Indholdsfortegnelse for June 1986 i Hot Rod

I’ve never taken kit cars very seriously. You see them limping down the freeways, some resembling flying saucers; others with clamshell fenders flapping in the breeze, looking like an accessory-trailer light display from an RV store. But most often you find them unfinished, cluttering up someone’s garage. The fact is, far more kit cars remain unfinished than those which somehow make it onto the road. And in most cases that’s probably a blessing in disguise. Like the popular joke circulating these days, there are “three greatest lies” told in the kit car business every day: “Own this car for a fraction of the cost of an original”; “thoroughly engineered”; and the best one, “easy to build.” And while many kit car manufacturers do not try to lead us down the…

Purchasing a kit car can be the most enjoyable investment you ever make. Knowing that you’ve built a car from the ground up is a satisfying accomplishment. But you won’t realize this satisfaction unless you first complete the kit within a reasonable amount of time. While construction time varies from kit to kit and buyer to buyer, you can expect to spend anywhere from one month to five years wrenching on your pride and joy. Every effort should be made to finish your project as soon as possible, however, since interests tend to change over the years. HOT ROD has assembled this list of kit car do’s and don’ts to help you reach that assembly goal as quickly as possible. From there, the driving is up to you. TEN KIT…

Building a specialty vehicle is only half the battle. After it’s built, you still have to get it registered—and thanks to uninformed or uncooperative local officials, that may be nearly as tough as building the vehicle in the first place. But all problems are made to be solved. That’s why we’re hot rodders—we like to solve problems … ourselves. Titling and licensing is nothing more than just another teen problem in need of resolution. And unlike some problems that rear their ugly heads up out of the blue, titling is one area that can be anticipated and planned for in advance. In other words, when one decides to build a car, a plan of attack is first established, with a budget planned for and goals set. Parts are gathered and…

Extensive Documentation Required In Georgia, the County Tag Office handles registration paperwork. You will need: (1) The title and bill of sale for the frame, and the serial plate from the frame. If the serial number is cut into the frame and can’t be removed, submit a pencil tracing of the number along with a completed Form T-22B after a law enforcement officer has visually inspected the vehicle. In Georgia, if a car is dismantled or parts sold off the vehicle, the title must be surrendered to the state within 72 hours. Thus, if the frame had been sold to you within the state of Georgia, the title has already been turned in and only a bill of sale is required. Additionally, pre-’71 cars were titled on an optional basis,…

Drag racers such as Mickey Thompson, Craig Breedlove, Don Prudhomme, Tony Nancy, and Lil’ John Buttera have, at one time or another, experimented with semi to fully enclosed dragsters. For a variety of reasons—increased weight, poor design, handling ills, or lack of time and technology—this streamlining was never a viable alternative to more boost, more inches, or more nitro. Now, Big Daddy Don Garlits has shown the troops at the ’86 Gatornationals that by cleaning up the front of his new Top Fuel dragster he found an extra 300 horsepower … without more boost, inches, or nitro. We can’t predict what Top Fuel will look like by the time you finish reading this story. But can you imagine what Top Fuel would be like today if these noble experiments had…

Let’s start with the name. Let’s not call them Kemps, or Sleds, or Kustoms with a “K.” Let’s just call them custom cars. A custom is a car that has been changed, primarily by external modification or redesign, to suit its owner’s taste. Hopefully a custom looks better than the original factory design—smoother, sleeker, richer in color and texture. Customs, modified for looks, are usually contrasted to other hot rods which are modified foremost for speed. That’s perfectly okay; but that’s not to say a custom car can’t be a performance vehicle, too. One of our newest—youngest—staff members saw these photos on the light table and said, “I see you’re doing something on low riders.” I told him they weren’t low riders, they were custom cars. He said, “Oh. Well,…

