Indholdsfortegnelse for May 1969 i Hot Rod

NO TRANS-AMMER Dear Sirs: I have a problem that needs Mr. Kelly's attention. Five months ago, I bought a '69 Mustang for approximately $4200. You might at first think that the price was a little high, but this Colt was equipped with a 616-hp, 427-cubic-inch, SOHC mill. The suspension was beefed-up—according to the party who sold it to me—and it was also equipped with a fiberglass hood scoop and rear spoiler kit. To top all that, I could race it in the SCCA Trans-Am series—again, according to the party who sold it to me. I promptly rushed down to a nearby Trans-Am meet, but to my dismay, I was barred from the track. The official explained that the cubic-inch limit for Trans Am racing was 305, and that he couldn't…

“You better believe it,” says Jim McFarland, Chief Engineer at Schiefer, when referring to the ring and pinion gears currently in use. Schiefers’ unchallenged superiority in clutch component engineering, through years of testing made them acutely aware of present ring and pinion weakness, and the need for new, dependable gear sets performance-oriented to meet high-unit load and stress concentration. “TRANS-TORQ", the new Schiefer ring and pinion set, was developed with the cooperation of Eaton Gear Division (suppliers of Double Diamond Gearing). McFarland’s exhaustive test program for the new “Trans-Torq” has proven beyond doubt extended gear life and the reduction of drive line noise during street use. Schiefer—the dependable name in drive-line components Less risk of surface deterioration during “break in". Smoother finish after “break in". Rust-preventive surface coating. Special heat…

The “HUSLER"—a real screamer with the large tubes all you racers are asking for! The big sound that puts you in the competition where it’s happening. Does the job it’s designed for. Like hustling out those bottled-up gases, releasing more useable “wheel power", raising your all-around performance. It fits like all Hedman products with no cutting or hacking. COMES COMPLETE—NO EXTRAS TO BUY. FOR FORD, GEN. MTRS.&CHRYS. PRODUCTS. When Hedman announces a new Hedder it means the research … the development… and the manufacturing were all accomplished in our own plant. There are cheaper ways of operating, and some companies take this way out. We do all our own engineering because we’re just not satisfied with what some tube bender or sub contractor wants to give US. Sure, another header…

If experience is a key factor in getting a job done right, then Ford’s lead in pony-car building seems to make sense. They’ve been at it longer and the product shows it. The ’69 Mustang is the best one they’ve ever produced, and very nearly the best in the entire pony-car field. They could have it all if they had engines with intestinal fortitude to match Chevy’s or Pontiac’s or the MoPar’s small-block. But they’re working at it, and maybe this year’s Z/28 Camaro sales figure will scare some of the high-performance planners in Dearborn off their center consoles. The mid-sized 351 engine is an evolutionary result of the first small-block Ford, brought in at 221 cubic inches in 1962. The 351 gets its direct lineage from the 289-302, but…

We all stood there, looking down pit road at a vacant spot of track where the leader of the last lap would come into view in just seconds. The spectators opposite the pits, jammed into the stands, were cheering and on their feet; you could almost hear Bunkie Knudsen leading a cheer. Suddenly there was Lee Roy in his white Ford, ahead of Charlie Glotzbach in his red and black Dodge—and what a surprise it all turned out to be! The eleventh Daytona 500 became history with the wave of Johnny Bruner, Jr.'s, flag over Yarbrough's Torino, and up at the start of pit road, second stall from the end, Junior Johnson's crewmen were happily going out of their minds. Clear down at the far end of the pits in…

After putting up with sloppy I front-end behavior and IB loose steering for several thousand miles, we finally reserved a Saturday afternoon to overhaul our commuter-type wheels. And had we expected such an easy time of it, the task would have been taken care of long ago. A front-end rebuild takes less time than pulling an engine, and you can sit down while doing most of the work. The cost is low, because the major expense, when someone else does it, is for the labor. We made use of Sturdy Products replacement items, which included ball joints and just about everything else that can wear out on the front end. If at all possible, steam clean the front suspension before setting about to tear it apart. If you don’t, be…

