Indholdsfortegnelse for September 1984 i Hot Rod

Fiberglass Wheel Takes Pikes Peak Challenge There’s something unique about the Motor Wheel sponsored car in this year’s Pikes Peak Hill Climb. It will be equipped with fiberglass reinforced composite wheels, the latest in wheel material technology. Driver Jerry King will command his 1984 Turbo V6 Buick Regal through 156 tortuous turns over 12.42 miles of Pikes Peak, ending the race 14,1 10 feet above sea level. Motor Wheel, a subsidiary of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, has worked for seven years formulating a non-metallic wheel that would stand extraordinary stress and rigors on and off the highway. They plan to introduce fiberglass reinforced wheels to the U.S. automobile industry this year. Will They Have “Union Driven” Stickers Next Season? Once again drag racing’s most popular professional Funny Car…

Last month, we shopped for a car and promptly rendered it parked by removing nearly everything that could be wrenched or torched from it. This month, we’re beginning to reverse the process by painting, plating, welding or upholstering the individual components. A. Chassis Detailing As you recall, the front subframe was one of the first casualties. The upper and lower control arms were shipped off to Herb Adams VSE for rework; Herb makes his own steel and nylon bushing kits for these cars. The idea behind this step is to make the car handle more predictably by eliminating suspension geometry changes under load. The system works for his Trans Ams, and this isn’t the first Camaro he’s put the whammy on, either. For the rear of the car, Herb supplied…

Larry Henderson got a jump on av building his second street rod by purchasing his ’29 Tudor partially completed. Then he enlisted the help of Rick Frazier, Bob Schwartz, Bob Wellbaum, and Ted Zgrzemski, and totally went through the car in a year’s time. The car’s great stance is the result of a Z’ed TCI frame and a Super Bell dropped front axle. Other chassis details include a ’74 Maverick rearend, TCI rear shocks, Total Performance front shocks, Posie front spring, Vega steering, and Deuce Factory anti-sway bars. Ted Zgrzemski chopped the top 5 inches and built the custom rear pan and blank hood sides. After getting the body mirror straight, Ted applied the black lacquer. In contrast the velour and vinyl Burgundy interior by Dennis Gambill of Dayton was…

Editor’s Note: Last month we introduced the Low-Buck Special project, showing how to reburbish an old drag chassis and how to make sure that an oid hemi will run strong and hard once again. At that time we also semi-introduced the owner of this low-buck roadster, to whom we have given the alias Floyd Lippencotte III, and we refused to say why we can’t use his real name. It’s hard for me to relate the thrill and excitement Floyd felt as he finally watched his revived Low-Buck Special smoking the slicks all the way down the quarter-mile. However, I know I speak directly for him when I say the weekend he spent runring the A/Attered at the Nostalgia Nationals was the most fun Floyd has had in 20-plus years’ involvement…

BOP ’Glide Look closely at the block mounting face bolt pattern on this Powerglide trans—It’s the Buick-Olds-Pontiac (BOP) pattern, not the typical Chevrolet pattern (although the Chevy bolt bosses are still there, but not drilled). Yes, Stroker, there were non-Chevy Powerglides! Apparently, in the early ’70s, a fire in the Turbo-hydramatic plant forced GM to tool up a temporary substitute. They’re rare, but as seen from the photo (taken at Roger’s Automotive in Anaheim, California), they definitely do exist! Seems like this unique trans ought to work great in a lightweight Buick V6-powered street rod, or even a non-Chevy drag car—if you can find one. This one isn’t for sale—it’s earmarked for one of the Roger’s race cars.…

Tool Crb “Brackets?” you say. Can’t make ’em at home, can ya? Well, it’s Williams Low Buck to the rescue with their plate brake, designed to bend up to 1/8-inch plate without heat, sledge hammers, or agony. As a matter of fact, it’ll handle 1/8-inch plate up to 6 inches wide, or 1/4-inch plate up to 2 inches wide. So, next time you want to make brackets for an air conditioning compressor or to re-install an air pump for your smog controls (ha ha ha), get hold of this plate brake from Williams Low Buck Tools, 4175 California Ave., Norco, CA 91760, (714) 735-7848.…