Naturally, whenever major engine mods are performed, the carburetor usually requires recalibration. We wondered how good the stock Mustang carburetor calibration was on the stock, unmodified vehicle. Would a production carb benefit from some Fuel Curve Engineering fine-tuning? To find out, we borrowed an ’84½ Mustang from Fred Colley, owner of Colley Ford (655 S. Grand Ave., Glendora, CA 91740, 818/9634131), the largest Ford Motorsports parts dealer west of the Mississippi. The rare 5-speed 302-H.O. GT-350 convertible had only 2000 miles on the clock, having been in storage virtually from Day One. The car was driven to 2500-foot high Los Angeles County Raceway, and baselined in stock form with all emissions control equipment hooked up. A best (corrected to sea level) e.t. of 15.75 seconds @87.19 mph was recorded. Bob…

Of all the special high-performance Javelins and AMX’s released during their production runs, the most potent machines were the ’69 S/S AMX’s built for stick-shift Super Stock drag racing. Following a 390 engine development program on Crane Engineering’s dyno, a total of 52 of these cars were assembled by Hurst Performance Research Corporation’s Ferndale, Michigan, facility. (A 53rd car is rumored to have been assembled as a back-up for the already-sold S/S fleet.) As delivered by Hurst, the 390 engines included an OE (original equipment) 390 hydraulic cam, Crane-modified cylinder heads, (with 2.08-inch intake valves and 1.74-inch exhausts), an Edelbrock cross-ram intake manifold with dual Holley 615-cfm 4-barrel carbs, 12.3:1 forged JE pistons, and Doug Thorley headers. The plan was to deliver the cars “semi-finished,” and leave the all-out performance…

It’s no secret that today’s sporting 750’s are as fast, as quick, and much more fun to ride than the 1000’s and 1100’s of as little as three years ago. Yamaha started the recent wave of 750 superbikes with the five-valve FZ750, and Suzuki soon followed with the ultra-lightweight GSX-R750. Now Honda, with the advantage of evaluating the competition for a year, has dropped its own ¾-liter bombshell—a bike that goes faster than the others, is at least as quick in a sprint or on a twisty road, and which has all the creature comforts and easy tractability the other contenders lack. The V4 engine is all-new, though it is similar in specification to the old VF750 mill it replaces. The bore, stroke, and compression ratio are the same, but…

DRAG RACING May 29-June 1—NHRA Popular Hot Rodding Sportsnationals, Bowling Green, Kentucky May 30-June 1—IHRA Spring Nationals, Bristol International Dragway, Bristol, Tennessee May 31-June 1—AMA Dragnationals, Louisville, Kentucky June 1—IVWA 2nd Annual Dixie Nationals, Piedmont Dragway, Greensboro, North Carolina June 7-8—AMA 10th Annual Northeast Nationals, Syracuse, New York June 12-15—NHRA Budweiser Springnationals, Columbus, Ohio June 14-15—IDBA Sunshine Nationals, Edgewater Sports Park, Cincinnati, Ohio June 20-22—IHRA Gateway Nationals, Fairmont City, Illinois June 20-22—AMA Camel Cyclejam Nationals, Pocono, Long Pond, Pennsylvania June 21-22—IHBA Chowchilla Summer Showdown, Berenda Reservoir, Chowchilla, California June 27-29—NHRA Grandnational, Molson, Montreal, Ouebec, Canada June 28-29—AMA 9th Annual Westernationals, Fremont, California DRY LAKES June 8—Southern California Timing Association meets at the Lakes (SCTA sanctioned event, 619/268-0192) ROAD RACING June 1—SCCA Trans-Am Motorcraft 100, Sonoma, California June 1—NASCAR Budweiser 400,…

Power Play Tired of trying to get up steep grades with half the power you need? What about passing on two-lane roads? Well, Total Performance now offers a V8 (289 or 302) kit for all 1983-’86 Ranger 2WD trucks. It includes motor mounts, oil pan, exhaust headers or cast-iron manifolds, special oil filter adapters, and instructions. For more information, contact John Vermeersch, Total Performance, Dept. HR-06, 44020 N. Groesbeck Hwy., Mt. Clemens, MI 48403, (313) 468-3673. Brawny Bolts Automotive Racing Products (ARP) has developed flywheel and flexplate bolts that defy breakage. Made from premium materials, the bolts are forged from coil and then heat-treated before thread rolling. They feature a 12-point, aerospace design “star" head. According to ARP President Gary Holzapfel, these bolts are designed for use without a washer.…

