Indholdsfortegnelse for November 1952 i Hot Rod

Fantastic speeds, new designs, new engines, beautiful course, perfect weather, hard work, close competition, triumph even heartbreak, all these are implied in the one word, BONNEVILLE! All of these factors were present throughout the running of the fourth annual Bonneville National Speed Trials, held on Utah’s famous salt flats during the last week of August this year. Fantastic is the word for some of the speeds turned. The Kenz twin engined “D” Streamliner, driven by Willie Young, was clocked at 250 mph, one-way, for the fastest one mile time of the week-long meet. This speed clinched the Hot Rod Magazine perpetual award and its National Championship title for the Kenz crew. The Kenz Streamliner also set a new two-way speed record in Class “D” with its average of 244.66 mph.…

One of the primary considerations in customizing a car ordinarily concerns the lowering of the chassis. By this time, most Ford and Mercury owners who are so inclined have found ways and means of lowering the earlier, pre-1948 cross sprung cars (see HRM April '51). Since the introduction of a more modern type of suspension on the 1949 and later Ford products, lowering block kits have nicely taken care of any reductions in height of the rear end. These, however, have left the front end high and dry, as “torching’’ the front coil springs is not at all a good practice and should be avoided at all costs. The reasons for this are quite simple. Coil springs will deflect a certain amount when a certain load is placed on them.…

COLD WEATHER vs LPG Dear Don: Agreeing with you that LP gas is wonderful. and has all the advantages claimed, we at the shop have a problem. It is freezing at the regulator on a 1950 Ford engine —175 degree thermostats were installed but they did not correct the trouble. Engine runs O.K. at shop while idling, using either liquid or vapor. On the road it freezes using liquid but is O.K. on vapor. Temperature here is around 35 degrees F. We have cleaned all fuel lines and the filter, also the carburetor. We replaced all regulator parts and gauged regulator. All help will be gratefully accepted. Maybe in your area you don’t have this trouble but we get snow here. Like your mag. P. R. Gilbert Grand Island, Nebr.…

G. I. MONSTER Sirs: Upon seeing the letter “Hottest Thing North of the 38th,” (Aug. '52), we decided that our little monster would be of interest to those Yankees way up North. You see, we Rebels here on the 37th think our job is the hottest thing in Korea. We are hereby challenging all comers to a sanctioned drag race on the K-6 air strip. To date, we have installed two carburetors, dual points, a. 093 milled head and individual exhaust stacks. Also, we have 7:50-16 rear tires on the job. This, however, makes the four-wheel drive useless unless driving in the extreme “wet.” So far we have squeezed out 53 mph on the speedometer. We realize however that the large rear wheels and rough roads over here make that…

On Saturday, the 13th of September, 1952, a new International Class “C” speed record was established at an average of 229.77 mph. This speed soundly defeated the old record of 219.5 mph average, set by the late Bernd Rosemeyer driving a German government subsidized Auto Union. The machine that set the new record did not cost approximately $500,000 to build, as did the Auto Union, nor was it government subsidized. Definitely neither! On the contrary, the car was built, for the most part, in George Hill’s garage in Burbank, Calif.—built for just one purpose; to go fast enough for International recognition. George Hill and Bill Davis built the chassis using part of a Davis three-wheeler tubular frame as a basis. All bulkheads and body formers have been handmade from aluminum…

A vacuum gauge connected to the intake manifold of an automobile engine becomes a valuable tool when its operation is understood. However, like many other testing instruments advocated from time to time for automotive purposes, the reputation of the vacuum gauge has suffered much because of the common misconception regarding its usage. The difficulty, it appears, is in separating the good points from the bad. Certainly a vacuum gauge, such as the Mile-O-Meter, is valuable as a testing tool. There are many things that this gauge can tell us about motor conditions. It can tell us these quickly, definitely and accurately. To obtain a good understanding of vacuum gauge performance and the readings that appear on the dial, you must remember that the vacuum gauge is a measuring instrument, attached…

The safety check was routine. The recording examiner noted camber out of adjustment, stop lights inoperative, steering idler arm in bad condition, and front tires badly worn. The driver wasn’t carrying an operator’s license. Non-routine part of this safety check was the participants. The car being checked: a police car. The driver: a traffic officer. The examiners: members of a hot rod club. The Gripers of Pasadena, Calif., started making monthly safety inspections after several members had been involved in accidents. Police and Highway Patrolmen were so impressed with the thoroughness of the inspection that the officers consented to having the hot rod boys inspect the patrol cars. This safety check is no once-over-lightly job. A committee of four inspectors work together in checking the complete braking system for pedal…

When carburetors with large venture tubes are used on an ordinary dual or triple manifold setup, it is almost inevitable that low speed and part-throttle performance will be sacrificed. Idling char-acteristics and economy will also be poor. This is because the air velocity through the venturi tubes becomes too low to properly vaporize the fuel when the in-ducted air is divided between the car-buretors. Adjustment of four to six idling jets is also a difficult problem when two or three carburetors are operating together. The carburetion system described here was devised so that the performance of large venturi carburetors, when used in dual and triple carburetor setups, could be realized, and yet the smooth control, ease of adjustment, and economy of a single carburetor could be retained. This system is…

Seen at the Bonneville Nationals this year was this immaculate 1940 Buick Century coupe. Inside, outside, under the hood, and all around, this car shows the time, patience, and attention to detail that has been lavished upon it. Lee Woolley, 26. owner and builder, is a body and fender repairman and has put his talents to good use during the many months it took to build this car from the ground up. Incidentally, the car has performance to match its appearance. and whenever the monstrous engine was fired up, the sharp, vicious exhaust crackle caused heads to turn and ear-drums to shatter. The engine is a 1940 Buick Century that has been bored to 3⅝inches which, with the stock stroke of 45/16 inches, gives 356 cubic inches. The head has…