Indholdsfortegnelse for February 1989 i Hot Rod

Baddest Car Update In December ’88 we listed Gale Banks’ twin-turbocharged Pontiac Trans Am as the world’s fastest passenger car (see “Best of HOT ROD ’88’’), since it currently holds the SCTA Bonneville Nationals record at more than 268 mph and has been clocked at speeds above 280 mph at the five-mile mark. A serious challenge to that title was recently issued when Juris Min-denbergs brought his late-model Corvette to the ’88 World of Speed event held by the Utah Salt Flat Racers Association. Running on gasoline with a normally aspirated 500-plus-cubic-inch bigblock, Mindenbergs recorded a down run of 271.004 mph and a return run of 261.856 mph for an average of 266.470 mph. This is impressive, given that Mindenbergs’ car was only two mph slower than the Banks record…

Internal combustion engines need air and fuel to produce power. Some engine designs are more efficient with the air and fuel processes than others and, as such, are more fun to use as the underhood motivation for your wheels. There are, however, many engine configurations that must be carefully matched with complementary combinations or modifed in order to produce the best compromise for horsepower and driveability. Having both these features make some engine designs more desirable than the rest. One of the most mystical selections of components is invariably the camshaft. There are more old wives’ tales, mystical doctrines, and other general philosophies of B.S. (an oil field term: Basic Sediment) that shroud camshaft and cylinder head selection than any other parts in the engine. All this “zamma-zamma” just adds…

If you’ve been reading HOT ROD for a few years, you’re no doubt aware of our long-standing relationship with the U.S. Navy. We’ve featured Don Garlits launching his Top Fuel car on aircraft carriers, and our publisher, Harry Hibler, has been on more demonstration flights with the Blue Angels than anyone should be allowed. But when the Navy approached us about a story on nuclear submarines and their sub tenders, we thought it would be fun to get an insider’s view of the silent service. Just as today’s high-tech race cars need the assistance of high-tech race support vehicles, the Navy’s nuclear submarine fleet is assisted by a dedicated group of men and women who serve in submarine tenders. And though the submarines seem to attract all the attention, without…

There are many ways to beat the high cost of hot rodding, and they run the gamut from completing halffinished cars to horse trading. One of the best ways to frugal-form a fenderless Ford is to either buy or build a ’50s-style rod. Joseph Mead, Jr., a carpenter from Westtown, New York, and his wife, Sharon, chose the latter route in their quest for a low-buck beater. “My Deuce three-window spent 55 years in Sussex County, New Jersey, being passed around by its four previous owners until I bought and restored it. In fact, the coupe was complete, less engine, and I removed the mohair interior, drivetrain, and fenders.” Mead’s first order of business was to find an engine for his old-timer, so he stuck together a 5/16-by-stock, 255-inch ’52…

If you’ve read our story on Digital Fuel Injection (DFI) entitled “Smart Squirters” (HRM October ’88), then you are aware of DFI’s basic system. However, since our story, DFI has made some subtle yet interesting changes to its ECM. The latest system offers an electronic package designed to drive a factory TPI system (such as the Chevrolet or Ford manifolds) with the added flexibility to alter the fuel curve with the use of an IBM-compatible computer, including laptops. The system will come with all the sensors required and will be programmed with a generic fuel curve that will make the system operational. Once the engine is running, the user can fine-tune the fuel curve with a computer. The advantage to this system is that very small changes to the fuel…

Although long considered taboo by the purists, the word “kit” is know increasingly being used by street-rod parts manufacturers to describe complete chassis/body packages that they have been offering on the fledgling repro-rod market for several years. The standardization of street-rod chassis components dictated by the near mass-production situation called for by today’s market size has greatly simplified street-rod construction to the point of attracting large numbers of new rodders to the hobby. Classic Motor Carriages, a replicar and neo-classic specialist from Miami, Florida, has pushed the “kit rod” concept one step further by producing a totally integrated chassis and a unitized fiberglass reproduction body based on the classic ’34 Ford coupe. It is a complete bolt-together kit. The only parts not included in the package are the running gear,…