1 Don’t shop for kit cars looking only at their initial price tag. The cheapest kits could end up costing far more in time and additional parts than the most expensive. 2 Many people have made the mistake of submitting the full purchase price before their kit is even built. In the meantime, the kit manufacturer goes bankrupt. Negotiate a partial down/remainder C.O.D. (cash on delivery) plan before you order. 3 There are no standards for kit car awards. Don’t be fooled by a manufacturer’s trophy. This is usually a judgment based on the builder’s detailing rather than the kit itself. 4 The quality of an advertisement does not reflect the quality of a kit. Only the kit itself can do that. 5 While a kit Cobra fitted with a…

Modern Drivetrains Require Modern Safety Equipment New York bases its registration requirements primarily on vehicle safety aspects. If the vehicle has a modern drivetrain, it has to have modern brakes and other up-to-date safety equipment. All ground-up home-builts and kits are registered as current-model year vehicles and must meet current standards. Kits built on an existing frame, if updated with a modern drivetrain, usually have to meet current safety standards. A mere body change or restoration that leaves the original VIN numbers intact can usually retain its original model year registration. Current New York safety standards include: dual master cylinder service brakes plus mechanical parking brake, horn, rear and side-view mirrors, muffler and exhaust system, approved safety windshield and side glass, windshield wipers, front and (most vehicles) rear defrosting devices,…

Kirkwood, Missouri’s Dan Miller, an unassuming computer salesman and devoted family man by day, has a second life. He tried to shuck it for nearly 15 years, but it just wouldn’t go away. You see, Dan used to run blown fuel Funny Cars (three of which appeared in HRM, one on the April ’71 cover). After a decade of racing, he quit to go fur trapping ’73. But the itch came back. Dan’s deep blue A-Boy isn’t a race car. But under the slick three-piece hood breathes a Hilborn-injected, 6-71 blown, 350 Chevy with O-ringed heads, Isky roller cam and rockers, Milodon pan, hand-machined Gilmer drives, and tons of neat tricks like aircraft stainless fasteners and fluid-line bulkheads, stainless exhaust, and so on. A TCl Turbo 400, 3000-stall converter, and…

Hallelujah, brothers and sisters, “Big Daddy” Don Garlits—drag racing’s greatest innovater, the NHRA’s current Top Fuel champ, and the sport’s leading collector of old dragsters, modified roadsters, and competition coupes—has gone out and done it again! The Old Man went and built himself a new super-slick Swamp Rat. And in the words of the one and only Big Daddy, “Don’t be surprised if we’re not running up in the 280’s and down in the low-low 5’s by the end of the current drag racing season.” So what has caused the grinning Garlits to be so expansive? The magic answer is aerodynamics or streamlining or—as Chevy’s Herb Fishel calls it—“Air management” Air management has been the key to the performance climb at Daytona, Indy, and throughout the Gran Prix circuits. Streamlining…

The hand-rubbed Cardinal Red lacquer is smooth as glass. The body is straight as an arrow. The chassis has the latest tricks, and it puts the power to the pavement. Running just 396 cubic inches in a two-bolt-main block, the car cut a 10.60 at 133 quarter, through the mufflers, on its first shakedown track test. It gets 8 to 9 mpg on the street, where it sees plenty of regular cruisin’. We rode in it; it runs hard and drives well. It’s a true triple-duty street machine. Walt Price, a 25-year-old resident of Philadelphia, can be rightly proud of his bright red Goat, since he has done most of the work on it himself. He credits Bill McElroy with help on the paint, and Dom Carpenter for chassis work,…

Can you imagine spending all day building model cars, five days a week, and getting paid for it? That was an idle fantasy of mine as a youth. But that’s exactly what Warren Riggs does for a living. Warren works at the Revell factory in Venice, California, and his job is to assemble and detail the various kits so they can be photographed for boxes and catalogs, and put on display. What better person than a professional model builder to give us some tips on putting together a plastic kit so it looks great? We hope you’re planning to enter our HOT ROD National Model Car Contest; this primer is just an introduction to what you can do with scale plastic once you turn your imagination loose on it. The…

