Indholdsfortegnelse for April 1958 i Hot Rod

For a while it looked as though we might have jumped the gun with our last issue’s editorial prediction that our boys were going to grab off a couple of world records for the standing-start kilometer. Ol’ man weather seemed determined to drown out the contemplated record attempts. But we waited a week and the sun came out, then our boys did just what we’d expected them to do—they clobbered the 20-year-old records, officially. You’ll find the rundown in this issue’s lead story, also as predicted. To say that we’re proud of the achievements of our two dragster crews is gross understatement. And we’re sure there are numerous other hot rods in the U.S. that might have done equally well had they been given the opportunity. But our boys represented…

Here’s an engineering achievement you can feel the instant your toe touches the treadle. You feel a new kind of response—an ultra-smooth pickup. And when you lift that Chevrolet hood you’ll see why. You'll see an engine so radical it even looks different. lt'stheTurbo-ThrustV8. It’sbuiltaround a revolutionary design that contributes to constant smoothness at all engine speeds and to exceptional efficiency as well. Turbo-Thrust’s combustion chambers are located in the cylinder block rather than in the cylinder head. They’re wedge-shaped and precision machined for even, efficient combustion. Since each chamber is precisely the same size, each piston does the same work. The result is a velvet-smooth flow of power from idling speed right on up. A whopping 348 cubic inches of displacement gives you power when you need it—with plenty…

The recent decision of many of the operators of the nation’s drag strips to restrict fuel to pump gasoline has stopped the use at these strips of the chemical supercharging that has been relied on so much in the past to overcome mechanical shortcomings in competition engines. This policy has forced car owners to do more development work on their gas-burning engines to make them run better and led to renewed interest in more conventional methods of supercharging. “Supercharger” and “supercharging” are magic words. They are loaded with automotive romance and there are good reasons why they have gained their magical, romantic attraction for many hot rodders. Properly applied, a supercharger can boost the horsepower of an engine to fantastic heights, but the catch is in the application. In principle,…

Your reviewer has yet to read a book on any topic that has pleased him as much as reading Mr. Harold Glenn's latest high school text. Author of the only really modern and up-to-date auto shop textbook, “Exploring Auto Mechanics,” Glenn’s easy-going concise style is not unfamiliar to many high school students. Now he has turned his ability to write instruction books that not only instruct, but inspire, toward the held of Driver Education. Long one of the most neglected fields of schooling, Driver Education classes have been handicapped in the past by lack of suitable textbooks. Mr. Glenn, in completely remedying this deficiency with “Youth at the Wheel,” has surpassed himself and his purpose. The book is an excellent Driver Education class textbook all right—but what’s more, it's a…

BUM WELD Dear Sirs: I was looking at your pictorial on page 35 of the January issue of HOT ROD, The name of it is Full Fendered Flyer. The first picture shows the left door open. On page 37 the picture is of the interior and it says the left door is welded shut. It sounds to me like this guy can weld about as good as I can. What happened! Dick EngstromDenver, Colorado Occasionally there is a time lapse between the taking of the pictures and the relay of technical information on same car to the Editors of Hot Rod, in which interval certain changes might have been made that do not pertain to the original setup. And again, certain Editors have similar mental lapses that are also difficult…

MALLORY DISTRIBUTORS $30 complete is the new low price on Mallory distributors for Chevy 6 or 8, Ford V8, Mercury and Oldsmobile. Features Mallory dual points, trouble-free vacuum advance mechanism, wipe contact distributor cap, moisture-proof wire connections, compensating centrifugal governor, custom built at the factory for your engine. Mallory Electric Corp., 12416 Cloverdale, Detroit 4, Michigan. BRAKE AIR SCOOPS Now available for Ford and Mercury backing plates from 1939 through 1948 are these brake air scoops. Said to reduce brake fading by aiding in the cooling of brakes. $9.00 per pair. Soon to be available for Chevrolet and other popular models. Write: Bell Auto Parts, 3633 East Gage Ave., Bell, California. HELPER SPRINGS These helper springs are designed to provide low cost auxiliary spring suspension to permit handling of overloads…

Lakes pipes, as the name implies, were originally designed I primarily for use on combination street-competition hot rods. For many years the only way to get a set of these prized accessories was to build them yourself or have them made at a muffler shop specializing in such work. Realizing the need of good, low-cost lakes plugs and outside tail pipes, manufacturers have come up with a varied stock of pipes for the enthusiast to choose from. You can have the very popular short lakes plug pipes for competition work, or you can go the route with a real ‘longie” for that extra custom appeal. In the event you don’t want the plugs pipe, you may choose from a wide variety of outside exhaust dumpers. Price of these pipes is…