Wally Elder has it made. No, he doesn’t own a chrome shop or a wheel and tire store. He’s an auto body man and painter by trade (Custom Auto Works in Eureka, Missouri) who was able to spend the better part of three years and 11 grand rejuvenating his magenta Mopar, a ’70 Dodge Challenger. As you can see, Elder kept “Mo-genta’s” exterior mainly stock. “I first flared the fenderwells, replaced the ’70 grille with a ’71, then painted what was left with a custom-mixed magenta acrylic enamel.” Wally is also well rounded. “I did the interior, too.” That operation included adding black-and gray-covered fiberglass bucket seats, a Grant GT steering wheel, a six-point roll cage, plus a Southern Safety window net. Meanwhile, the ’70 Challenger’s underpinnings are essentially O.E.M.—an…

America’s Biggest Name In Audio Gives You More. Our top-of-the-line Realistic in-dash AM/FM stereo cassette gives you high power, extra features and it’s removable to prevent theft. The 15-watt-per-channel amplifier delivers dynamite sound. You also get separate bass, treble and loudness controls, front/rear speaker fader, out-front input jack for a CD player, line in/out jacks for adding an equalizer or booster, cassette auto-reverse, autosearch, and Dolby⋆ B noise reduction system. Digital-Electronic Tuner. It has 18 memory presets with manual or automatic programming plus seek and six-station preset scan. Presets and clock time are retained up to 10 days when the player is removed. The LCD frequency/clock display has soft amber lighting for easy reading, day or night. Come in Today. And “test-drive” this extra-feature, high-performance car stereo with slide-out security.…

IN A HOT SPOT Q The front hubs on my ’80 Camaro are generating an enormous amount of heat, and after an average drive you can’t even touch them. Recently we rebuilt the brake calipers, turned the rotors, and replaced the pads, and still there’s no improvement. I’ve heard that all Camaros from the mid-’70s on up have a “brake distribution valve” that can sometimes malfunction and partially activate some or all of the brakes while driving. Could this be the problem? Mark LackasFayetteville, North Carolina A Before jumping to conclusions, apply a rational, step-by-step approach to solving the problem. First, does the problem occur only on one wheel at a time, or with both simultaneously? If only at one wheel, the culprit will be isolated in the knuckle/up-right area:…

CARS & TRUCKS 31 FORD ROADSTER. 302 Ford, Inglese Webers, chrome-detailed undercarriage, chrome Jaguar rearend. Top quality. $25,000 or trades considered: prefer Cobras, Countach, replicas. Dave Merck, 6807 Inwood Ln. N.E., Cedar Rapids, IA 52402, (319) 393-2670. 34 HUP/FORD THREE-WINDOW COUPE. 327/350, T4, seen on cover of November HOT ROD and December Street Rodder. Red and white. $28,500. Chip Moss, (502) 886-6735, Hopkinsville, Kentucky. ’75 HURST OLDS W-25. Black with white interior. 49,000 miles. Never damaged, one owner. Recently appraised: good to excellent condition. $5200. David Vanaman, 10915 Orchard St., Fairfax, VA 22030, (703) 591-2955. ’77 MALIBU CLASSIC. ’70 LT1 angle-plug head engine, electric fans plus water pump drive, new Turbo 400, new Zoom-geared adjustable rear, special suspension, all chromed, steel braided, and detailed. $2000 paint job, over $25,000 invested.…

Our old pal Chet Carter has lost his home. Not that his living quarters turned to ashes, but rather that his home dragstrip is returning to ashes. Yep, Baylands Race-way Park, formerly known as Fremont Dragstrip, is the latest victim of the dreaded California land rush. Former home of the NHRA Golden Gate Nationals, Baylands was also the ground for John Millner’s drag racing exploits in the motion picture American Graffiti II. Chet Carter has flagged-off many a hot rod duel during the 30-year life of the racetrack, and he’s been the NDRA’s official starter for a couple of years. Chet started racing in the ’50s with a Mercury flathead-powered track T, seen here beating a Deuce roadster in 1955 at the old Little Bonneville dragstrip in San Jose. Chet…

