a top speed of almost 60 mph? Yeah, seems like nobody else wants one, either. Ford recently axed its electric vehicle division. Think, after receiving poor customer demand and lack of federal fundiog for enviroomentally friendly cars. Jim Kliesch, research associate with the nonprofit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy and co-author of “The Environmental Guide to Cars and Trucks” said, “Battery electric vehicles are not there yet technologically …. Nobody has found a way to build a battery that…

This magazine has endlessly been accused of delivering the Southern California gospel to readers nationwide, and with rare exception, you can blame that phenomenon on he of the Basketcase. Those who dwell outside the Golden State might not know that Gray’s stories also made local heros out of former unknowns, and while a candy red Mustang cruising Van Nuys Blvd, might have been neat before the April ‘83 issue, it was forever hence, “Hey look—there’s Pop’s Toy!” The cover that month revealed 71-year-old George Boskovich’s ’69 and ’70 Mustangs with 472ci SOHC and 5O9ci Shotgun power, respectively. Word came several years back that Pop had finally passed away, but the legend never will. We caught up with the ’69 Stang in our Dec. ’99 story “Chevy Killers,” and wouldn’t you…