American Motors relies on a number of Borg-Warner Aautomatic transmissions to back up their line of engines, and while these boxes are capable of functioning properly under normal usage, they are a far cry from what they should be if one is contemplating competition. The model shown here is known as the M-ll (other models are of similar design). It backs up the big 390-cubic-inch engine and is similar to a Ford-O-Matic transmission, according to B&M Automotive of Van Nuys, California. They claim it has been upgraded somewhat in design, but can stand some additional rework to make it suitable for drag racing. The stock converter in the M-ll is a full 13 inches in diameter—a bit too large for obtaining a suitable stall speed. B&M has been replacing these…

High-performance rocker arms have been in use on street and racingengines for many a moon (according to the Lone Ranger’s faithful pal),but unlike the products of yesteryear, the rocker arms of today have a lotmore responsibility. Whereas earlymodel mills revved in the neighbor-hood of 3500 rpm, today’s powerplantsare cranking 7500-plus. With thishigher speed, we find that loading be-tween rocker arms and valve ends hasalso increased. This means more friction, heat, and wear, and a demandfor better lubrication. When one thinks about the rocker arm ratios involved with overhead valve engines, the higher spring pressures, crazy pushrod angles, and super-high-lift cams, it’s not hard to realize that those rockers are virtually being jacked up off the heads. Large screwin rocker studs or heavy-duty stands will take up some of this increased…

Resting on a 178-inch wheelbase, the Woody Gilmore chassis is covered by c Hannah aluminum and magnesium body propelled by a 398.2-cubic-inch ’57 Chrysler running a Delta crank, M/7 rods, Venolia slugs at 6.5:1, Isky 595 cam, Donovan valves in heads reworkec by Valley Head Service. The Hampton 6-71 blower mounts on Cragar manifold. Drive is by Isky (18% over) and injectors by Enderle. Posing with theii fueler are (1. to r.) driver Dick Kalivoda, Ed Norton, John Hamlin, and Al Boyette. Ed is part owner of Custom Parts & Machine, Inc., in Seattle. This is where the engine was built and all special machine work on the cai was performed. It also accounts for the low ($3800) cost of the car. Torsionbar-suspended Woody axle mounts 17-inch wheels on P&S…

DAVID’S ANSWER TO GOLIATH … American Motors has served official notice to the automotive giants that it will be a four-way race for national honors on the NASCAR Grand Touring circuit this year. The Hurst Performance Research-prepared Javelin (pictured) is a beautiful red-white-and-blue GT powered by an American Motors 343-cubic-inch V8, destroked to the 305 displacement limit. Numerous other modifications allowed under the rules have been made, including computer-assisted suspension modifications. The vehicle will be campaigned by Hurst, with Bob Tarozzi as Team Manager. Bob Tullius, who lists among his achievements sedan wins in the Trans-Am races in Sebring, Daytona, and the 12 Hours of Marlboro, will be piloting the AM-sponsored Javelin in the NASCAR Grand Touring Division races. HOWARD HUGHES OF THE SPEEDWAYS … Michigan International Speedway, Inc., has…

Mickey Thompson has faith that his two Mustang funny car drivers, Danny Ongais and Pat Foster, will follow instructions down to the line, but during the heat of battle, a driver can’t always read that tach with precision. So he can keep tabs on how fast they are turning the engines, he outfitted each with a Jones mechanical drive tachometer. Not just a plain old ordinary Jones, mind you, but one with a lock built into the side of the housing, complete with key. As the engine revs up, the indicating needle moves a “tattle-tale” needle with it. This latter needle will stay in place at the highest point reached by the engine. The key is used to move it back to zero. Using a tach of this sort lets…

When you’re in the magazine business, you get letters from readers. If you don’t, then something’s seriously wrong because you are not provoking interest. Some readers write to congratulate you on an article, or a complete issue, while others will write to say you’re full of something or other and don’t know what you’re talking about. But at least they write and we get viewpoints, both pro and con. Although it is impossible for us to answer all the mail we receive, particularly letters that ask numerous technical questions, we read every one of them, and their theme gives us handy hints on the type of feature stories we should write in the future. Then we get the letters from the young men who are either in college or intend…