RODDERMENTIA I just finished the November HOT ROD. I’ve got to tell you, Jeff, in case you don’t know it, you’re starting to think like a street rodder. Yes, you will try to deny it for a while. Most street machiners do. We all went through it. Don’t feel bad; you can keep the Chevelle around. You’ll need a heater when you come back to Iowa in the winter. But very soon it will become your second love. I can tell that you’ve got the rod bug because you’re talking Pro Street, fat-fendered street rods! You’re talking about building frames, rack-and-pinion steering, and transplanting weak powerplants with fresh state-of-the-art engines. That’s street rodding! In closing, Jeff, take heart. We all get older and wiser. I think you are, too. You…

With nine final-round appearances, four national event wins, and a big $50,000 win in the Cragar Top Fuel Classic, Joe Amato wrapped up the 1988 NHRA Winston Top Fuel Championship in convincing fashion, even though the 4-second zone eluded his best efforts (5.01 to date) this year. Joe won the Summernationals, California Nationals, Northstar Nationals, and U.S. Nationals on his way to the NHRA Top Fuel championship, and established himself as the most consistent driver in the sport in terms of elapsed time, top speed, and reaction time. In a year that saw Top Fuel make its greatest strides in almost two decades, Amato is number one. New and repeat champions were also crowned in the other NHRA categories. Kenny Bernstein captured his fourth straight Funny Car title with his…

Regular readers may recall our September ’88 story about a ’65 Chevelle equipped with a 383-cid smallblock built from a PAW kit (see “Maxi-Mouse”). Our experience with that combination provided some interesting insight into what careful tuning can do for your car’s performance. The Chevelle was equipped with a 3310 750-cfm Holley 4-barrel on an Edelbrock Performer intake, a Crane 278-degree hydraulic camshaft, headers, and a recurved distributor with 22 degrees of centrifugal advance. The curve was adjusted so that the advance was all in by 2600 rpm, with 16 degrees initial advance, for a total of 38 degrees. The carburetor had standard out-of-the-box jetting with No. 72 primaries and No. 76 secondaries. Rather than give you absolute numbers for each change, we’re going to indicate the trends that we…

Talk to any racer and he’ll tell you without hesitation that the most important components in a high-performance engine are the cylinder heads. While all the other goodies, such as the camshaft, intake and exhaust manifolds, and carburetion, are also important, without a good set of cylinder heads an engine just doesn’t have a prayer of making acceptable performance numbers. It’s that simple. Why is it then that hot rodders have historically ignored cylinder heads as the proven path to performance? While we may never know the answer, we did decide to evaluate some of the more available and popular current production cylinder heads for the ubiquitous small-block Chevy in order to see which heads have the most performance potential. First of all, though, a little background. Chevy’s first true…

Carburetors are a dying breed.” Strong statement? Perhaps. But it’s only a matter of time before the advantages of electronic fuel injection (EFI) will relegate the time-honored carburetor to back-seat status for street performance cars. Think about it. Today, Detroit builds very few (if any) carbureted engines. Why? Because the control generated by EFI systems delivers not only emission and fuel mileage improvements but also significant performance advantages. While EFI has attained lofty status in Detroit and abroad, the aftermarket has been slow to respond to the EFI trend, mostly due to ignorance of electronics and the threat of new technology. However, that scenario is rapidly changing. Within the past year, several small companies have released significantly different EFI systems. Much like their Detroit counterparts, these new aftermarket EFI systems…

One of the interesting facts about EFI is the different ways to modify how the ECM controls the fuel delivery to the engine. GSR’s approach is to make the fuel-curve tuning procedure as simple as possible, with dials (as opposed to using a computer) on a console. The GSR system utilizes eight external adjustments on a cockpit-located calibration console. These adjustments would be the EFI equivalent of idle mixture, idle speed, accelerator pump shot, accelerator pump duration, wide-open throttle mixture,"high load” (similar to a power valve), part-throttle enrichment, and cold-start enrichment. While GSR is still working on its final design, as it standsnow, the system would come with an ECM, a semifinished wiring harness (to allow for various installations), and a calibration console with eight controls. SOURCES General Systems Research…

