Indholdsfortegnelse for April 1971 i Hot Rod

For the past two years, Keith Black’s shop in South Gate, California, has been the center of small-block MoPar race engine development. During this time, Keith has worked directly with Chrysler Corporation on, first, the Plymouth 318 Indy engine in 1969, and then last year, the Trans-Am engine program. Under his affiliation with Chrysler, Keith, along with factory engineer Pete Hutchinson, developed very competitive small-block engines. Although miscellaneous vehicle failures kept the engine from accomplishing a big win, the competition knew that the MoPars were to be respected. In 1969, the 318 Plymouths sat on the pole at every dirttrack race entered. Last year, in Trans-Am, there were four occasions when the MoPars sat on the pole. When Chrysler announced its racing cutbacks this year, many followers of the small-block…

owners: John Keeling and Jerry ClaytonPlaya Del Rey, Californiacar: Top Fuel Dragster…

To the drag racing world, Arlen Vanke needs no introduction. Without a doubt he is one of the most respected Pro Stock driver/builders in the country today. Arlen’s list of accomplishments is long and impressive, but you wouldn’t know it by talking to him… he’s just one of the guys. Arlen picked up his nickname, “Akron Arlen,” because of his undying devotion to his hometown. He is one of the local heroes to both the young and the more established residents. Actually, Arlen started his racing career in 1953, behind the local shopping center. He and a group of guys formed a club and held weekly races. They ran off in three classes: stock, modified and roadster. Arlen selected the modified class and competed with a ’40 Ford fitted with…

It’s been at least sixteen years since the last major change in four-speed shifter concepts. That is, those units marketed toward the general racing public and auto enthusiasts, at what would be considered a competitive selling price. Mr. Gasket has broken the barrier with the introduction of his all-new Vertical Gate shifter. This newly designed unit is so complete a departure from normal shifters that it has recently received the SEMA “New Product of the Year Award” at the ’71 SEMA show. The designer of this slick new product is Bill Bieber of Bieber Changer fame. Bill and Joe Hrudka (Mr. Gasket president) joined forces so they could offer this unit to the racers and general performance enthusiasts at a competitive price. We are told the tooling and manufacturing techniques…

owner: Bob WeggelandNorth Hollywood, Calif.,car: Dune Buggy…

Call it escalation. The Maverick is now offered with a V8 engine. It isn’t the biggest V8 engine Ford ever produced, but it is at least a good place to start. The V8 option might very well reduce the sales of six-cylinder Mavericks, but it isn’t likely to hurt overall sales. Fact is, Ford should sell more Mavericks than before. The 302 V8 used in the Maverick is of the Windsor design. It comes with a compression ratio of 9.0:1 and has a single Autolite two-bbl carburetor. The horsepower figures out to be 210 at 4600 rpm, while torque is given as 296 lb.-ft. at 2600 rpm. The stock transmission is a three-speed column-mounted-shifter type, but an automatic with three-speeds is optional and can have a floor or column shifter.…

SELECTRON CAR STEREO This new easy-to-install stereo unit will play both the conventional cassette and the popular 8-track stereo cartridges through the same slot and any control adjustments and offers automatic reversing for the cassette. The AIWA Model TP-1028 is handsomely constructed and shockproof, weighs 9 Ibs. and is provided with mounting bracket, power and SP cord and fuse. Size is 8¾ inches by 9¾ inches. Price is $159.95 at your dealer’s. TRAIL BIKE SPARK ARRESTER The Horstman-Krizman spark arrester is now available for trail bikes. The unit is compact, smartly tailored and lightweight (14 oz.), with easy removal of the collector, attractive heatresistant black finish, slotted inlet and clamp for secure installation. The spark arrester is U.S. Forest Service-approved. Contact Horstman Manufacturing Co., Inc., Dept. HR, 730 E. Huntington…