Looking for road bikes? Check out the Honda Super Sport models. They all come with lean, tough designs, groovy colors and dependable OHC Honda engines. But each has its own powerful personality. Here are some more facts on four of them. 450 Super Sport (CB-450 K-1). The big one. Eats up the quarter in 13.2 and has a top speed of over 110 mph. Its twin-carbed DOHC 45 bhp engine was called a “technical masterpiece’’ by one of the country’s top automotive mags. Features include independent tachometer and speedometer, five-speed trans, electric starter and teardrop-type tank. Enough? There’s more. You’ve got to see it. 350 Super Sport (CB-350). Far ahead in performance and design. Takes the quarter in 13.8. Tops out at 106 mph. A two-tone GP-type tank plus brightly…

The performance pain reliever. For years it’s been a disgrace to be caught with an automatic transmission in your car. But times have changed. The winners are now using automatics. Whether it’s under the severest of sanctioned racing conditions or the main street nationals, the top cars are showing up with automatic transmissions. Not just any automatic however, but B&M Automatics. The proven products. The products the pros. choose when the difference between winning and losing means big bucks. In fact, we’ve built our reputation on products for the professional. The guy who knows what’s happening. We’ve pioneered the controllable automatic with the B&M Hydro-Stick, B&M Turbo-Hydro and Tork-Flite. We went beyond that with the new B&M Clutch-Flite and Turbo-Clutch. We could go on, but we’re proud to let our…

The third annual Stardust National Open was held in less than ideal weather. On Saturday, blowing sand limited visibility and low temperatures limited qualifying attempts. Funny car qualifying was postponed until Sunday morning, when NHRA officials felt the wind-sensitive machines would have more favorable weather conditions. Many of the Stocker drivers attempted to make tune-up runs Saturday, but finding the blowing sand not to their liking (all the excuse they needed), packed up and headed for downtown Las Vegas to spend a few extra hours in fun city. Luckily, weather conditions almost seemed to favor the racers on the day of eliminations. Visibility cleared somewhat, and the threat of rain lasted only a few minutes. Almost the entire dragster field removed nosepieces to combat the strong crosswinds and afford their…

We’re back again. Only this time it’s 1/1/ in answer to the large number of letters asking just how competitive the Z/28 actually is in Stocker competition. We’ll go on record as having said very. This package falls within the NHRA F/Stock classification, and with the National Record currently standing at 12.69 e.t. and 110.50 mph, the Z/28 is more than competitive. Let’s examine a few specifications which make this little “bomb” a prospective Eliminator winner. To begin with, the 3218-pound shipping weight makes this “lightweight” easy to launch down the quarter. Another important aspect is the fact that the car requires very little weight trimming to reach the minimum specification. For example, the car we ran weighed in at 3215 pounds, and that’s minus the smog equipment, without a…

Surfers are much the same as hot rodders. They’re doers. They experiment with surfboard sizes and weights, fin design, cavitation, and techniques, all in an effort to improve “surf’s up” performance when they’re out on the waves “playing their own song.” But now the sun, sand, and sea worshippers have taken to wheels, and “stoked” is the only way to describe their creations. Stoked: That means wild, good, great, neat, or the most in surfing lingo. The surfers have become street rodders, in a way. Now they’re experimenting with street iron that’s on a par with some of the best hot rodding has to offer. But the surfers’ bag is a little different—different enough to prompt an all-new trend in custom wheels for street use … or in this case,…

By one definition, an internal combustion engine is a form of air pump. Piston movement and combustion processes create negative and positive pressures in a given cylinder, and the manner in which corresponding inlet and exhaust gases pass through an engine forms the basis for horsepower developed. Cylinder filling can be measured on the basis of mixture volumes (by weight) which would fill an operating cylinder and one left open to atmospheric pressure. This comparison of mixture amounts is termed volumetric efficiency, with a maximum rating of 100% being used for unblown (normally aspirated) engines. Any way in which volumetric efficiency can be improved (valve timing, piston speed relative to pin offset or rod length, intake/ exhaust runner tubing, carburetion changes, and a host of related departments) generally boosts total…

owner: Bo Jones Woodland Hills, California cars: ’27 Fnrd Rnarlstpr anrl Qad™ What’s it take to bring back the past? For some, a little four-banger track roadster; for others, a sano two-door with a four-holer. Bo Jones had to have both. To get his hard eight, Bo built two ’62 Chevy II four-cylinder mills. One fits his roadster and mates to a three-speed; the other was installed into his ’27 Ford sedan with a Power glide trans. Additional items common to both rigs are the Kelsey-Hayes wire wheels, Kinmont disc brakes, Tangerine Red paint jobs, and Stewart-Warner gauges in Demeskien engine-turned panels. Bo Jones has, without a doubt, the best of both worlds: old and new, Ford and Chevy.…