One of the first companies to get heavily involved in aftermarket EFI is Air Sensors. If you recall the optional TBI offered by B&M for its small supercharger, that unit is an Air Sensors design. While Air Sensors is currently marketing this standalone TBI system, the company has also developed a multipoint system that utilizes a typical, single 4-barrel intake manifold, throttle body, and bosses to accept eight fuel injectors that has the capability to produce up to 375 horsepower on the standard system. This falls under Air Sensors F.I.R.S.T. line, Fuel Injection Research & Systems Technology. In many ways, Air Sensors’ system is similar to the other multipoint EFI systems, except that Air-Sensors utilizes a mass airflow (MAF) sensor as an integral part of its design to more accurately…

Most hot rods are labors of love, so the amount of time devoted to their construction far surpasses any monetary value that could be placed on them. Such is the case with Joe Breunig’s Pro Street ’69 Camaro. After four years of graduate study in the finer points of Camaro modification, and with the help of countless friends, Joe’s labor of love finally debuted to rave reviews—and everyone who had a hand in its construction was justifiably proud. Built with the attention to detail normally reserved for the finest street rods, the Mike Vallow chassis incorporates a combination of hand-built or modified Camaro front subframe and suspension hardware along with Alston tube chassis components at the rear. The chassis is sprung with Koni coil-over shocks that support a 9-inch Ford…

Edelbrock’s Performer series carburetors bring an exciting new dimension to the company’s Total Power Package because they are calibrated to work with stock applications as well as with current Performer and Torker II intake manifolds and the Performer Plus and Torker Plus camshaft series. You may think that you’re looking at just another generation of the Carter AFB, but that is not the case. The Performer carburetor is based on the AFB, but it has been totally refined and recalibrated by Edelbrock to function properly in a modern performance environment. Manufactured by Weber USA to Edelbrock specifications, the new carburetors have been extensively tested to ensure user friendliness in every application. Edelbrock’s comprehensive test program included a demanding schedule of engine dyno and chassis dyno development work along with fifth-wheel…

Think about it: 170 miles an hour on a box-stock, street-legal, racereplica motorcycle. That figure is impressive enough, but the real story behind the all-new FZR1000 is its ultra-rigid chassis—and the impeccable racetrack handling it brings to the motorcycling public. When the people at Yamaha sat down to redesign the original FZR, it was resolved that nothing but the best would do. The result is a motorcycle fully capable of all-out road racing against ultra-expensive one-off machines, but they can be ridden home after the event. The Japanese factories are competing head to head to build the best sport machines the world has ever seen, and this year, in terms of sheer speed and handling, Yamaha is on top of the heap. The safety lobby and other Washington-based hand-wringers will…

POOR MAN’S VACUUM BRAKE BLEEDER Not all of us can afford expensive aftermarket power-vacuum brake bleeders. On the other hand, hand bleeding is tedious, time consuming, and usually requires two people. However, for the price of a large mason jar and some hose or tubing, you can have your own quickie vacuum bleeder. As shown in the illustration, drill five holes through the jar’s lid for the hose and tubing—four hoses are for connections to the brake bleeder screws, while the fifth is hooked up to a convenient vacuum source (either your engine’s intake manifold or your vacuum cleaner). The lines connected to the brakes should extend nearly to the bottom of the jar, while the line to the vacuum source should barely reach through the lid, so as to…

Totally Rad Griffin’s VW Scirocco-style drag racing radiator is engineered to provide increased cooling and prevent “return road boil-over.’’ Pressure-tested to 25 pounds, this radiator features a two-row, double-pass design and stands 12 1/2 inches tall and 21 inches wide. The inlets/outlets measure 11/2 inches top and 1 1/2 inches bottom. For more information, contact Griffin Racing Radiators, Dept. HR-02, Route 1, Box 66, Townville, SC 29689, (803) 287-4898. You Can Wing It ACI Glass is now offering a fiberglass IRGC rear wing for all ’82-’88 Camaros and Z/28s that will not interfere with the rear window louvers. For more information, contact American Custom Industries, Inc., attention Mike Mikosz, Dept. HR-02, 5035 Alexis Rd., Sylvania, OH 43560, (800) 822-8020. No Rock And Roll Featuring Koni shocks, the Rapido Group’s suspension…