Gearing Up Now available for immediate delivery from Reider Racing Ent., Inc., is this durable Dana 44 axle assembly for the ’79 and later Mustang/Capri and ’83 and ’84 T-bird/Cougar. This all-new drum to drum axle assembly comes complete with your choice of gear ratios (from 2.72 to 5.89) and your choice of differentials (open, limited slip, or locker). For further information, contact Reider Racing Ent., Inc., Dept. HR-09, 11861 Longsdorf, Riverview, MI 48192, (313) 281-1677. Pro Street Tires Pro-Trac Performance Tires has released their new Pro-Trac Street Front and Competition Front tires along with the Pro-Trac S-375 rear tires for street rods, street machines, and race cars featuring four-ply construction, black sidewalls, and street tread patterns. See your local dealer or contact Pro-Trac Performance Tires, Dept. HR-B/09, 19007 S.…

“xAnd it came to pass a strong wind blew from the land they called Detroit, and brought the Bic-pen commutermobiles to a new life This is the story of how GM, Ford, and Chrysler (albeit through the engineering of Mitsubishi) have managed to create a fresh generation of mini-rockets from what were, in the past, mini-stones. First, the thinking behind this rash of hair dried subcompacts: to sell cars, you need sizzle, even if you’re lacking on steak. The EXP has for years been an entry level Ford, designed to transport mom, junior, and Spot to wherever they went during the day. The GM J-cars are similar in concept, although they seat four and are generally more solid in execution. The Colt has evolved from a basic grocery nabber into…

America’s first true musclecar remains the heartthrob of thousands of GTO lovers across the nation, and the annual GTO Association of America convention serves to cement their ongoing relationship. Kalamazoo, Michigan, was the site of their 1984 anniversary and the GTO contingent showed up in force to support the legend of the GTO. This annual gathering of Goats succeeds through the tireless efforts of the GTOAA staff and able assistance from members of the five national club chapters that promote GTO awareness across the country. If you missed it, don’t dispair; HOT ROD’S got the lowdown with photo coverage of the event and complete information on how to become a card-carrying member of the GTO brotherhood. You can join the GTO Association of America for $18 a year by contacting…

It doesn’t seem all that long ago when the first thing hot rodders did to their rides was upgrade the existing exhaust system by adding a set of Hollywood “mello-tones.” For a number of reasons, the mellow has been toned down and in their place has come an avalanche of one, two, and three-piece aftermarket wheels. However, this all-alloy outpouring has been beset by two problems: one, a tendency for look-alikes; and two, “mag-type” wheels are prime candidates for the boys from “Midnight Auto Supply.” That’s where Little John Buttera comes in. He has recently introduced a stylish, European-looking knock-offtype hub kit featuring four 2024 T-6 billet aluminum wheel adapters (employing 4 ¾-inch bolt pattern), four 3-inch knock-off nuts, plus the nuts and bolts needed to attach the adapters to…

If you loved drag racing, and Don Prudhomme said, “Hey, I’ll give you a few tips and ’ then you can take my Funny Oar down the strip,” you’d jump at the chance, right? Of course. It would be a gas, and you’d learn a lot. Unfortunately, Don doesn’t have such a program. But there are a couple of motorcycle racers who do. Keith Code runs the California Superbike School, and Joe Zeigler conducts the Penguin School of Roadracing. Both are great for any street rider or would-be racer who wants to improve his speed, safety, and fun on two wheels. Here’s how they work. The California Superbike School travels around the country in a giant semi full of motorcycles, leathers, helmets, tools, and spares. They supply everything—you just show…

SELL—The Ultimate Show/Go Hot Rod, Bob Reed’s Khrome Shoppe Special. Independent suspension, alloy SB Chevy, radical bodywork, QC, featured in HOT ROD (Dec. ’83), Street Rodder (May ’84). HOT ROD Magazine’s Street Rod of the Year. $125,000. (918) 647-4170. WANTED—1970 Dodge Challenger T/A 340 or 440, will also accept six packs. Car must be very clean and original. Please send photos and price to David Rothrock, 356 Levans Rd.,Schnecksville, PA 18078, or call (215) 7994287. SELL—1967 Nova SS original 327 4-speed. Posi 3.55 gears. 112,000 actual miles. Blue. Second owner. $6500. Larry Wertenberger, Route 1, Box 28A, Naylor, MO 63953. (314) 399-2719. SELL—1968 Dodge Charger RT, 440 Auto. Air, p/s, p/b, 32,000 miles. 100 percent original. Never modified. Light green with white vinyl top. $7000. Chris Costa, 17 Oakwood Dr.,…

