Indholdsfortegnelse for October 1972 i Hot Rod

During the two-thirds of my life that I have been infatuated with cars, my tastes have strayed from one facet of automobilia to another. I started by drawing cars as a kid and graduated to building model cars, first the “stock” kits, then scrambling parts and chopping tops with my trusty X-acto knife. Then in September of 1956, I bought my first issue of Hot Rod and discovered I was really hooked on cars. At first I liked the customs, with their sensual sweeping bubble skirts and inviting Angora dashboards. But I joined one of your really first-class car clubs, the Squires of Chatham (New Jersey), and the membership wasted no time in setting me straight. Drag racing and street machines was the place to be. Incidentally, the guy driving…

American Motors is rejoicing over their best sales year in six years, with sales up a significant ten percent. They attribute their success partly to their Buyer Protection Plan, which is the industry's only 12-month/12,000-mile warranty. The Gremlin and Javelin are continued from last year with only minor changes. These changes include a Levi's interior option for the Gremlin that looks like the famous blue jeans but is made of long-wearing nylon fabric. AMC said this interior was designed to appeal to the “under 30” set, a group which seems to stay away from their products. AMC was also proud, of their new bumper system, which is fully recoverable and will pass the 1974 standards. Another safety item will be the incorporation of side-door guard beams on models produced after…

The Olds Cutlass series really comes across with some pleasantly clean sheet metal and a hint of eagerness in the lower side sculpturing. In fact, the comment was made in the HRM office that even though the '73s don't have the performance of five years ago, they look faster than ever. That certainly is true of the Cutlass “S” Sport Coupe. Some rather unique design features have been incorporated into the Cutlass, such as a spring-loaded and hinged-grille section. This allows the energy-absorbing bumper to be placed to the grille without damaging the grille as the bumper goes through its designed three-inch stroke on minor impacts. Luxury options include swiveling bucket seats and a tinted glass “Vista Vent ' in the roof that can be raised about 2 ½ inches…

At a time when most of Detroit has turned away from performance, concentrating on meeting upcoming emission and bumper standards, one auto maker has breathed some fresh life into its engine line-up. That manufacturer is Pontiac, with their new 455-cubic-inch Super Duty engine. Although Pontiac has had a 455-cubic-inch engine for a number of years, this new S.D. engine is a fresh design, sharing very few parts with previous engines even though many of the S.D. components will fit earlier Indians. The new S.D. engine replaces the 455 HO engine of previous years. In the past Pontiac has been in the position of designing good roadworthy engines and then modifying those engines for high-performance applications. This procedure usually results in a marginal performance engine plagued with shortcomings and compromises. To…

In the previous four installments of this series, we dealt with building the bare frame, hanging the fiberglass doors and wooding the body, installing the powertrain and Jag rear, and last month, fabricating the front suspension. Before we continue along with the construction aspect, we would like to devote one installment to street rod hardware, all those little hard-to-find things that you will need to complete your car. The best bet is to hunt them up while the chassis and running gear is being fabricated so that you have them when you need them. It is impossible to estimate accurately the number of individual pieces that go into making up a scratch-built hot rod. If you would like our advice, based upon our experience in putting together the Project Rod,…

Photographer Craig Cutler caught the Funny Car of Lil' John Lombardo in the act at a recent Lions Drag Strip meet in Wilmington, California. Craig was quite secretive about photo details, admitting only that he used a Hasselblad 500C with 150mm telephoto lens. Photographer Craig Cutler caught the Funny Car of Lil' John Lombardo in the act at a recent Lions Drag Strip meet in Wilmington, California. Craig was quite secretive about photo details, admitting only that he used a Hasselblad 500C with 150mm telephoto lens.…

