Indholdsfortegnelse for November 1985 i Hot Rod

Before you accuse us of talking out of both sides of our mouths, consider this. For a long time I have spoken out about Pro Street—as reiterated by Pat Ganahl this month. But that’s just my opinion. To look at all of the Pro Street cars at our events this summer and those appearing in our magazine it would seem that Pro Street is a very popular trend. There’s no denying it, the cars are exciting to look at, listen to, and be around. They’re mind-blowers! But this disturbs me a little, too. In just about every facet of hot rodding we’re experiencing one-upmanship, the premise that “my” car will outdo anything out there. HOT ROD is as guilty for promoting this attitude as the next guy. It’s happening with…

To quote Editor Leonard Emanuielson: “Pro Street is neither.” That is, Pro Street machines. though built to look like Pro Stocks or other full-on doorslammer race cars, couldn’t possibly compete successfully on a dragstrip in any type of “Pro” or even “Comp” class. Nor is any Pro Streeter professional in the sense of ever getting paid a penny for building and driving his car. On the other hand, the all-out Pro Street machines—the ones with the full-cage chassis, strut front suspensions, Heim-joint and clevis linkages, rubber band-size front tires. 2-inch ground clearance, and radical, blown, injected, aluminum, rump-rump engines—cannot be driven practically or comfortably on the street… if at all. Does this mean we are condemning the current Pro Street movement? Is Pro Street a farce? Not in the least.…

There used to be a clearly defined group of motorcycles called, for lack of a better term, “standards.” These were the bikes that could function well in almost any street-riding mode, from long-haul touring to backroad rat-racing to urban trolling. They are mostly gone now. The choice today in mid-size motorcycles is between all-out road racers, ready for sticky tires and a trip to the race course, and the bikes you see before you: street-wise bikes with 4 cylinders, flashy styling, more or less laid-back riding positions, and, we are discovering, a remarkable ability to do almost anything a rider could want from them. The standard look (low, conservative bars, muted style, and a comfortable seat) may be gone, but these three shaft-driven inline fours from Japan are the heirs…

Blowers, tunnel rams, and single 4-barrel carbs are a dime a dozen these days, right? So what are you going to do to make your car different-and hopefully increase its performance at the same time? How about exotic European carb setups? They sure look neat, and cost about the same as a supercharger setup. But what kind of power increase can you expect, and is one of these setups really streetable? Most people you talk to claim that getting one of these 4-2-barrel down-draft systems set up is extremely complicated. It seemed to us that there were more questions here than answers, so HOT ROD set out to test a new Dellorto small-block Chevy setup from CB Performance (28813 Farmersville Blvd., Farmersville, CA 93233). It features a low-profile IR (individual…

Ground-pounding, A-kicking, all-out pickups have been a high profiling part of hot rodding since the days of “Big Bill” Edwards and his 150-plus-mph F-100. So it shouldn’t come as any surprise that Mike Swan, an engineering draftsman at Robert Bosch Fuel Injection in Goose Creek, South Carolina, would follow in the footsteps of Big Bill and fashion a similar pickup. However, this one is cloaked in 77 GMC Sierra Classic sheetmetal which has been lowered over a fully modified chassis and is powered by a 496-inch, 6-71 Jimmy-packed, fat-block Chevy. “The truck was originally purchased new in 77, and the next week I lowered and fitted it with aftermarket wheels … little did I know that was just the start of it.” Well, the finish of “things” is just a…

“Our aging strategic retaliation force is no longer able to penetrate Chevrolet airspace. We must ensure surviveability of the Chryslerbig-block deterrent in the latter half of the 1980s—and beyond,” Chrysler General Dave Koffel announced in a prepared statement. “That is why I, in conjunction with Roger Lechtenberg and Dave Rotter of R&J Performance, have undertaken the research, development, testing, and acquisition of an aluminum successor cylinder head for our Wedge bombers. Incorporating the latest in high-flow Stealth technology, our cost-effective replacement will retrofit onto millions of existing B/RB short-blocks, and flow as well as most canted-valve heads while retaining the standard pure-Wedge inline valve stem configuration.” The highly decorated veteran of Chrysler’s drag racing wars pointed out that the new head—christened the B-1—has been developed solely as a private venture,…

