Indholdsfortegnelse for March 1989 i Hot Rod

6-Second Trans Am Thanks, in part, to their aerodynamic efficiency, Pontiac Trans Ams are becoming the most prolific cars in drag racing. And now they’re also the quickest and the fastest—with master engine builder Scott Shaffiroff and driver Gordie Hmiel pushing their ’88 Trans Am to an historic 6-second elapsed time, thus becoming the world’s first full-bodied passenger car with a carbureted, gasoline-burning engine to break the 6-second barrier. The first 6-second blast came at Bristol International Dragway, where the team earned admission to the exclusive NOS 6-Second Club and a $2500 award. A few weeks later they used the same engine to tear off an awesome 6.93/209.10 at the Texas Motorplex. Shaffiroff credited his NOS Pro Shot Fogger II nitrous-oxide system with playing a major role in generating the…

Time certainly gallops along when you’re having fun. Yep, the Mustang is 25 years old. In celebration of this event, HOT ROD Magazine takes a look at the old and the new Mustang in its most significant forms. Our special silver anniversary ’Stang section begins with Al Kirschenbaum’s study of the evolution of the breed. From the radical ’65 fastback hi-po ponycar up to the street-tough ’89 GT, Al has chronicled the speediest steeds in the Blue Oval corral. Next up, our own corner carver, John Baechtel, puts the spurs to a Saleen Mustang. This thoroughbred was born in the esses and back straights of the nation’s road courses and proves once again that racing does improve the breed. If you missed your chance to get behind the wheel of…

Saleen Mustangs are widely acknowledged as the most potent production Mustangs you can buy anywhere, and that’s not to take any thing away from the fact that HOT ROD Magazine recently selected the stock 5.0L Ford Mustang LX as the best performance car buy of ’88. Low supercars and are rough around the cost and super performance are indeed the most desirable attributes in modern-day performance cars, and the LX model proves that the two are not mutually exclusive. But not everyone is willing to sacrifice all the amenities that typify a highly refined touring class automobile. Mustang LXs are low-budget edges, delivering the substance, but not necessarily the style, that usually characterizes Ford performance cars. For many hot rodders, the LX is the straightforward answer to their prayers: It…

The High Output 350-cid Chevrolet will introduce hot rodders to the new generation of small-block V8s. Enthusiasts who are accustomed to the Mouse motor’s timeless design may find a few surprises when they encounter this engine of the ’80s. Most components are still interchangeable with smallblock pieces that were manufactured 34 years ago; a few are used exclusively in late-model engines. The following is a brief recounting of the changes that have taken place beneath the small-block’s air cleaner. One-Piece Rear Crankshaft Seal.Chevrolet replaced the small-block’s leakage-prone, two-piece rear main seal with a one-piece seal in 1986. This seemingly minor change required a major redesign of the crankshaft and oil pan. Like all ’86 and newer small-block V8s, the H.O. engine’s crankshaft has a 3.00-inch-diameter flywheel flange bolt pattern; small-blocks…

You can stop a man from drag racing, but you can’t take the drag racer out of the man. Take Joe Demyan, for K example. His race-influenced Camaro took shape over 10 years, beginning with an owner-built square-tube frame. A ’70 Dana 60 rearend handles the-Jorque, while a four-link seaand strut front suspension sprung and damped with Koni coil-over shocks and Strange Engineering springs. Wilwood disc brakes are at all four ’corners. Mickey Thompson 156-inch tires wrap 15x3-inch super Slot Wheels up front,, while wider 15x14-inch wheels spin the 21.5x15-inch M/T tread in the rear. A 500-inch Chevy big-block motivates this bad body. The balanced and blueprinted monster sports a Crane valvetrain, an Offenhauser intake,; an 1150-cfm Holley, Venolia pistons, Chevy 7/16-inch rods, Hooker headers, and an W) 7A ignition,…

