Indholdsfortegnelse for June 1971 i Hot Rod

Back in the good old days (which is usually any time previous to yesterday), Hot Rod Magazine was loaded with features on early-model machinery. It really didn’t make any difference whether it was for the street, dragging, the lakes, or for show; if the fine craftsmanship was there, we published it. We didn’t show only what had been done, but also what to do. Many of our how-to-do-it stories and tech articles were devoted to spreading the word on what was happening in early-model hot rodding. With the ready availability of vintage cars, along with reasonable prices for the cars and modification equipment, activity was widespread; and the number of enthusiasts interested in this segment of the automotive hobby grew by leaps and bounds. However, as the years went by,…

QUAKER STATE YOUR CAR Quaker State’s new booklet, “What You Should Know About Motor Oil,” has informative answers to any questions regarding oil. The book tells you about your car’s engine, what oil is, how to read an oil can. It also contains a section on 2-cycle engines and one on airplane engines. For yours, write to Quaker State Oil Refining Corp., Dept. HR, Oil City, Pa. 16301. FLY THE NHRA COLORS Now you can boost your Division’s image by wearing and displaying these new colorful T-shirts, jacket patches, sweat shirts and vinyl emblems. Sport Service also has collector’s items, such as glasses, pennants, tie tacks, etc. Contact Sport Service, Inc., Dept. HR, P.O. Box 6636, Burbank, California 91505. GOOD LOOKER Gumout has announced an exciting new custom-designed Gumout/PTA racing…

If you really want to amount to something in this increasingly-competitive world, parlay your mechanical aptitude into the top job security and prestige of an aviation/aerospace technician. After just 16½ months of training at Spartan, you can be eligible for starting pay of $10,000 a year as an airline Aviation Mechanic. And lifetime earnings in this fascinating field often exceed half a million dollars: more than that of many college graduates! Train Now, Pay Later. If you’re a qualified veteran, your G. I. Bill benefits will pay 100% of tuition costs of most aviation technician courses: 90% on all flight courses beyond your basic private pilot’s rating. And even if you’re not a veteran, you can learn now and pay later under a variety of deferred payment plans. National Vocational…

Give or take a few, there are (at last count) a dozen easy-to-delineate facets of the Gene Snow personality. Snow the handler rates high on our list, but we 11 save that one for later in the profile, where, through Gene’s recall, we take a start-to-finish ride in the Rambunctious funny car. Hope you have the hair…. Most well known is Snow the competitor, the side most of us see at one or more of the 80 race bookings logged by the stalwart Texan in the course of traveling some 90,000 miles per year. Ask him why he prefers the color red for his race cars, and the answer comes out: “All race cars are red.” Red: since time began the color of conflict. Sometimes Gene is like a soldier…

The Mint 400 is billed as everything from an off-road race to a desert rally, but perhaps the one term that best describes the event is a “happening.” About 250 entrants converged on Las Vegas, which is probably the multicolored neon light capital of the world, to attempt to negotiate 400 or so miles of desert in less than 13 or 14 hours. Gently blend the above ingredients with never-closing casinos, movie starlets, entertainers and astronauts, and you start to get the picture. The big item of news before the race was the withdrawal of defending champion Drino Miller’s entry. Apparently Miller claimed discrimination, while the organizers claimed they were enforcing the roll cage rules. Since it all took place long before technical inspection, we can only scratch our heads…

owner: Roy Desbrow Ventura, California car: Dune Buggy…

The recent awareness of the public and legislators regarding exhaust gases from automobiles has not gone unnoticed by the speed equipment manufacturers throughout the country. There is a feeling that before very long there will be a mandate to the effect that any modifications to an automobile that adversely change the exhaust emissions characteristics will be prohibited. The impetus will then lie with the manufacturer of a non-standard item to show that his product is not a detriment to clean exhaust. The people at Hooker Headers are very much aware of the difficulties which may present themselves to the speed equipment industry. Combining their wish to aid in the battle for clean air with their desire to keep the sport of hot rodding alive, the Hooker people have undertaken an…

