Indholdsfortegnelse for October 1985 i Hot Rod

“It just doesn’t get any better than this …” sums up the HOT ROD Magazine Victory Tour. The 2000-plus-mile trip from Los Angeles to the HOT ROD Super Nationals in Indianapolis was the high point of my 15 years in the hot rod magazine business. For six days I was involved physically and emotionally with the essence of being a hot rodder: driving a hot rod across the U.S. The people involved were right. Pete Chapouris, Jim Jacobs, Pete Eastwood, and Ray Lark are hot rodders to the core, and I don’t have to mention Charlie Hayward’s or Gray Baskerville’s commitment. The weather was right; not a raindrop until we hit Indy turf. However, the main ingredient in this incredible journey was the readers of HOT ROD Magazine. Besides the…

A first glance, Dan Dvorak has the hulking, brooding appearance of a man possessed. His heavily mustachioed face, locked in what appears to be a perpetual sneer, belies the warmth beneath the surface. He’s a man who’s at the forefront of a very small army of totally dedicated followers who face almost insurmountable odds every time they drive through the gates of an NHRA national event. Dvorak and his minions race Mopars. That’s the simplest, easiest way of explaining things. As he says, “It’s ∪s against the Camaros,” for that’s how he and his fellows refer to everyone else who races against them in Stock Eliminator. And winning in Stock is one of the toughest propositions in drag racing. You can’t tip the can here, bump the mag up a…

Holley is the standard in performance carbs. Even in applications like Grand National racing, where carburetion is limited to one fairly small carb, the power levels exceeding 600 hp are incredible. For wide-open throttle operation the Holley 4-barrel is unequalled. And basically, the only adjustable features on a Holley are idle mixture, float level, and main jet sizing. Holley has introduced a more sophisticated series of carbs, called their “Mile-a-Dial” and “Quarter Mile-a-Dial” electronically adjusted carbs, but these systems only affect the main jet metering system. However, serious engine builders and tuners throughout the country have been seeking the services of specialty carb shops to change the other circuits like idle, intermediate, and power enrichment. As Holley is quick to point out, not all of these shops have the expertise…

As far as we’re concerned, we’re in the golden age of hot rodding. Everywhere we’ve been, everyone we’ve talked to says the same thing: “We’ve never seen so much going on.” The reason behind this frenetic activity is simple: Hot rodding is again a “fun loving” sport. There are more rod runs and cruise-ins. There are more on and off-road events being held. There are more and different types of cars being built or rebuilt … and enjoyed. Take a look at a bit of what we saw through the camera lens in the summer of ’85!…

DRAG RACING Oct. 4-6—NHRA Fall Nationals, Phoenix, Arizona Oct. 4-6—IHRA/Stroh’s Nationals, Darlington, South Carolina Oct. 17-20—NHRA/Winston World Finals, Pomona, California NASCAR GRAND NATIONAL Oct. 6—Miller High Life 500. Charlotte, North Carolina ROAD RACING Oct. 6—IMSA Camel GT, Champion Spark Plug, Columbus, Ohio Oct. 7—SCCA Trans AM Series, Riverside International Raceway, Riverside, California Oct. 13—IMSA Street Stock Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, New York Oct. 14—CART Indy Cars Miller High Life 150, Phoenix International Raceway, Phoenix, Arizona Oct. 21—CART Indy Cars Laguna Seca 300km, Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterey, California Oct. 26—SCCA Pro Rally/Budweiser Press On Regardless International, Houghton, Michigan Oct. 28—SCCA Trans AM Series Ft. Lauderdale Street Course, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida DRAG BIKE Oct. 7—AMA Hognational Finals, Fremont, California Oct. 13-14—AMA L.A. Nationals, Palmdale (Little Rock), California Oct. 21—AMA Palm Beach…