The ’32 highboy roadster is the predecessor of today’s Mustang and Camaro trend. Tony Coury, Jr., of Mesa, Arizona, felt that they just didn’t make ’em like they used to, so when he wanted some highly personalized transportation, he elected to build his own roadster. Labor was his own, hut the rest didn’t come cheap; in fact, he could have bought any of the Pony cars and saved himself quite a few bucks. That super-keen Arizona air preserves steel bodies very well, so Tony did not have to resort to fiberglass. The original steel body was in good shape, and so were the chassis and running gear, which were also original Deuce. The vintage Ford third member was replaced with a ’64 Buick Riviera rear-axle housing. Brakes are Buick rear,…

How does a full-house 396 Camaro engine with a 4.11 rear end grab you for dragging? We thought you’d like that, but we’ll guarantee you won’t like paying for the gas if you do any amount of longdistance driving. So let’s switch to a 2.87 rear-end ratio for that long-range cruising; this will not only help the mileage along, but will also save the engine by 30 percent. Sound too good to be true? Actually, it does seem a bit far out, but with a wave of HRM’s magic wand it all becomes possible. Fred Hone, whom we introduced to our readers about four years ago, now has his Hone-O-Drive units in production and available to make this impossible dream come true. Four years of testing and refinement have resulted…

The major-domos of American Hon-da ’s service department were ex-ha Xusted; they had spent days in the New Mexico desert trying in vain to burn down Hamamatsu’s ultimate brainchild, the 750cc four, immediately prior to its first public showing. And yet, every time you would as kone of them how that big dude ran, the drawn lines of facial exhaustion would quickly give way to expressions of satisfaction and enthusiasm. The performance of the machine was that strong, that the mere recollection of it many hours later would have an almost narcotic effect. The occasion was the national dealer and press preview in Las Vegas, and in attendance were over 2000 interested parties about to blow their minds in anticipation of a look, a listen, and a feel of the…

Daytona’s first annual “orange juice” Drace, the Florida Citrus 250 for DNASCAR cars, made its debut the Friday before the 500-mile stock carrace. The skies were clear, the weather warm, and the stands virtually empty. Don Yenko, a Chevrolet dealer from Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, was fastest qualifier with a 112.799-mph speed over the 3.8-mile course, and he won the racein his ex-Smokey Yunick Camaro. But when the green flag dropped, he was just one of the gang following in the wake of Parnelli Jones and Lloyd Ruby, who headed out for their own personal race at the head of the pack. Jones had a new fastback Mustang, 007Abuilt by Bud Moore, for the 250-miler. It looked suitable for either racing or showing, though it would be in the semi-custom class at…

Boat show time again! Thus we made our annual trek to the show and checked out some goodies that will interest both hot boaters and hot rodders. The first item is a super-neat battery box made by the Rubbermaid people of Wooster, Ohio. This unbreakable polyethylene box is 165/s x 9 x 10 inches, with a moveable divider to hold almost any size battery securely. The box also has a cover and web strap for keeping it in place in either your car or boat. Not only do the protective box and cover keep moisture out, they also keep battery acid and fumes in, thus eliminating water and corrosion damage. The unique feature of this unit is its self-contained 12-volt battery charger, which can be plugged into any 110-volt power…

We’ve all heard of Andy Grana-telli. We know him as the man who revived the aged Novi racing engines at Indianapolis, as the man who set the racing world on its ear for two years in a row with his famed turbocars, and as the man synonymous with those three magic letters, STP. But his autobiography, “They Call Me Mister 500,” deals sparingly with these elements in his flat-out career in racing, business promotion, and steady progress of barn-burning; it is the story of Andy Granatelli, the unreconstructed hot rodder. And for all auto enthusiasts, it doubles as an account of the sport of hot rodding as it has grown and progressed throughout the country during the past thirty-odd years. For old-timers, early-day Midwest hot rodding is recalled in vivid…