It all started when a couple of members of our staff sat down and figured out how we were going to build a high-quality engine stand for under $30.00. It sounded so easy: Buy a few feet of square tubing, get some metal caster wheels, find someone with a flame cutter to make some heads and then weld the whole thing together. About the time we realized that it wasn't going to be all that easy, we happened to mention our plan to a friend. His eyes bulged in surprise as he remarked, “Why bother building stands for $30.00 when you can buy one ready to go for that price?” A quick trip to our local speed shop, Service Center in Culver City, California, confirmed this statement. We decided to…

We thought we'd let Art Gray tell you the story of his rare '32 convert himself. “I bought it in '48 from a junkyard. I think I was the first to put an OHV in this early a chassis. I bought a new Cad engine and flung it in the convert, drove to Bonneville, and was lucky enough to grab a trophy. I trophied twice at Madera in '54 and took home two gold ones in A/Gas. The front end is stock '32 with '66 T-Bird discs. The engine is a '68 Caddy, 472 c.i.d., which I stuffed in myself. I tied this to a '48 Cad box, and laid them in the chassis while I had the body off. I made up some patterns, went down to the local…

The third annual Street Rod Nationals was held in Detroit, Michigan, July 1316. This event has become the traditional occasion to unveil a new street rod magazine for two years in a row, and Lord knows what is in store for next year … maybe a Steve McQueen movie about roadsters, or a name change to the Car Magazine Nationals. When Rod & Custom was discontinued by the parent company last year, just before the Nationals in Memphis, it became the martyr of the rod magazine readers. Last year 's event went on as scheduled as the Rod & Custom Street Rod Nationals, even though there was no longer a monthly Rod & Custom. Then an attempt was made to marry the creative efforts of the staff of Rod &…

FIRST BIG WIN FOR HYLTON Talladega, Alabama—James Hylton is the kind of race driver you can't help liking. His career is marked with a fair share of success, but until August of this year, James had never visited the victory lane at any superspeedway. Most of us can relate to Hylton's dilemma. We get real close to making it big, know we work just as hard as anyone else, yet the number one spot eludes us. The period of “almost making it” in James Hylton's life is over. On August 6, James won the Winston Cup Championship 500-mile NASCAR Grand National event at Talladega, Alabama. He barely kept in front of Ramo Stott, but the point is that he did keep Stott behind him. As in every Grand National race…

As with the other GM divisions, Buick's intermediate, renamed the Century in place of the Skylark, carries all-new sheet metal. The top of the Century tine is the Regal, which has the distinction of carrying a notchback roof with rectangular rear quarter windows. The idea of this model is to offer the traditionally elegant Buick top-of-the-line interior in an intermediate body. The Regal is a beautiful car for those who prefer comfort without battleship bulk. In the power train, Buick now uses stamped steel rocker arms in their engines, in place of the cast-aluminum units used previously. Tests have shown the steel rockers to give greater dependability. The 350-cubic-inch engines also benefit from a new connecting rod in '73. The new rod utilizes tapped bolt holes and capscrews in place…

The big news from the Ford folks is a new sheet metal version of their full sized cars. The changes are subtle, so you won't mistake a Galaxie for anything else. Along with the sheet metal changes, there are a number of new technical features which include standard front disc brakes, improved air conditioning and wiper-mounted windshield washer jets. Also, as with most new cars, the standard tire size has been increased, primarily to cope with the weight of the new bumpers. The Mustang is one of the leastchanged cars for '73, which is fine with us. New urethane bumpers are very attractive and complement the vehicle. A 351 HO limited-production engine is available with a four-speed trans as standard equipment with the package. Also available are forged aluminum wheels…

The big news from the MoPar camp is the new Satellite intermediate, or “B” body. The complete suspension is now isolated from the body by rubber insulators, and the suspension bushings have been softened up to provide a ride quite different from what has been offered in the past. The car is considerably quieter and rides softer. The car will undoubtedly appeal to a greater number of people now, but the days of Chrysler's gutsy musclecars has passed. The Road Runner is still available, but the base engine is now the mild-mannered 318. If you'd like, you can still get a potent 440-cubic-inch V8 that comes with a Carter Thermo-Quad. Even in low-compression tune, it shouldn't be too hard to get this package to run in the 13s. Other optional…