CORRECTION In the May ’85 “Engine Swaps” article we incorrectly stated that Andy Herbert and Ken Boyce were co-owners of The Fab Shop. While Mr. Herbert currently is an employee of Mr. Boyce, they are not, and have never been, business partners. Mr. Herbert owns no part of The Fab Shop. Mr. Boyce once made swap kits for Andy on a contract basis, and is now selling off the remaining inventory. FAMOUS AMOS I would just like to comment on those beautiful little sketches in the article titled “How to Lower Your Car” (HRM June ’85). They are truly little gems—and my congratulations to the artist. I find the series on automobile painting most enlightening. Yet I would have liked a little more information on removing trim. Aubrey SilvermanFremont, California…

SUPER SEDANS For those of us who are performance-minded, but are sporting a few extra years and pounds, a new breed of performance car is beginning to develop around domestic vehicles. Pontiac’.s Grand Am fits the mold, as does the new special edition Dodge Lancer Pacifica, a special four-door performance version of the Turbo Lancer (as shown in last month’s “Roddin’” entry) designed to accommodate more suburban needs without totally abandoning performance. Lancer Pacifica will be test-marketed in California prior to national introduction. It features styling refinements like special air dams, spoilers, and rear roof wing, along with custom road wheels and a monochromatic paint scheme. The car will be available with the standard Turbo Lancer package, plus an upscale interior and sound system for under 15 grand. The Pontiac…

I don’t like slack-jaw mouth breathers honking their horns at me. In fact, honking horns make me crazy. But all was quickly forgiven when I saw a grinning, leering Darthe Twomey giving me the “high sign.” You see, Darthe “dangling participle” Twomey was HOT ROD’S copy editor for years, and the chance of us sharing lanes two and three as HRM headed out the 210 Freeway towards Las Vegas, Nevada—Stop One of our five-stop Victory Tour—was both the proverbial million-to-one shot and a “déjà view” that everything was going to be all right. IN THE BEGINNING The HOT ROD Magazine “Victory Tour,” hence to be referred to as the “VT,” didn’t just happen by chance. The VT was conceived by Art Director Charlie Hayward, who wanted us to drive some…

Recent years have witnessed the rebirth of the high-performance domestic automobile, and from every indication, 1986 should have been a banner year for performance enthusiasts. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way. Most 1985 models are equal—if not superior to—their ’86 counterparts; some automakers have broadened their performance car programs, while others have severely trimmed existing ones. Chrysler offers the broadest range of performance cars, but their efforts are still handicapped by the lack of a V8-powered car that appeals to straight-line performance hot rodders. However, Chrysler’s turbo 4-cylinder front drivers can handle all but the Corvette and Mustang GT, and they are fun to drive. Ford and Lincoln-Mercury have stepped up with the strongest group of true performance cars, while Chevrolet continues to rein in the horsepower on the…

SEAL OF APPROVAL? Q I’m writing in response to Jim Bowers’ problem concerning the rope-type rear main seal on his 400-inch Pontiac. While it’s true that Pontiac doesn’t make a non-rope-type seal, according to the October ’84 issue of Car Craft, a neoprene seal for a 472-cid Cadillac fits the small-journal Pontiacs (400-cid and smaller). T.A. MillerMansfield, Ohio A Hate to quarrel with a “sister,” but the Cad seal is a very loose fit in the 400 Poncho, and does not seat fully in a position perpendicular to the crank. Racers may get away with using it by installing the seal with lots of silicone sealant, backed up by crankcase evacuation systems (the vacuum thereby created in the crankcase tends to suck air in through any potential leak holes instead…

CARS & TRUCKS BEVERLY HILLS JIMMY & CLUB COUPE S-10 PICKUP. Appeared in Jan. and Feb. ’85 HOT ROD Magazine. For information contact Tony Nancy, 4363 Woodman Ave., Sherman Oaks, CA 91423, (818) 789-6926. ’70½ CAMARO Z28. Paint: original colors. Interior: stock black. Less than 20,000 miles. Street/race-ready, strip safety-equipped. Show or street. $6700 mint. Richard Borra, 28 Woodruff St., Cortland, NY 13045, (607) 753-7948. COBRA 427 ERA REPLICA. Looks identical to original. Engine is from an authentic Cobra. Everything new. Send for complete details. $30,500 or trade. Tom Fry, 2175 Lisa Ct., Morgan Hill, CA 95037, (408) 779-5573. ’76 CHEVY STEPSIDE SILVERADO. 24,000 miles, air, auto, P/S, P/B, Rosedale Red. Professionally lowered, American aluminum spoke wheels. T/A radials. Always garaged. None finer anywhere. $6500. One owner. Dennis Aluis, 2265…