The ’90 Chevrolet Lumina will make its NASCAR debut in the Winston 500 on May 7, 1989, at the Alabama International Motor Speedway in Talladega. According to NASCAR rules, a car becomes eligible for competition once it actually appears in the dealer showrooms. The Lumina four-door sedan and Lumina APV, a van-like all-purpose vehicle, will be introduced as ’90 models in mid-’89, replacing the Celebrity and Monte Carlo SS lines. The Monte Carlo SS will retire as the winningest car in NASCAR Winston Cup history, with five straight manufacturer’s championships and 138,611 street copies on the road. The smaller, sleeker Lumina replacing it is shown here in the Tide/Hendrick Motorsports version, which will be driven by Darrell Waltrip. Other leading drivers expected to debut Luminas include Geoff Bodine in the…

Is your only goal in life to be hot rodding’s equivalent of Napoleon Bonaparte? Do you have Machiavelli’s theory of ’’Might Makes Right” stenciled across your valve covers? If so, then you’re just the person we’re looking for. This ’’Power Combos” section is a collection of important information that you need to build a strong and powerful street engine. We’ve purposefully broadened this section to appeal to a number of different readers. For the entry-level hot rodders, we have a power tuning story, then we step up with dyno-proven suggestions for building strong yet tractable small-and big-block Chevy engines. Then we have a meaty piece on flow-bench testing popular small-block Chevy production cylinder heads. Finally, we have an indepth story on power-matching cylinder heads and camshafts that you can’t afford…

The total airflow through an engine is determined by two basic factors: valve lift and valve diameter. In almost all cases, the larger the valves, the better the flow. While the cylinder heads in our test were all 1.94/1.50-inch intake and exhaust pieces, all of these heads could be outfitted with larger 2.02/1.60-inch intake and exhaust valves. If you were to run a comparison test between the two different-size valves, a standard must be established for direct comparisons. SuperFlow prefers to use a lift-to-diameter (L/D) ratio standard. This L/D scale allows you to directly compare valve flow between different valve sizes. As an example, the following were the L/Ds used in our test: As the valve diameter changes (to 2.02/1.60 inches, for example), then the intake and exhaust valve lifts…

Don “Boomin’ Buffalo” Thelan, one of rodding’s morel sedate and quiet-spoken citizens, doesn’t know what the word “keeper” means. As soon as the owner of Buffalo Motors finishes them, they’re gone. Fortunately, Buffalo’s creations usually wind up in the hands of “buffs” such as Mario Olgiati, whose Case-constructed ’40 is one of our current Top Ten winners. As for winners, the Thelan/Olgiati ’37 Ford Club Cabriolet connection is every bit of that and more. Take its body style, for instance. It’s a rather rare ragtop that has been overlooked by most rodders. But after Buffy finished taking 21/2 inches out of its top, filling in its doors, deck lid, hood and hood sides, plus laying on graphic-enhanced black lacquer, the once-ugly ’37 has now become a tasty treat. Below its…

If you’ve been diligently reading HOT ROD, then you’re also aware of Holley’s entry into the EFI market with its stand-alone TBI system. As outlined in our earlier story (“Hard Bodies,” HRM December ’88), the Holley system utilizes a 670-cfm, 2-barrel throttle body that has sufficient air and fuel delivery capacity to make up to 320 hp. The TBI system is controlled by an MSD-built ECM that can be located in the cockpit, and features five separate mixture controls: idle mixture, choke, accelerator pump shot, midrange, and wide-open-throttle mixture. The most difficult part of the installation will probably be routing a fuel return line, which is necessary on any fuel injection system. Otherwise, the Holley TBI system is simple, easy to install, and is easier to dial in than a…

The very first system that we encountered with a computer-programmable fuel curve was a system called the HALTECH fuel injection system designed by a company called EFI Technology, from Australia. The HALTECH system utilizes a compact ECM and a simplistic wiring harness to control up to eight injectors on a multipoint system and allows the user to make changes easily with a laptop or home IBM-compatible computer. The HALTECH system utilizes an easy-to-understand bar graph system to make changes to the fuel curve. In addition, there is an optional interface module that allows gross changes to the basic fuel curve. Once a fuel curve has been designed, it can be saved on a computer disc and transferred to another HALTECH system, if desired. The system also has the capability to…