One of the least understood but most rewarding aspects of constructing a van is the installation of the interior. Planning the overall layout with your choice of materials and textures is what individualizes the van to your own tastes. The field is wide open, but in this third installment of the Yamahauler Project, we'll concentrate on how to build the cabinetry which will make $25,000 motor home owners envious. The Yamahauler is designed to be a cross between an all-around “West Coast Van'' and a motorcyclist's dream, complete with all facilities for hauling bikes and accessories. Thus, the interior was designed to include cabinets for clothing, helmets, spare parts, a refrigerator and even a workbench. All of the construction materials needed can be obtained from any large lumber yard. In…

While the carburetor is generally acknowledged as the most important part of your engine, it is at the same time the most ignored and misunderstood. It usually just sits patiently atop the engine with its myriad assortment of screws, hoses, linkages and fittings performing their intended function of carefully metering the correct air/fuel ratio needed by the engine in any given situation. Everyone examines his plugs, adjusts the timing, checks the dwell and keeps a close eye on the fluid levels, but how often does he check and adjust the carburetor? Are the throttle plates opening fully? Does the engine idle at its designed rpm? Is the accelerator pump getting full travel? Is the choke working properly? All these items are easy enough to check. Yes, your carburetor does indeed…

It seems as though vans and motorcycles go hand in hand. One big question that a lot of people wind up asking themselves after they've bought a van is how to properly secure their bikes for that trip out to the boonies. A couple of manufacturers are now offering a removable rack, but here is a way you can make one yourself for only a few dollars worth of tubing. The rack is designed to allow rapid installation and removal while leaving a completely flat floor. The dimensions shown are for a 127-inch-wheelbase Dodge van; however, if you own something else you can use the numbers as a guide.…

Hammered three-windows suggest an image of two guys peering out from within a cozy cab, as the nasty machine lopes through the local drive-in. This DeLuxe Ford Coupe of Jim's is one of only 21,175 V8s that were manufactured in 1932. All Deuce three-window coupe bodies (the windscreen is not considered a “window”) were made by the Murray Body Company, then one of Ford's outside coach builders. The three window was new to the Ford line for '32, as there was no counterpart in the Model T or A line-up. The styling of the '32 was significant for the period, with its more beautiful clamshell fenders and, for the first time, a grille in front of the radiator. The Murray bodied three-window also featured front-opening (later dubbed “suicide”) doors, as…

East Irvine, California—The racing action of the West Coast is usually quite limited during the summer, as all the heros spend the warm months on tour back East. But there 's one meet that draws them all back: the PDA (Professional Dragsters Association) Meet held every July at Orange County International Raceway. The Top Fuel ranks included Don Prudhomme, Tom McEwen, “Kansas John” Wiebe, World Champ and defending PDA Champ Gerry Glenn, Tony Nancy, and “Big Daddy” Don Garlits with his brand-new 178-inch-wheelbase “short car.” Among the Funny Car contenders were Pat Foster, winner of the last four consecutive FC titles at OCIR, in Barry Setzer 's Vega; Big Jim Dunn; NHRA record holder Sush Matsubara; Danny Ongais in “Big John” Mazmanian 's 'Cuda; and Dave Beebe, driving the brand-new…

“Remember Tony's rear-engine digger he built back in '63? That thing gave him a few wild rides at the Pond.” “Listen, the wildest ride in the world was the Original Bad News Coupe. That dude was an 80-inch-wheelbasefuel Chrysler car!” “What about that ride the Greek took at Pomona in '63 against Weekly?” ” 'Member when Kalitta and Collett turned up at Lions and blew off every West Coast car in sight?” When rodders get together to put themselves on the outside of a few cases of beer, someone unravels a yarn, another follows on his heels, and once again a meeting of the “Bench Racers Hall of Fame” has come to order. In our continuing series, tracing the first25 years of Hot Rod Magazine for our anniversary issue coming…