Transmission cutaway courtesy of Stick Only Back in the days when you still had a bicycle, did you ever try to shove it forward by pushing on a wheel spoke down near the hub? Not easy! But pushing on the same spoke near the tire rim was a lot easier, because the amount of leverage was increased. That’s all a trans does; it gives the internal combustion engine enough leverage to move the vehicle. It does this through gearing that helps keep the engine within its most effective rpm range. In order to understand how this is brought about, you must visualize the power flow through the gears and the function of the principal components. Illustrated here is a heavy-duty 4-speed, the famous Ford “RUG” Toploader. A favorite among road-racers,…

By now, you readers of our “Pro-filing” section must have gathered that real hot rodders are full-on performance freaks. Given the slightest opportunity, these gearheads will burn rubber, bang shifts, and for want of a better term, haul fast. Such mechanical mayhem isn’t exactly new. In fact, it’s been that way since the days of Henry Ford and his Frank-Kulick-driven “T-bugs.” Team Hank ‘n’ Frank combined to smoke off all the biggies back in your granddaddy’s time, and the spin-off from the duo’s incredible win/loss record led to countless replica-T’s, which, in turn, would ultimately become known as hot rods. So with that in mind, it shouldn’t come as any great surprise that the mighty look of today’s professional drag racers would have the same “audio-visual” effect on our current…

What makes the Pro Street statement so valid from an aesthetic standpoint is what we call “stance.” Pro Streeters sit bitchin’. They hug the pavement, they look mean and evil, they possess that don’t-mess-with-me attitude. Obviously, Jim Gordon’s Lakewood, California, classic epitomizes the Pro Street stance. But more than that, Jim’s flasher—with 402 inches of high-torque Rat motor on board—has enough twist to bark the M/T meats at every gear change, yet is flexible enough to make the trip down Burger Lane without fouling its plugs or dribbling its coolant all over the sidewalk. And as surprising as it may seem, Jim’s incredible two-door started life as an old man’s “thrifty-six” grocery-getter before Jim put the all-steelie through its paces at the OCIR bracket wars—with a best of 9.76 @…

It was the end of America’s salad days and the beginning of the sizzling Sixties. Fireball Roberts was running the stock cars and Ace Wilson’s Royal Pontiac had the drag race concession—and it was in late 1960 that this particular Ventura was built. The Ventura was a step-up version of the Catalina body style, adorned with a little trim here and there. Standard V8 power was the blossoming 389, to appear in a later evolution as the GTO’s powerplant. In 1961 Pontiac downsized its lineup, reducing the weight of their standard-size cars by about 300 pounds through the use of a new perimeter-style frame. For NASCAR racing, the line choice was invariably the low-end and light Catalina. Ditto for drag racing. This Ventura is one of the 27,209 built in…

Tim Blevins started with a $4500, 75 Stingray to which he added an ’80 Eckler rear clip plus other related ‘Vette body parts, then covered up his handiwork with a candy-brandy-wine (over a gold base) acrylic-lac-quer paint job. While the Pro-’Vette’s front suspension is stock, Tim canned the IRS and added a subframe, braces, and a Ford 9-inch rearend. Wheel and tire package includes polished Center Lines surrounded by Michelin fronts and Mickey Thompson rears. Custom-made wheel tubs and wheelie hars are also a oart of this ‘class act. Mouse motor has i been bored .030-inch and fully balanced and blue-printed before being stuffed by a Dyer-type roots blower. Interior is set off by a colorful combination of three shades of maroon velvet augmented by both black and gold accents.…

CARS & TRUCKS ’48 ANGLIA. Best engineered car at HOT ROD Magazine Super Cruise South 1985. $29,000. Blown/narrowed rearend. David Netherton, 1508 16th Ave. S.W., Decatur, AL 35601, (205) 355-4375. BEVERLY HILLS JIMMY & CLUB COUPE S-10 PICKUP Appeared in January and February ’85 HOT ROD Magazine. For information, contact Tony Nancy, 4363 Woodman Ave., Sherman Oaks, CA 91423, (818) 789-6926. ’68 CAMARO street/show car. Fiberglass tilt-front, 427, tunnel ram, dual 600 Holleys, balanced, Crane cam, lots of hi-po parts. Excellent interior. $12,000 o.b.o. Must see to appreciate. Troy Gongwer, 66607 CR 1, Wakarusa’, IN 46573, (219) 862-2230. ’69 CAMARO.“SCREAMIN’ EAGLE II.” 355 Chevy, 4-speed, tilt front end, 12-bolt, show or street. Must sell. First $9500 gets it. Call Mike, (901) 452-4647. ’70 CUDA. 340 professionally built $3800 in motor,…