All cars are air cooled! Anyone who doesn’t think so should try driving with the radiator covered. True, the engine is liquid cooled. The liquid—called coolant—may be water, alcohol and water, ethylene glycol and water, or some other combination. In the course of a day’s drive it is not unusual for a car to travel in temperatures ranging from below freezing to well above ioo degrees Fahrenheit. So the cooling system must have capacity to prevent overheating at high temperatures. But it must be regulated to prevent over cooling at low temperatures. Time was when cooling system control was accomplished by shutters that let more air into the radiator for greater cooling, or less air for warmer running in cold weather. But today cooling control is principally handled by the…

IT’S CONFIRMED! Oklahoma City will be the location of this year’s Fourth Annual National Championship Drags. Officials of both NHRA and the Okla. City Jaycees have been working hard to insure general improvements to the already terrific drag strip area. Contestants and spectators alike praised the facilities highly last year and were unanimous in their request that the nation’s number one drag racing event return there in ’58. Every effort is being made to make this year’s event even better. To increase the seating capacity for the tremendous crowd, bleachers are being added to extend the full length of the quarter-mile. Oklahoma City is ideally situated on the crossroads of U.S. highways 66, 270, 62, 277, 77, 75, 68 and 266. Is that central? Make your vacation plans for this…

“IT NEVER RAINS BUT IT POURS” Dear Don: This is a special plea from me and other Corvette engine owners in the Middle West. We are having trouble with water seepage between the intake manifold and intake manifold gasket or head on the dual four-barrel Corvette engine. I myself have had to replace the intake manifold gaskets once and am about to do so again. The intake manifold hold down cap screws are constantly working loose. I have had a number of talks with different Corvette owners and they are all having this same trouble. If you have any suggestions we would appreciate an immediate answer as in this part of the country we must use antifreeze and if this seeps into the engine, minus one engine. Dale KrogLake Benton,…

SELL OR TRADE—Sprint car and trailer, complete extra engine, parts for two. Many extras, $2000 value. Take good wagon, pickup or sports car of equal value. Paul Sherk, 226 E. Chestnut St., Lebanon, Pa. SELL—Ranger aviation engine, 6 cyl. air cooled, 175 hp. Model 6-440C-2, No. 808. Lule Wacker, Rt. 2, Osmond, Nebr. SELL—’40 Ford tudor, ’53 Chrysler 358 in., roller cam, quads, three carb manifold, also ’53 Chrysler 392, log manifold, heads, mag. wheels, slicks, will split. Ralph Miller, 157 7th St., Fond du Lac, Wise. SELL—One set Kinmont disc brakes, 4000 miles use since being completely rebuilt by Bell Speed Equip. Co. Carl Brenneman, C-16 Hartung Lodge, Riviera Beach, Fla. WANTED—Fisher aluminum 302 GMC head, cam, fuel injector, related extras. State condition, price, first letter. All letters answered.…

Pfc. Frank J. J. Kirchner, Jr. Annapolis, Maryland Graduate, Annapolis High School “I found only the Army would give me just the schooling I was looking for. Under its technical traingprogram for high school graduates, there are so many different varieties of courses, there’s one for everybody. I chose Supply Management, and the course was even better than 1 thought. You can pick your training just like I did.” Pvt. James Weikert Dubois, Indiana Graduate, Dubois High School “I don’t know where you could find a better Construction Surveying course than the one I took under the Army’s technical training program. What’s more, only the Army guarantees you the course you want before you enlist. That was really important to me because I knew just where 1 was going when…

When it came time for replacement of the top steering column bearing in the faithful ’forty, task number one was removal of the steering wheel from the shaft—no easy trick without a rather costly professional device retailing for just under $8. Since the operation is so seldom performed, a substitute device was searched for and found. Two 5/16 SAE bolts of 3-inch length, inserted through the holes of an old Ford spring shackle, w’ere turned into the threaded holes the Ford company provided in the steering wheel hub for the regular puller. Between the shackle and the top of the steering shaft was inserted a husky carriage bolt with nut threaded on. The bolt was used in an inverted position and the nut then backed off until it exerted pressure…