It seems 1973 is the year of the intermediate for General Motors, and that includes Chevrolet. The intermediates (Chevelle and Monte Carlo) have been totally redesigned and restyled, whereas the full-sized Chevrolet has received only minor face lifting to accommodate the 5-mph front and 21/2-mph rear impact-absorbing bumpers. Chevrolet's personal luxury car, the Monte Carlo, has taken on a new look of elegance with sculptured side sheet metal and a new roofline including rear quarter windows. But there's more than just new styling. The entire suspension system has been redesigned to offer the best handling and ride of any car its size in the industry. Extensive work has also gone into the sound isolation of the car. Frankly, the Monte Carlo is the quietest car we've ever driven. The Chevelle,…

The product line-up from Mercury parallels that from sister Ford Division quite closely. In general, the cars are a bit more expensive, but they have higher levels of trim and feature improvements. The Montego and the deluxe Montego MX are classified as intermediates, even though their size, especially with the large bumpers, puts them close to the full-size category. Although it is not generally what we would consider a performance car, it is an exceptionally good highway machine that would make an ideal towing vehicle for your racer. The luxury image is also carried over to the Comet, which is available with a very plush interior which almost gives the impression that the car is a baby Lincoln. Improved suspension and sound insulation continue that image. A 302cubic-inch V8 is…

You might ask. “What’s a Bushmaster?” And you’d be right in asking. A Bushmaster is an extremely quick and deadly snake. And since George Schreiber takes that same quick and deadly attitude toward drag racing, it stands to reason that “The Bushmaster” would be the name of hts 230-mph Top Fuel dragster The Bushmaster is Schreiber’s second rail, the first being an early streamliner named Yellow Fang, built in conjunction with Ed Roth The new rad. pictured here, had been in the works for a few months when Schreiber eyeballed some Peter Max posters. “Flash!” went that big light bulb in his head. “Why not contact my old pal Jag Painter, bring him out here from Chicago and have him do a Max-type paint job on the new rail?” And…

It has been 11,070 miles since we took delivery on our Pinto project car. Now that might not seem like a lot of miles to many of you, but we've only had the car seven months. During that time, we've learned a lot about the car and have found that it is possible to build a lot of character into Ford's little subcompact. Our first encounter at driving a Pinto occurred at the '72 press preview, held in Detroit. At the time, we weren't all that impressed with the overall handling characteristics of the car; it just seemed like any other subcompact. We were, however, impressed with its low-speed handling, especially considering the shocks and narrow tires that were on this particular demonstrator. The tight feel of the rack and…

Since we receive a greater quantity of car photos than we could possibly ever use in individual stories, we have decided to depict some of these cars on the “Readers Page, ” a new regular monthly feature. If you would like to submit photos of your car send clear black and white snapshots with a clean background to Hot Rod Magazine Readers ' Page, 8490 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, California 90069. Be sure to enclose a letter describing (in detail) what modifications have been performed on the car. CHOPPED BUG Tom Powers, 22, whipped out this slick '66 Beetle, which has been chopped six inches. The car has a stock 1300c engine, but the interior has been done over in blacleather, including the headliner. The rear seat has been removed…

The sport of hot rodding is comprised of several areas of interest for the car buff. Unlike other automotive sports which have developed themselves into one concentrated arena of en thusiasm, hot rodders can address themselves to three or four separate subdivisions of the sport. Each has had its day in the sun, whereupon it was more important or more contemporary than the others. The dusty lakebeds and circuslike circle tracks, populated by thousands of home-built, crackling Ford roadsters, built a massive industry of hot rodding publications through the late Forties and early Fifties. Drag racing action, tracing the exciting exploits of the quarter benders, from flatheads and alky-guzzling Arduns to incredible in cendiary blasts of Funny Cars and rear-motor Saturn Fives, spilled oceans of ink on the pages of…