Since their introduction, there has been a noticeable lack of Autolite in-line carburetors at the drag strips. Oh, there have been many who have tried them but, until now, not very successfully. Doug Nash has been working with injectors for the small-block Fords, and he too occasionally toyed with the not-too-popular in-line carbs. It wasn’t until this past Winternationals that the MP guys really stopped to take notice of a certain little D/MP Mustang that was cranking speeds in excess of 125 mph. When the Modified Production class runoffs were completed, the naked truth was exposed: A little Ford had run rampant over a tough field heavily populated with small-block-Chevy-powered cars. After initial inspection of the engine compartment of that stormin’ little 302, it was noted that the engine-builder, Bob…

Few racing camps ever capture two world competition speed records in a single year. Fewer camps post them on the same date exactly a year apart. And fewer still capture all records extant in one of the classes! Yet the Record 7 Racing Team, headed by Seattle businessman George Babcock, did this in boat racing’s 7-liter modified and 280-cu.-in. stock classes. On October 4, 1969, Babcock drove his 7-liter Record 7 to the first over-100-mph competition average in limited inboard boat racing history by setting a 101.580-mph world record speed. Exactly one year later — on October 4, 1970 — Pat Berryman, driving Babcock’s Colonel Bogey, posted a 78.466-mph competition heat average to establish a new world record speed for the 280 class. In the meantime, the 7-liter craft also…

Bruce Brown has done it again. He’s the talented film maker whose “Endless Summer” was the surfing ' movie that all the others strove to emu-i late, and by which they were judged. He set the style. Now his sensitive, factual and humorous approach has been focused on motorcycle competition … and it’s about time. After an unsavory succession of quickie motorcycle-gang and pseudoracing flicks, to say nothing of the granddaddy of all image-shatterers, “The Wild Ones,” Brown’s latest offering is the movie that every real motorcyclist has always yearned for. Two years in the making (backer Steve McQueen told Brown to take his time), “On Any Sunday” covers every facet of two-wheeled activity from Bonneville to the boondocks. Enduros, hillclimbs, moto-cross, ice racing, drags, desert, trials, speedway — they’re…

DRAG RACERS BLOOD BANK… Ron Rickman, the 32-year-old head of finish line security at all NHRA events, has performed a drag racing first. He has organized “The Central Ohio Drag Racers Blood Bank,” in conjunction with the American Red Cross. The main purpose of the blood bank is to foster better public relations between the racers and the public, and to ensure each racer a sufficient amount of blood in case the need should arise. The blood bank also covers the racer’s immediate family. Among those supporting this program are The Rod Shop and Jeg’s Automotive of Columbus, Ohio. Ron has already donated a gallon of his own blood for this cause. Those interested in starting blood banks in their areas should contact Ron Rickman, 372 S. Eureka Ave., Columbus,…

Once a project car is complete, and you’ve been given the reports, it often has other duties ahead. Most of these revolve around shows and displays. One of the more worthwhile display areas occurs annually at Chaffey College in Alta Loma, California. This is also the home of Sam Contino’s automotive technology class, which was the first schoolbased class to offer an accredited course in automotive racing car technology. They have also fielded a Trans-Am racing car, and are now in the midst of preparing various other racing team vehicles, even though the students and faculty are not allowed to participate as drivers in any of their cars. When Mr. Contino invited us to attend his third annual Motorsports Car Show, we naturally accepted. So did many others. On a…

History lessons relate to us the adventure of Ponce de LeÓn exploring Florida in 1513 A.D., and how the intrepid Spaniard never realized his dream of the fountain of youth. A shame this, for ol’ Ponce missed taking in this year’s Gatornationals drags by some four and a half centuries. We’re sure an ageless Ponce de LeÓn would’ve enjoyed Wally’s Gator race as much as the superlativo Bakersfield March meet, and certainly a good measure more than the Supernationals and Winternationals (especially the Winternationals, which by comparison grew tiresome and unwieldy for racer and spectator alike because of the enormous number of car entries). The good southern folks jammed into Gainesville Dragway’s stands added that same intangible extra — call it southern spirit — that makes southern football stadiums the…

Pontiac’s GT-37 is a rub-off from the GTO. This isn’t accidental. As the GTO got better, it got more expensive; and its image did nothing to reduce the insurance costs. While the GT-37 isn’t the kind of car you can buy for nothing down and $20.00 a week for 36 months (what is?), it has a relatively reasonable price. Naturally, Pontiac wishes to have those who’d buy a GTO, if it weren’t for the expense, choose the GT-37. It looks something like a GTO but is lightly equipped in basic form. Rubber floor covering is the first tipoff, but I really didn’t notice this until some time after picking up the car. It just doesn’t make that much difference. The GT-37 is actually a T-37 series “Tempest” with a GT…