Big-Block Balancer Tool We found an easy way to press a big-block balancer onto the crankshaft. The spare tire carrier bolt from a ’76 GMC pickup is threaded 6 to 7 inches, just the right size. Place the balancer on the crank snout and tap it with a hammer just enough to make it stick. It doesn’t have to be perfectly square with the snout. The most critical part is the alignment of the key with the key way. After the key enters the keyway, it’s all downhill. Put a hex nut, a dab of grease, a flat washer, and the large harmonic balancer washer (in that order) on the carrier bolt and run the bolt to the bottom of the snout bolt hole. It’s not necessary to tighten it,…

For a Few Dollars Less Chevrolet’s new four-passenger, three-door hatchback Sprint is currently being made available with a 48 hp 3-cylinder engine and 5-speed transaxle. The smallest Chevrolet ever made is in reality built by Suzuki Motor Company of Japan. It’s 20 inches shorter and more than 500 pounds lighter than a Chevette. The all-aluminum, 3-cylinder engine features cast iron cylinder sleeves and weighs less than 150 pounds fully dressed. EPA estimates for 1985 rate the car at 47 mpg city and 53 mpg highway, and it may actually approach these numbers if driven conservatively. What the Sprint probably proves is that Americans can sell an economical small car, provided they design and build it overseas. The Sprint may well be a cute, economical little transportation module, but its overall…

When Ford introducedthe singleseat, removable hardtop, V8-powered Thunderbird in 1955, hot rodders and customizers took immediate notice, even though that version lagged slightly behind the plastic Corvettes on the track. But by 1958 Ford quit competing, added a second seat to the bulkier ’Bird, and turned it into a luxury car of little or no interest to rodders. Now, after 25 years, the T-Bird is back. Though still carrying room for four passengers, Ford’s new “Aero Coupe’’ has swooped into virtually every arena in our sport, creating at least as much impact and acceptance as the ’63 Stingray (while ironically displacing the high-priced, high-tech Vette as America’s new, practical, affordable, adaptable, and rod-able sports(?) car). Ford chief designer Jack Telnac hails the T-Bird as the pacesetter of the new-generation “Aero-look”…

The great debate about how to most accurately test high-performance engine parts will go on forever. Some claim the dyno is the only way to test, while others are proponents of track testing. When you’re talking about carburetors with variables such as fuel slosh, response, and air management, there is only one way to test with a race car. PCI Incorporated, the folks who make the Predator carburetor, an unusual looking variable venturi high-performance carb, figured if you have to test, you may as well do it first class with a car that will tax a single carb. The result is this ’84 Camaro Z28 that is already in Super Comp territory with 8.85 clockings at 154 mph. The chassis was built by Speed Frame Engineering from an Alston Engineering…

Allan Patterson’s meticulously prepared cars have been a fixture in Super Stock racing for as long as anyone can remember. So it comes as no surprise that his latest entry would serve as the standard bearer for a new breed of Super Stockers designed around the concept of competitive performance engines in modern, up-to-date body styles: NHRA’s new Super Stock GT classes, tailored for 1980-’84 American two-door sedans or convertibles equipped with any year production engine of the same make. In this class, corporate engines are accepted, which means that small-block Chevys will find their way into Firebirds, Cutlasses, and Regals. The cars must have originally been rear-wheel drive vehicles equipped with V6 or V8 engines, and they all have to run an automatic transmission in competition. Classification is based…

Hot rodding is in many ways a fantasy sport. Take John Bartholomew of Medford, Oregon, for example. Many would say that, at age 42, he is playing out some sort of youthful fantasy driving this topless, fenderless, supercharged roadster through the streets of town … and we all know there’s certainly nothing wrong with that! But then some “knowing” insiders would scoff, “Yeah, but that’s not a realroadster—it’s one of those repo kit cars.” Not so. The black lacquer ’29 on ’32 rails was built more than 15 years ago from allgenuine Ford parts—from the steel body and Deuce grille to the front disc brakes, top-loader 4-speed, and T-bolt posi 4:11 rear. Even the steering box, brake and clutch pedals, shifter, and taillights (Pinto side markers) are FoMoCo. So what’s…

While HOT ROD Magazine’s personal involvement during the decades of the ’60s and 70s was primarily devoted to quarter-mile confrontations, we were also actively engaged in roadsters, Rayson-crafts, and off-roading … as HOT ROD’S hot rods continued to star on land, sea, and in the air. RAY’S RACER Ray Brock would be the first one to admit that working at HOT ROD Magazine was a means to an end, and that end was to go racing. In 1962 Brock acquired a daily-driven, go-to-work Chrysler 300 which he raced every Sunday at Pomona in the SS/SA class. “I would drive it out to the dragstrip, let the air out of the rear tires, uncork the headers, and then have at it. I eventually bored the engine .030-inch over and equipped it…