One of the more innovative EFI companies: Electromotive, grouped under the Total Engine Control (TEC) banner, offers computer programmable multipoint and Throttle Body Injection systems. What makes Electromotive unique is its ability to also offer a distributorless Direct Ignition System (DIS) that is also computer programmable. The best part is that the fuel and ignition control systems can be combined into one overall system offering—you guessed it—total engine control. However, according to company founder Alex Long, Electromotive’s efforts are currently directed toward professional engine builders and not really intended for the average enthusiast. The combined TEC fuel and ignition system is more complicated than the other systems we have outlined, and Electromotive’s goal is to work with people with experience and the ability to handle more sophisticated systems. SOURCES Electromotive,…

It’s an accepted fact that you can’t do a good job without the proper tools. If you’re the observant type, you’re also aware that any good mechanic always invests in the best tools for the job. It’s that simple. So with that in mind, we’ll take a look at some of the hand tools available to make working on your car more of a joy and less of a pain. POWER AND HAND TOOL USER’S GUIDE SIDEWINDER PRODUCTS CORP. Now you can work in the most impossible situations with the Sidewinder Speed Wrench—where space limits ratchet travel, where there’s lack of resistance for the ratchet to function, where excessive repetitions are required for long bolts. One 360° turn of this specialty tool is equal to eight normal ratchet motions. Of…

Racing improves the breed.” Nowhere is that statement more true than in Showroom Stock competition—a closely fought, fiercely contested class of road racing that pits virtually stock late-model production autos against each other in grueling marathon six-, 12-, and even 24hour slugging matches. In this tough arena, chassis and drivetrains receive the equivalent of a lifetime of street wear and tear in a few hours of racing. And because the cars competing really are production models, any weak points quickly become apparent. Currently, Camaros and Firebirds are GM’s standard-bearers in both the IMSA and SCCA versions of Showroom Stock. Unfortunately, the current GM “F-car” chassis—designed as it was during the height of the energy crunch—was never intended to be a serious high-performance car. Over the years the drivetrain has been…

This is my seventh car, and I really enjoy I building them.” Talk about a glutton for punishment! Would you believe that after whomping away on a ’23 T, ’39 sedan, ’31 Chevy sedan, ’34 Chevy sedan, ’32 Chevy coupe, and ’49 Merc, John Sornberger’s appetite continues unabated? Well, believe it, especially after he found Stovebolt number four in Iowa. “All I got was the body and frame, Master fenders that wouldn’t fit, and so much dry rot that I had to replace 75 percent of the wood in the car. But the body and frame were rust free, so that made it easier when it came time to get it ready for paint.” Getting it ready for paint is an interesting way of saying that he had Bill Deese…

While partaking in his favorite hobby—digging in the Petersen files in search of a wild photo—our old dad, Gray Baskerville, came across this sensational photo sequence by then Car Craft staffer Fred Gregory that covers Connie Kalitta’s unbelievable 71 U.S. Nationals crash from A to Z. When shown the photo sequence in its entirety for the first time at the ’88 NHRA finals, Connie recalled getting crossed up in his Logghe-chassis semi-streamliner when a rear axle broke, then thinking it was all over. Emerging totally unscathed from the wild mishap, Connie wouldn’t let the hospital release him after a checkup ’’because it hurt so bad, there had to be something wrong with me!” If Connie was lucky (considering his safety harness had come undone!), so was NHRA finish line observer…

Quiz! What’s the longest-running four-wheel event after the Indy 500 and Pike’s Peak Hill Climb? What about the All American Soap Box Derby (AASBD)I For the last 51 years (52 in 1989), the Derby has been bringing 100-plus nine-to 16-year-old boys and girls to Akron, Ohio, to compete in its version of Speed Week. The documented debut of gravity racing dates back to 1933 in Dayton, Ohio, with the crowning of history’s first champion, Bob Gravett. Then reporting on that boy-built cars race, local newsman Myron Scott was so impressed by the event that he acquired the rights to it and developed it into what we know today. The Soap Box Derby got its current name in 1934, when Bob Turner won the first World Championship in Dayton at the…