Praise goes to HR’s own Photo Editor, Mike Brenner, for this fantastic start-to-finish sequence of Jim Davis’ unbelievable wheelie-flip at Bakersfield.…

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Classic Car Wax has been flattered many times in the past and is being flattered even more today. Take a look at the shelves in any car care center. Almost every tin of wax is a one-step cleaner-wax. Many of them are 18-ounce tins. Some have colors and slogans a lot like Classic’s. A few even have $5 price tags. Imitations, all. The facts are: Classic Car Wax is the first one-step cleaner-wax, first in an 18-ounce tin, first to ask $5 for a premium amount of a premium product. So Classic is imitated. But it is never duplicated. For two good reasons: First, the formula is patented. Second, Classic’s imitators are unwilling to pay for such high-quality ingredients. Costly, highest-quality…

A little over a year ago, Carter released an exotic new carburetor called the Thermo⋅Quad. Since its introduction, it has been well received by many of the leaders in the high-performance world. The number of installations benefiting from the T⋅Q are many, because its small primary bores and large secondary bores offer not only good throttle response, but strong top-end performance. Chrysler thought so much of the T⋅Q’s capabilities that they now offer it as standard equipment on their 340s. Actually, there is a slight difference between the OEM carb and the aftermarket unit; however, both will have basically the same metering system by next year. Items such as adjustable throttle arm, cooler-operating phenolic-resin main body and centralized serviceable carb cover help to make the T⋅Q a much-sought-after high-performance four-barrel…

It took 3½ years and $7000, but machinist Lonnie Gilbertson accomplished what he’d set out to do: build a street rod he could be proud of! We don’t have a record of how many times Lonnie was discouraged by the problems encountered in his street rod building project, but we can tell you he surmounted every one of them. Not only that, but he took the car apart and did it again. Lonnie’s just-completed ’23 ‘T’ was featured in our September 1970 issue, but the difference between then and now is considerable. The handmade rectangular tube frame with PSI dropped tube front axle on transverse leaf springs was retained, but the Econoline binders were replaced with homemade hubs and discs gripped by H&H calipers. The ’63 Ford station wagon rear…

Just about everyone knows that blown engines are too temperamental and short-lived even to be considered for day-to-day use on the street. However, Paris Fish could not ignore the idea of a 6-71-blown engine in his ’Vette and figured he could solve a couple of problems like reliability and longevity. Paris started with a reliable 1967 427-inch Chevy with L-88 aluminum heads. The heads were given the O-ring and cc treatment, but the bottom end was kept stock. Don Hampton was the man Fish chose to set up a street-style 6-71. A custom-made drive with GT end plates turns the buffer 10% under through a Gilmer belt. For dragging, the pulleys are swapped to provide 10% overdrive. The blower inhales gas from two AFBs through a handmade aluminum box which…

In just a few months you could know almost enough about jet engines to build one yourself. First comes basic training. And even before it's over, you’ll know a lot more about yourself. Then, if you’ve got the aptitude and the interest, you could go on to the Air Force’s 11-week jet mechanics school. There, through technical training and expert instruction, your natural Interest in what makes things move will be turned into a lifetime skill. And jet-age mechanics is just one of many technical and nontechnical skills the Air Force can teach you. In fact, the Air Force’s Occupational list includes 47 different career fields, from Medical to Missile Maintenance to Music. The point is, the Air Force can train you in something that the whoie world finds useful.…

The 1971 Summernationals of the Drag Racing Club of South Africa, held at Rainbow Dragway in February, was an outstanding success, with glorious weather, a big and varied entry list and an enthusiastic crowd who enjoyed a most satisfying day of drag racing. No fewer than eight dragsters were entered, the most interesting being those of Theo Smith and Brian Murray. Theo’s new fuel-injected Chevy V8 rail was immaculate with a complex Kandy Apple and Metalflake paint job and lots of chrome, but it seemed slightly down on power with a best time of 11.34. This was the first public appearance of Brian Murray’s supercharged Chrysler hemi rail, freshly imported from the USA, where it has turned high-six-second e.t.s in the 220-mph bracket. The powerplant was intentionally detuned before leaving…