In the late Sixties, NASCAR (the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) and the SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) produced two separate series of superspeedway and road course contests: the Grand Touring (GT) and the Trans-American Sedan Championship (T-A), respectively. Intended mostly for 5-liter (305-cubic-inch) American V8 ponycars, Porsche, Alfa Romeo, and other imported entries were also involved. Wheelbase sizes were held at 112 and 116 inches, respectively, and weight was restricted by the SCCA to 2900 pounds. Specific carburetion guidelines called for either one or two 4-barrels, depending on whose rules you looked at and when you looked at them. After the new 290 V8 Javelin was homologated (made eligible for competition when 1000 copies or more of the car were built) by ACCUS/FIA for ’68 SCCA…

HOPING FOR A SETBACK Q I have a 1970 Chevelle with a small-block 350. I am considering moving the engine back about 3 inches. Would this amount help performance? If not, how far back would be necessary for any gains? Gary BiondoEast Brady, Pennsylvania A The amount of engine setback required is dictated by the vehicle weight, wheelbase, horsepower level, and e.t. range required. Too much engine setback results in the theoretical center of the tire contact patch being located behind the actual rear tire centers—the result is a big wheelstand. On the other hand, insufficient engine setback results in the tires getting loose at mid track. Since the greatest e.t. reductions are brought about by a good off-the-line launch, it’s better to shoot for optimum launch instead of maximizing…

Increase awareness of your recetrack and its activities! The “Race Track Directory” is open to any type of raceway from quarter-mile dragstrips to dirt track ovals. By placing a low-cost ad in the “Race Track Directory” you can reach more than five million motorsports enthusiasts. This new section will not only keep HOT ROD readers informed of what events will take place at racetracks near home, but also serve as a reference when planning vacations. If you want to build participation at your track, contact the Petersen Publishing Company Automotive Performance Group sales office closest to you (see our masthead on page 9 for addresses and phone numbers).…

Aussie Invader There’s no question that drag racing is a purely American invention. But we Americans often forget that drag racing has been well established in countries like England, Australia, and Sweden since the early ’60s. There are two reasons why we overlook this foreign racing activity: comparative times for even the best cars in those countries have always been well off our standards, and the few overseas drag racers who have ventured to our shores over the years have usually—and understandably—fared poorly here. Then came the Aussie Raider. Graeme Cowin, owner of Australia’s largest speed shop, 18-year drag veteran, and current Aussie Funny Car champ, shipped over his K-B-powered Trans Am (with the help of two Australian speed parts manufacturers, Pro Street Performance Products and Yella Terra), unloaded it…

Beastly Bike No sooner had we turned in the photo feature on Chet Herbert’s latest hot rod (“The Beast,” pp. 60) than Baskerville waltzes in with a “look what I’ve got” grin on his face. Rummaging through his musty files, he coincidentally happened upon this vintage (circa 1950) pic of the original Beast—an 80-inch Harley hard-tail running a Herbert cam and a full load of nitro. It ran a best of 138 mph, and for the first two years of the country’s first dragstrip, nothing on two wheels or four could beat it. That’s Chet in the wheelchair. Check the street roadsters in the background. — P.G. NEW PONTIAC RACING HEAD Pontiac Motorsports has released a second design racing cylinder head for max-competition small-block GM V8’s. The new aluminum head…

HOW GOOD ARE THEY? We have a simple philosophy around here: Cars are for driving, and if they are not fun to drive, then they’re not worth having. Our three cover kit cars are excellent examples of what the maturing kit car industry has to offer—complete kits with high-quality parts and, in these three individual cases, excellent fit and finish. But the true worth of any car is not how it looks or goes together but how it goes down the road. We got to spend only one 12-hour day with these kit cars, but we put them through a gauntlet of tests … and the results were quite surprising. Because we are dealing with kit cars (meaning you put ’em together), they are only as good as the person…