The Comet is symbolically reminiscent of the proverbial freckle-faced girl next door who is ignored until a certain coming of age when there is an apparent overnight transformation into an appealing package. Are we trying to say that there has been an overnight transformation in the high-performance automotive scene, making a small-block econo car desirable? Precisely. The state of the economy and the difficulty that people are experiencing in getting insurance for their high-performance cars has been a topic of considerable discussion for the past few months, so we won’t dwell on it here. Rather, allow us to introduce Project Comet. The Comet, in its stock (302-2V) form, is a mild-mannered package that will get the blessings of insurance companies and legislators who seem to feel that the horsepower rating…

The Stage-Five Pinto 1600 is strong evidence that high performance is still a good thing around the Ford Division. Racing is what they recently got out of, and that doesn’t necessarily mean high performance. Auto companies don’t profit directly by entering their own racing teams in big events. But if they make performance parts that work and sell, they realize good business. The parts have to work. So far, Autolite-Ford Muscle Parts have proven themselves. The Pinto 1600 with Stage-Five equipment is the first endeavor by Ford to absolutely guarantee that any Muscle Part that crosses a dealer’s counter will also pass present emission-level standards. While earlier parts would do this, or at least most of them would, the development program was never before tied in to the smog lab…

owner: Vaughn RaviartOrangevale, Californiacar: Jr. Fuel Dragster…

owner: Mark DeesBeverly Hills, Californiacar: ’33 Austin B/GR…

Pro Stock cars have been wrung out so much this past year that components that were once trouble-free are now showing signs of strain. The indestructible “60” Series Dana-Spicer rear, used under all the Hemi-powered Pro cars, is considered one of the strongest units on the market — and even they have failed from time to time this past season. Recently, a very heavy trend has developed in the Pro ranks: the use of Summers Brothers Hy-Tuff axles in narrowed housings. The narrowed housing allows additional tire clearance; that is, if the spring pads are also moved inboard. Of course new axles are necessary to fit the shortened housing tubes, so the guys are using the very highly respected Summers Brothers units. Noticing this wave of interest, and because they…

If it can be made to move, it must be made to stop. In other words, the faster it goes the quicker it has to stop, and this is directly applicable to race cars. Ironically, braking requirements aren’t as great on high-speed tracks such as Talladega and Daytona as they are on short or road courses. Grand National cars on high-banked tracks receive heavy braking only when entering the pits. If the driver has to hit them hard at some other place, it’s not intentional. Because disc brakes have been optional or standard on most production-car front wheels for some years, we’ve often wondered why caliper brakes weren’t applied to racing stockers. Marvin Panch, who was once a Grand National driving hero and is now a field engineer for Grey-Rock,…

CONTESTANTS IN CHRYSLER-PLYMOUTH DIVISION’S National Plymouth Trouble Shooting Contest” will now be able to purchase a valuable set of mechanics tools at minimal cost directly from Contest Headquarters in Detroit, according to John H. Moore, Jr., manager of the contest. “The goal of this program,” Moore said, “is to get as many as possible of the 4000 young men who compete annually in the contest to seek employment in the automotive service field.” Under this revised tool and job program, each student who participates in a local Plymouth Trouble-Shooting Contest will receive a certificate which entitles him to purchase a 181-piece tool set and six-drawer tool chest (retail value $539) for only $274. IT’S PERFECTLY LEGAL to “borrow” ideas from competitors when you’re in the car business. Ford is now…

The National Hot Rod Association is celebrating its 20th I year in the sport of drag racing. During those 20 years, they have conducted countless numbers of drag events. Of these, the famous NHRA Winternationals meets drew hordes of spectators and great numbers of competitors. Many racers usually like to debut their new creations at the Pomona event, and as the meet grows older, the cars and rigs become more and more professional. We can remember a time when the race cars didn’t look as well prepared as some of the tow trucks do today. As the rigs become more professional, the performance levels of the many types of cars seem to rise each year. For example, the Pro Stock cars, which were introduced at last year’s event, ran consistent…