Maybe we should look upon it as refreshing to know that in this day of budget cutbacks and tightening economy, there is — amid all this decreasing money thing — a group of men building race cars to sell at prices starting around $25,000, less engine and quite a few other pieces. Undoubtedly, these men are optimistic. They belong to a company in Van Nuys, California, called Aero-Structures Development; and the car they construct can be used for Formula A racing or, when ordered, for Marlboro-USAC Championship racing. The Championship car will probably cost a new owner somewhere around $40,000. The Aero-Structures method of building a Formula racer involves aircraft design, techniques and materials. For instance: The chassis will be 10 to 20 percent stronger than comparable cars, according to…

Paul works with lasers. At the GM Tech Center in Warren, Michigan. And his job is to find new and practical applications for them. If you happened to look over his shoulder, you could find him using lasers (Laser, incidentally, is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.) to scribe ceramics and glass, seam-weld metals, slit plastic or cut wood, plastic, rubber or metal. But when the week-ends roll around, Paul takes to the hills with a pack on his back. You can pick up his trail somewhere in Northern Michigan. Or in a Utah desert at the head of a group of Explorer Scouts. Can a man who loves the outdoors find happiness at a big corporation like GM? If vou’re ever near our Tech Center,…

The pit area at national drag meets is just loaded with outstanding-looking equipment, and it takes something extra special to catch the photog’s eye. Bill Hielscher’s “Dixco Hustler” van has no trouble, though. The 1970 Chevy 103-series three-window van is finished in a black and yellow color scheme that matches the other “Mr. Bardahi” cars in Bill’s stable. The super-trick tow car/truck/van features Fenton wheels, Trend Setter pipes, a stereo tape deck with professional P.A. system, carpeting, refrigerator, mahogany paneled storage areas and plenty of room inside for conferences. The van’s primary purpose, of course, is to serve as a portable display of products Hielscher uses and endorses. The van is scheduled to appear at more than 40 events this year (including Bonneville) and between race meets will be used…

THE WIDENEW FIRESTONE “500” TIRE (with double raised white stripes), is built along the same principles as a racing tire. It’s seven ribs wide, with a new unique “flat” tread to give you 30% better stopping on wet slippery pavement than the former Firestone “500” tire. The 4 full plies of nylon cord give high impact resistance, cool running, and precise handling. “500”® THE SPORTS 500 TIRE is designed especially for the man who wants nothing less than the maximum in street performance. You get concave molding with a high-angle nylon-cord body, and handsome raised white lettering. Sports 500™ THE WIDE OVAL 70 TIRE is built to make your steering, stopping, handling on the street as precise as it should be. Built seven ribs wide for great stability and ample…

To revel in the exhilaration of winging a responsive and racy-sounding motor in those marvelous flathead days of yore, rodders simply bolted in a %, full or super-full race cam; opted for Johnson adjustable tappets; bolted on an intake manifold topped by Stromberg 97 jugs and trudged down to the nearest muffler shop for “dual pipes.” But it was the racing cam that enjoyed the mysterious ability to turn Henry’s 24-studder into something big and terrible. Detroit’s mass switchover to overhead valve engines, along with the burgeoning sport of drag racing, created a horde of new manufacturers of aftermarket cams and related valve train components. After all, the stock rocker box engine, with all those Rube Goldberg pieces working to translate the cam lobe’s message to the valves, well… there…

The second part of our Demon project brings us to another car. Last month we tested Mr. Norm’s 340 6-Pack Demon, while this month we examine the mild-mannered 318 version and go through the steps needed to turn the grocery-getter version into a mini super car. We chose the 318 version for reasons of initial purchase price and freedom from insurance surcharges; also, there are a number of 318 cars available in the used car market, which is certainly not a bad way to go if your finances can’t absorb the cost of a new machine. Our 318 project car was delivered with automatic transmission, power disc brakes, H.D. suspension and power steering. The combination of these op-tions and the nimbleness of the compact sedan gave the car a solid…

Owning a limited edition of anything does have a certain personal gratification, especially if it’s an automobile. Distinctive automobiles are truly an expression of one’s inner self. Hurst Performance Research has been building custom versions of various Detroit iron for a number of years in an effort to satisfy the desires of those who have a yearning for a unique yet sophisticated vehicle. The SSJ Hurst is the ultimate Grand Prix. From its electric sunroof to its custom gold wheels, the SSJ is truly a noble machine. The padded landau-style half-top roof and the Hurst Fire Frost Gold metallic paint scheme merely add to this nobility. Many options are available for the car, and they include such features as a Hurst Auto/Stick shifter, Hurst Roll Control and Hurst Dual-Gate shock…