It seems like a favorite topic of conversation these days is the antique drag races. Without a doubt they are becoming yet another way to have fun with cars. One thing I find remarkable is the similarity between the way we started drag racing in the late Fifties and what’s happening at old-time drag racing today. The way the cars are progressing seems like a rerun of the way it happened more than 30 years ago. Drag racing has evolved from its shaky beginnings as a dangerous outlaw sport to its position today as one of the safest and most popular forms of auto racing anywhere in the world. “I THINK IT’S TIME TO ESTABLISH SOME RULES AND GUIDELINES FOR SAFETY … AT ANTIQUE DRAG RACES.” I’m sure the reason…

Over the July 4th weekend 1700 early-style customs cruised into Springfield, Ohio for the Kustom Kemps of America’s 5th Annual “Leadsled Spectacular/’ Each year this “custom nationals” has swelled in attendance as more and more rodders have been discovering—or rediscovering—the fun of cruising in ’50s-era custom cars. Chopped, lowered, dechromed, trenched, fender-skirted vehicles from production years 1935-’63 are the regular attendees, with a special area set aside for earlier street rods and later customs. Cars cruising the fair grounds ranged from early Fords with full fadeaway fenders to mild nosed-and-decked ’50s Chevys with rapping dual-exhausts, to nose-on-the-ground ’59 and ’60 Chevs with six-carb 409 engines. New chopped ’49-’51 Mercs far outnumber all the ones that were ever built in the ’50s— and the quality of today’s customs also exceeds that…

From a Monday morning quarterbacking standpoint, both the five-day, multi-city, multi-mile Victory Tour and the three-day, multicar, multi-attraction Super Nationals ended as an eight-day pre- and postview of a still-coming attraction. You see, we would be less than candid if we said that the Super Nationals was every bit the killer success, participantwise, that the Victory Tour was. In truth, the Super Nationals wasn’t. The inclement weather, combined with a continuing reluctance on the part of many Midwest rodders to be an active part of the Super Nationals, had a very real dampening effect on the success of the Indy-based event. Yet from the standpoint of forms, colors, and makes of cars, the Super Nationals remains a huge success. Nothing is neater than seeing multi-hued hiqhboys parked next to colorful…

Chevrolet’s Monte Carlo SS has established a firm footing in contemporary street machine circles chiefly because of its rakish NASCAR styling and the underlying promise of enormous street machine potential. The Monte Carlo SS is unquestionably a refugee from a simpler and brighter performance era—but therein lies its greatest appeal. With the exception of its swoopy aerodynamic nosepiece, the car is as basic as apple pie and your garden-variety ’66 Chevelle; it’s simple, easy to work on, and accepts the full spectrum of high-performance modifications. Chevrolet deserves credit for a slick styling job and surprisingly agile handling qualities, but unfortunately, that’s the full extent of their performance contribution. The car literally reeks with potential, but aside from looking mean and holding the road well, the Monte Carlo SS fails the…

The first Harley Sportster was built in 1957—and if you were a macho guy that year, you just had to have one. Nothing could beat it from a stoplight—its mid-14-second dragstrip runs established it as the quarter-mile king of the American Road. But it’s 1985, remember, and until now the Sportster, punched up in the 1970s from 883cc to a full 1000cc, was fast becoming a mere shadow of its former, potent self. Oh, the bike wasn’t getting any slower—but Lordy, the competition was sure getting faster. To keep the faithful supplied with the latest in technology, Harley decided to build an Evolution Sportster, a redesign of the smaller V-twin motor based on the improvements they had made in the all-aluminum, all-modern, big (1338cc) engine. And at the same time,…