owner: Tony NietoDaly City, Californiacar: ’29 ‘A’ Roadster…

Designer Harry Bradley, convinced that the funny car influence would soon be evident among the drive-in crowd, anticipated the action by restyling a ’70 ’Cuda with emphasis on the funny car look. Promotions, Inc., world’s largest producer of custom car shows, then entered the picture and commissioned Chuck Miller of Styline Customs in Detroit to translate Harry’s renderings into reality. Construction of the Sonic ’Cuda centered around a 383 Plymouth and required chrome trim. Front-end rework included grille insert and air dam. The ’Cuda tail has formed metal spoiler and funny-car-oriented wheelie bars and chute. Completing the funny car theme are big ’n little Goodyears on Cragar wheels. The blower and zoomies are cosmetic, but that incredible scalloping and color blending is for real, as anyone who has attended an…

Compared to the days when the flywheel shield consisted of a ¼-inch-thick steel plate formed around the flywheel area of a car’s engine compartment, today’s hydro-formed protectors are far more sophisticated. When the formed steel bellhousings were introduced some years ago, the main interest at that time was to protect the driver. Since that time, race-engine development has come so far that clutches and flywheels have in some cases been taxed beyond their loading capabilities. This became evident when the “slipper” clutches started being used so extensively. After a few unfortunate accidents, the handwriting appeared on the wall … something had to be done, not only to protect the drivers, but also to protect the spectators or anyone who might be in the vicinity of a clutch explosion. Joe Schubeck,…

To be a crowd-pleaser, a cars gotta have an outasight paint job. Howard Corwin and Sandy Johnson’s AA/FA has that and something more — a chopped ’40 Studebaker tudor sedan body. Sandy assembled the 354-inch ’56 Chrysler engine, using a Power Engineering-reworked crank, Ansen slugs, M/T rods, Engle roller cam, Walker Automotive-prepped heads with Donovan Valves, Miller-tricked 6-71, Enderle injectors and Cyclone headers. A ’40 Stude frame was redesigned by Corwin. The coil-mounted ’59 Olds 3.90 rear end churns Ansen-mounted 12.50 x 16 M&Hs. Pirelli front tires are wrapped around American mag 12-spokers. A ’62 Corvair steering setup directs the action. Patriotic paint is by Matt Karl, carpeting by Dan Goldtrap, stitching by Collins Upholstery. Crew includes Lonnie Sanders and Dick Hinson. owners: Howard Corwin and Sandy JohnsonLakewood, Coloradocar: ’40…

After running a C/Gasser and ClAltered, Fred Badberg decided to go the roadster route, building a steel-bodied ‘A’ roadster pickup with ’glass fenders. The chassis was built by Bud Lang (formerly with Hot Rod) of 2-x 3-inch tubing, utilizing Koni coil/shocks at each corner, a 4130 chrome moly axle up front and a narrowed ’57 Pontiac at rear. Henry’s axles transmit the torque through a set of Zoom 5.12 or 5.57 gears. Airheart brakes do the stopping, a Corvair box the steering, aided by an Eelco wheel. Fenton wheels mount Goodyear rubber. A 327-inch Chevy keeps the car in the low 10s. A Milodon oil system and 4-bolt mains, Doug Thorley headers, Racer Brown cam, B&M Clutch-Flite, Lakewood housing, CSC crank and pistons, Weber clutch, Weiand manifold all play their…

Midnight hardly seems like the logical I time to gather more than 125 motorcycle enthusiasts for some friendly competition in a timed rally, especially in the dead of a New York winter freeze, but the Crotona Motor-cycle Club’s Midnight Road Run is always conducted during the dead of winter; that’s part of its long tradition. Besides, by mid-January, New Yorkers are starved for a ride and nothing will stop them. Night riders of every age gathered at Nathan’s, a famous Yonkers deli and cruising beat, clad in whatever they felt would provide the best defense against the unconquerable cold. Most arrived with only their eyes exposed to the world, every other square inch being clothed in triplicate. Their machines wore great windbreakers fashioned of fiberglass, cloth or even cardboard to…