Like ‘em or not, “customs” remain the flip side of street/hot rodding … and have always been so. Rods were for racing, sleds were for romancing, and, if the former didn’t go, then you transformed it into the latter by chroming it. But Ron August, a heating and air-conditioning contractor from San Leandro, California, took a decidedly different approach when he spent the better part of two years building his hot ‘n’ cool custom. The custom part of the project is tail-dragger typical. From the ‘50 Merc’s 4½-inch chopped top to its trenched headlights—with a peaked deck lid, louvered hood, DeSoto grille, and custom bumpers thrown in for good measure—Ron’s low-goer personifies the Barris breed. And, naturally, Ron had his pal Bill Reasoner, of Classic Auto Body, paint it deep…

Last month we covered the major construction steps of the Classic Motor Carriages ‘34 Ford coupe kit rod project and left the California Rods and Racers team of Bill and John Matthews with the final assembly and detailing. Once Dennis Enos had wired the car and All American Muffler’s Dale Price had hung the 2-inch exhaust pipes and Turbo mufflers, the Texas Racing Engines’ Bow-Tie smallblock was fired up. Stuffed with 10:1 TRW pistons and a Competition Cams bumpstick, and topped by high-torque ported heads, an Edelbrock 2101 manifold, and a single Holley 750, the mean Mouse roared. Rated at more than 400 hp, the 406-incher will have no problem melting the rubber right off the rims, which, you’ve undoubtedly noticed, have been changed to Center Line Champ 400s simply…

The essence of a real high-performance vehicle is based on what we call a superior power-to-weight ratio … in other words, the mostest with the leastest. Sam Mallory, a garage owner from low-profile Burson, California, took that philosophy to heart when he shoehorned a BDS-blown, 427-inch Ford into one of the three British-built ‘60 Morris Minors he currently owns. Technically, the Minor’s itty-bitty steel body—the mini’s only ‘glass is in its wings (fenders) and windows—is as stone stock as the day it left Coventry, but we can’t say the same for its Alston-built tube frame, stretched(?) over the Minor’s entire 87-inch wheelbase. Under its fat, little fenders resides an Alston-modified Pinto front suspension upgraded by Koni shocks and Alston coil springs. The Minor’s rear suspension—in the form of Koni shocks,…

PRO INTERSTATE I thought that the article “Pro Interstate” by Jeff Smith was great. If the purpose of the article was to leave the readers wanting more, then I must say you’ve succeeded! I believe you’ve touched about every true hot rodder with the experiences of Scott Sullivan and his ’55 Chevy. No doubt any automotive enthusiast reading this article can relate to the problems that Scott encountered with law enforcement officials, bad (as in not good) gas, and emergency mechanical repairs. But to us enthusiasts, that’s what makes our hobby/sport so great, since it requires the ability to overcome all obstacles thrust before us and still endure to accomplish our final objective—in Scott’s case to arrive in Los Angeles intact. This article also settles an ongoing controversy about the…

SIGNIFICANT PRODUCTION MUSTANGS Automotive milestones are traditionally measured by the lasting positive impressions that they make on the motoring world. Distinctive plans and schemes, regardless of how practical, economical, or revolutionary they may be, have to survive time to be truly significant. For 21/2 decades now, Ford’s Mustang line has provided us with enough exciting machinery to literally define the word, “significant” As you can see from the festive theme of this issue, we’re celebrating the first quarter-century of Ford Mustang ponycar production and the entire model-line’s silver anniversary. Coverage here starts at the beginning with the hi-po version of the ’65 fastback, and it ends today with a quick look at the fuel injected ’89 GT. Twenty-five years ago this month, the debut-edition Mustangs rolled off Ford’s assembly lines,…

Here at HOT ROD we’ve run zillions (well, millions) of stories on how to build one-horsepower-per-cubic-inch street engines. So does that mean that Ford and Steve Saleen have finally looked to our lengthy expertise in their efforts to deliver a near 300-hp, 302-cubic-inch small-block V8 for the Mustang? Of course not. But we can still give you a rundown on their general plan of attack. Target horsepower is 290 with the stock camshaft and SVO 1.7:1-ratio rocker arms, while the stock cylinder heads will be ported and fitted with 1.90-inch intake valves. The intake manifold is ported inside and outfitted with a larger 65mm throttle body (versus a 60mm stock unit). The ECM carries different calibrations, including a new advance curve, and all cars will carry a premium fuel sticker…