Requirements: 25 word limit per ad, not including name and address. We reserve right to edit copy or refuse ads. While not responsible for accuracy of description, we will reject misleading statements. No ads from commercial firms. Only one car may be listed in any one ad; this limitation not to apply to parts or equipment, however. $10 per ad must accompany each insertion. When photo is included, the rate is increased to $15 per insertion. Due to normal publication schedule, allow at least two months from time ad is received until it is printed. SELL—’30 ’A’ coupe. 292 Ford, 3-2’s, 4-speed, S-W gauges, Ansen mags, Indys, all-new tinted glass. Everything new. Needs upholstery. Must sell. $2200. Stephen Kistler, Route 2, Colby, Kansas 67701. SELL—’55 Nomad. Balanced Chevy 292 with…

We’ve all heard about the coming of “The Judge.” And in keeping with the performance demands of young enthusiasts, it’s about to make a second debut. Only this time it’s with its own “Executioner"—a 400-inch tunnel port power plant. You might call that a “life sentence” for other super-cars. In addition, The Judge’s sister cars, such as the Firebird 400 and the GTO, will also house the big-inch takeoff on Pontiac’s Trans-Am combatant. Pontiac’s chief engineer, Steve Malone, has been keeping the white shoe polish on the windows of the engineering building that faces Wide Track Boulevard. And looking back over the past few months, we’ve been teased into thinking that a newly designed, competitive engine would soon be released by the “youth group” at Pontiac Motor Division. “Will it…

After this year’s tour through the local race car builders’ shops, the first comment that comes to mind is the now-classic “ver-ry interesting!” A wedge-shaped, four-wheel-drive car with pushrod engine seems to be the “in” thing this year, and you can count on Peck’s Bad Boy of USAC, Andy Granatelli, to have it all. The owners and drivers may rant and rave at Andy, but they’re all copying him this year. The much-publicized Lear car went up in a puff of steam when they discovered that five months just wasn’t enough time in which to build a car and develop a completely new concept in steam engines too. We’ll save this one for ’70. USAC took a giant step in the right direction when they opened up the stock-block class…

Ever wonder what Edel-brock would come up with for an encore to the Tunnel Ram? Why, the Street Tunnel Ram, naturally. This new manifold is designed for performance enthusiasts who crave the horse power-gettin’ characteristics of the Tunnel Ram for street use. By design, the new STR manifold will fit under the stock hood with no alterations. And speaking of simplicity, linkage kits and fuel kits are available to ease the already simple installation. The first STR manifold was designed for the American Motors Trans-Am Javelins about a year ago. And due to Vic Edelbrock, Jr., and his uncanny way of zapping performance gains from aluminum stock, the second design of the new manifold was cast, flow-benched, dyno’d, and recast to add more zip to small-block Chevy engines such as…

At times Tim Beebe and John Mulligan appear to have just stepped off the drawing board of the prolific and painfully amusing Al Capp. But the ink never dries on Beebe and Mulligan, and the characterizations never set. They are characters, but they are real characters, not interpretations locked in newsprint. Tim answers to “Chops.” “Why do you call him Chops, John?” “Well, I used to know this guy and he was sorta round and we called him Pork Chops. Then Chops came along, and we just sorta started calling him Chops and …” “Yeah, sure.” OK, so Chops is the engine-building and tuning half of this well-respected drag race team, and he is knowledgeable far beyond his years (27) in the ranks of those who build supercharged, fuelburning Chryslers.…

If you have ever wondered whether you hat art talent, here is your opportunity to fine out. The founders of Famous Artists School have put together what many artists anc educators consider to be the most revealing test of art ability ever devised. It is offered to you free of charge. Designed for people uncertain of their ability The people who take this Art Talent Test are of all ages and occupations. Most of them have little or no previous art training. By professional standards, their drawings may be awkward and amateurish. But the ones who possess the precious gift of art talent reveal this talent in many ways. Through simple little exercises, they show the inborn sense of design, the feeling for composition, the ability to observe, and the…

American Motors and Hurst have collaborated on the custom-built SC/Rambler. It’s a limited production car; only 500 units are planned at this time. Enough to qualify the SC/Rambler for stock classes in drag racing. The price is $2,9981 Which is very little money when you see what it buys. 390 cubic inch AMX V-8 Engine. 4-speed all-synchromesh close-ratio transmission. Special Hurst 4-speed shift linkage with T-handle. A Sun tach mounted on the steering column. Dual Exhaust system with special-tone mufflers and chrome extensions. Functional Hood Scoop for cold-air induction. Twin-Grip differential. 10 ½’diameter clutch. 3.54:1 axle ratio. Power disc brakes (front). Rear axle torque links. Handling package (heavy-duty front sway bar plus heavy-Z3SS duty springs and shocks). Z Heavy-duty cooling // J system (heavy-duty radiator, power-flex fan and fan shroud).…