“When Plymouth announced their version of a mini econo-” car, our reaction was an unabashed I ho-hum. After all, a 91-cubic-inch, I four-door, sub-compact sedan hardly makes it in the performance world, even considering current social and economic pressures. Of course Plymouth Division is well known for being progressive when it comes to performance, and since the Cricket was somewhat questionable in this area, it didn’t take long for them to enlist the aid of Sox & Martin to boost the performance image of the mini-sedan. Before we ventured to the Burlington, North Carolina, shops of Sox & Martin to learn about the hot Cricket, we spent some time with a stock version. We found the stocker a pleasant car; overall, we’d rate it “good.” Unfortunately, being a “good” car…

owner: George Visnic Huntington Beach, California car: ’64 Plymouth D/MP…

If you’re an average driver, you fill the tank of your car with about 700 gallons a year of a product you rarely see. You know that no reputable oil company will sell you a bad gasoline. But perhaps you sometimes wonder if there is really any difference in gasolines. There is. And leading oil companies constantly work to develop even modest improvements in gasoline performance. For instance, about four years ago Humble began a research program to bring you a family of new Efficiency Gasolines. The improvements will not revolutionize driving. But they have made a noticeable difference in the performance of many cars. This little booklet shows you why Efficiency Gasoline is not just a fancy name we thought up, but an accurate description of the way our…

High spirited tires. A lot of people have discovered they can coax as much fun out of the road with wide, low-profile tires as they can with horsepower. And now we’re making them. For almost every car. The Polyglas GT 60 series and Custom Wide Tread Polyglas 70 series.Tires that feel as natural on nimble compacts, intermediates, sedans and luxury cars as they feel on hot-blooded performance cars. Check your specs and see your Goodyear man for the right Performance Polyglas tires for your car.…

To say that the Stock Eliminator racers are a closely knit bunch of guys is an understatement. They seem to be bound by more than just friendship. There’s this thing called respect, and they believe in it. Aside from respect for one another, there is also this thing they call appreciation. Look at the organizations or companies that have supported the Stockers: the ones who have developed specialized racer products, or the few who make those hard-to-find pieces. We don’t think this “racer’s supporting” thing has to do so much with doing someone a good turn or giving them something for nothing as it has to do with offering the right racer-oriented products at a good dollar value. There are many small corporations grossing in excess of several hundred-thousand dollars…

Since the Juice Box battery was introduced to the sport of drag racing, it has enjoyed huge success with the racers, partly due to the contingency money ESB has put up for the use of the Juice Box, and partly because there has been a definite lack of quality high-ampere batteries to fit the sometimes restricted race car applications. In addition to getting involved in supporting drag racing, the Juice Box people decided to “get involved” with the racers — lend a hand when needed, offer suggestions at the races and generally aid in whatever way possible. Juice Box representatives have been on hand with hundreds of batteries at all NHRA major events, just waiting to fill the racer’s needs. It was during the many battery exchanges that the Juice…

Veteran race driver Lloyd Ruby examines a new warning that soon will appear on all Goodyear racing tires. Molded into the tire sidewall, the words “For Racing Purposes Only” serve as an admonition to drivers of high-performance autos that high-performance passenger tires, not racing tires, are best for highway use. There are many reasons why racing tires should not be used on passenger cars, including little sidewall protection, unsuitable tread designs and hardriding qualities.…

Tony Nancy’s digger has an engine insurance policy in the form of an aircraft-style hydraulic accumulator. The unit, supplied by An-sen Automotive, contains a quart of oil in the outlet end of the tank and air, compressed at slightly over engine oil pressure, in the other end. The valve is opened after the engine is fired up so that in case engine oil pressure fails, this reserve oil supply will sustain pressure until the quarter-mile traps are cleared and/or the engine is shut off. Tony “The Loner” Nancy, who recently astounded drag fans at OCIR’s Second Pro meet by clocking a 6.46 at 232.55 mph, hasn’t used his insurance policy yet, but he admits it costs far less than a late-model Dodge hemi engine.…