In the past, the classic styling of exotic sports cars was reserved for the rich and famous. Now, however, practically anyone can own a replica of their favorite classic for a mere pittance of the original. While the idea is nothing new to the automotive industry, kit cars are gradually becoming acceptable alternatives to their bucks-up counterparts. The general public calls this group of clones kit cars, reproductions, or replicas for short. In essence, for a small sum of money, you receive all or most of the parts needed to assemble a car. The labor of detailing and painting is absorbed by Numero Uno which in turn saves you money. As you start to explore the kit car scene, you’ll find that these vehicles are broken down into separate categories…

As California Goes, so Goes the Nation—Especially When it Comes to Smog Laws California requires a pollution inspection on most vehicles 1955 and newer (1963 and newer in “non-controlled” counties) when they: are brought in from outside the state, upon change of ownership, or upon initial registration (unless the OEM manufacturer self-certifies the vehicle). Additionally, selected areas of the state not in compliance with Federal Clean Air standards require an inspection for all gasoline-fueled vehicles under 20 years old every two years. As applied to specialty vehicles, if the kit is assembled on an existing frame, the car will be expected to meet those standards applicable to the model year of the frame. In the case of a ground-up or specially constructed car, the car must meet the standards applicable…

The burning California heat took its toll on Ascot’s halfmile clay oval as the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars showed the sideways, tire-burning, wheel-standing action for which the touring Outlaws are famous. The season opener for the winged Sprint Cars provided a rare opportunity to see these freshly painted machines before they become battle-scarred. Because of the dry, hard, and slick track conditions, the hardest-compound, right rear tires were barely lasting 10-lap heats. Most racers were expecting to run qualifying times slower than usual, which is expected during a day show. Bobby Allen did what some people said could never be done—run a 16-second lap on Ascot’s relatively flat half-mile. Everyone who was watching could tell that Allen was “hooked up” in Sunday’s qualifying session, as he lifted his front…

The 1983 through 1985 Mustangs and Capris came from the factory with Holley 4-barrel carbs, the first production cars so equipped in a decade. These carbs look like the good old Holleys of yesteryear. They run and feel like the Holleys of old. But how can any late-model carburetor run so well and yet escape the wrath of the Federales? The answer is that Holley engineers have retained the best performance characteristics of the old Holleys, while at the same time making the necessary design improvements needed to bring today’s product into conformation with currently mandated emissions and mileage standards. Because these changes are extensive enough to limit complete component interchangeability with earlier model carbs, Holley coined a new generic model number. Known as the “Model 4180,” today’s Ford/Holley production…

Viewed in Sixties enthusiast circles as “an old folks’ car company,” American Motors responded, late in the decade, with their long-nose, short-tail Javelin ponycar, and its unique two-seat, short-wheelbase, midyear derivative, the AMX. Packing 390-cube 4-barrel powerplants and a list of powertrain options that spilled off the showroom floor and into the parts catalogs, Kenosha’s major marketing maneuvers resulted in a number of truly memorable milestone musclecars. Optional offerings in these cars’ mechanical departments kept pace with the competition in the muscle-building race, and ambitious promotional campaigns—“Test Drag a Javelin,” “Big Bad Javelin,” and “In our second race, we almost came in first”—put the Kenosha factory right up there alongside Detroit’s Big Three—in spirit at least. The Javelin was planned to look like a Mustang, ’Cuda, or Camaro in size,…

One-Stop Registration One man handles all inquiries for specially constructed motor vehicle registration in Illinois—State Police Officer Bob Schaub, who can be reached at (217) 785-1291. To register these vehicles in Illinois, you must provide: three photos of the vehicle, one each of the front, rear, and side; an MSO and/or title to the frame or chassis, as well as receipts for major components, if not included on the MSO or as part of the titled vehicle; and a Standard Vehicle Title and Registration Form (VSD-9.12), available from the local office of motor vehicles. If the kit for which you have an MSO is to be installed on a frame or chassis for which you also have title, the old title must be surrendered. Leave your phone number with Bob’s…

In the business of selling competition parts? Don’t be left out of HOT ROD’S new high-powered “Competition Shop” section specifically geared toward the serious racer. Unlike the Performance Shop section, this space is reserved for competition parts only! More than five million readers will see your ad each month. For complete information, contact the Petersen Publishing Company Automotive sales office closest to you (see our masthead on page 9 for addresses and phone numbers).…