If you’ve got the talent to turn a jalopy into a sweet-humming jewel, maybe we can turr that talent into a solid good-paying future. You could go to a General Motors Training Center to become expert at Guardian Maintenance Service, if you’ve got what it takes At the same time, you’ll have a good-paying job at a respected GM dealership And that’s just the beautiful beginning. You’ll have the opportunity to return for additional GM training from time to time. That will keep you abreast of what’s happening. And it can help you specialize your talent—making you even more valuable and putting you in line for future advancement. And all the time you’ll be doing your thing! Can you think of a better way to take the grit out of…

owner: Stahl Engineering York, Pennsylvania car: ’57 Chevrolet…

The trend toward Danish Modern furnishings has been readily accepted by auto makers, as witness the walnut seen on dashboards, door panels, and steering whee lrims. It was rapidly followed up by a number of specialty manufacturers offering do-it-yourself kits to give older carsa touch of wood. The missing ingredient, of course, has been the lack of suitable door hardware to make a rodder ’s office complete. Therefore, a certain amount of praise is due California Custom Accessories and Eelco Manufacturing Company, both of which displayed their interpretations of this needed touch at the recent SEMA show to wide acclaimfrom dealers. We thought they were pretty “trick” too, and figured you might like to see what it’s all about. Each firm offers handles and cranks for most Ford, Gen-eral Motors,…

What do you figure it would take to talk your local parts man into giving a 25 percent discount on the parts you need? A lot of smooth talking may do it if you’re lucky, but it’s doubtful. And when was the last time you had an opportunity to win a ready-to-run, record-holding Super Stocker? Or how about getting advice and recommendations for setting up your car properly for drag racing from some of the sport’s top stars? Well, friends, thanks to the Ford Division of the Ford Motor Company, these opportunities and many more may now be available to you in the form of Ford’s Drag Club Program. Throughout its history, Ford has been involved in performance activities, and in the past decade has turned out an ever-increasing number…

Let’s discuss the methods of preppingJr. Stock heads. To begin with, it is necessary to use the correct head casting for a given engine ’shorse power rating. For example, you couldn’t legallyuse a ’56 Chevy 225-hp head (casting No. 3884520) on a ’56 Chevy 210-hp en-gine application which calls for head casting No. 3725306. You’ll save your selflater heartaches by contacting your Division Director as to the correct casting number for your particular application. And don’t make the mistake of using parts numbers to identify or order heads from your local parts dealer. Original-equipment heads are often dis-continued and replaced with later-model designs. However, this does not mean that NHRA automatically ap-proves the substituted part, so be on the safe side and check before investing your money in equipment which…

Dune buggies, four-wheel-drive rigs, pickup trucks, motorcycles, and you name it: If it’s off-road equipment, it’ll be a part of one of the biggest off-road performance festivals ever to be presented. The National Off-Road Performance Equipment Show, and the Baja 500 Race, all in Southern California and under the direction of the National Off Road Racing Association (NORRA). Almost two full weeks of exciting activity have been planned by NORRA, beginning with the National Off-Road Performance Equipment Show at the Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California, June 4-8, and followed by the first annual Baja 500 Race which takes place June 10-12, with the start and finish of the race to be at Ensenada (in Baja California). The show is to be presented in cooperation with “Hot Rod Industry News” and…

CLEAN AIR PACKAGE This was seen on an entry for the Mexican 1000 last year. A small electric motor driving a fan is installed under an air cleaner. The flex hose leading from the box pipes air to a junction where two hoses branch off to feed a pair of face masks. Thus, all the air inhaled by driver and co-driver during the race is filtered. This idea has been used for years on heavy earth-moving equipment and is bound to see increased use in off-road racing. SLICK STARTING Another “trick” Mickey Thompson is employing in his Mustangs is the use of an air-backed oil reservoir, similar to that marketed by Ansen Automotive. This unit contains over a quart of oil stored in the tank and lines shown and supplies…