From the beginning, enterprising hot rodders saw that Ford’s new ponycar had stud horse possibilities. While silt a coh. and less than a year old, HOT ROD Magazine was already testing FoMoGo’s hot 289 noteh-back (June ’64). closely followed by Eric Dahlquet’s ’More Oats for the Mustang.” which appeared in October ’64. By the ’65 winternationals the Mustangs were ready to do battle. which became most apparent when Bill Lawton’s 10-second Stang won the prestigious Factory Stock Eliminator tile. So it’s been on-ward and upward ever snce… and since a photo is said to be worth 1000 words, well save you the verbage and low” what we enviaon when the name Mustang is mentioned.…

GM’s 1981 and later performance cars were equipped with seemingly complex E4M or E4ME electronically controlled feedback Quadrajet carburetors using the Computer Command Control system. Popular examples of cars equipped with this system include L69-powered, 4-barrel Z/28s and SS Monte Carlos along with the majority of V8-powered GM vehicles of this time period. While hot rodders seem to be adapting rather well to modern electronically controlled fuel-injection systems, electronic carburetors such as the late Quadrajet are still needlessly intimidating. But it is important that we learn to work with them so we can continue to maintain low emissions and good fuel economy while improving performance to desired levels. Electronic Quadrajets differ from conventional models in that the primary side of the carburetor includes electronic controls designed to precisely maintain optimum…

This story deadline is fast approaching … and I’m still contemplating dozens of photos of incredible models. I feel like a kid unwrapping wonderful toys on Christmas morning, and I’m still having a hard time deciding which one I like best of the 600-plus models we received. As we anticipated, judging HOT ROD’S third annual Model Car Contest has once again been extremely difficult for the six judges who volunteered their time for this international competition. The variety and quality (and improved photography) of the top-contending models was so great that it took our judges in excess of seven hours, three-dozen donuts, and a hearty lunch to eventually determine the top guns of this year’s “Grand Cru.” The panel of judges we assembled was composed of three expert model…

APPAREL CORNER Hot rodders have always been proponents of the “you are what you wear” fashion statement. Look no further. If you’re into apparel with hot rod appeal, check out our Apparel Corner for the shirt or jacket that you just can’t live without. Crew-Shoes(r) Carry the Pyrotect name on and off the track in a fine quality athletic shoe. Distinctively styled in white leather with red or blue stripes, black leather with red stripes or solid red (women’s only). PYROTECT(r),3110 Ranchview Lane, Minneapolis, MN 55447, or call (612) 559-1092 or (800) 328-2915. Mustang Satin Jacket Red hot and exclusive satin jacket. Pockets all over. Silky 100% heavy-weight acetate. Men’s S-XL, #S1018, $120.00, plus $5.50 shipping. Catalog of more than 500 items $2.00, free with order. Ford Motorsport, Box 26226,…

We at HOT ROD believe that any car can be hot rodded just as long as YOU’ve got the bug…. Arvil Lewis happened to have the bug—a ‘70 model, for that matter! But this fast-flying specimen is the result of some trick breeding enhanced by a V8 diet Arvil built the little bugger with his wife Trudy’s assistance, and help from three Daves: Hawthorn, Bales, and Lewis at A-1 Auto Body. First, the stock Vee Dub’s floor pan was replaced by a full tube chassis/cage incorporatng a custom A-arm/coil-over front suspension with rack-and-pinion steering and a fourlink/Watts linkage-quided 9-inch Ford rear stuffed with 4.86:1 gears bolted to a spool. Bio Mickey Thompson meats (13X31x15) wrapped around Cragar rims now fill up the space formerly occupied by the original flat four…

CARS & TRUCKS ‘69 “BIG BAD GREEN” AMX. One of 283. Many spare parts, good project car. $5000 o.b.o. Sterling Fiock, P.O. Box 1854, Yreka, CA 96097, (916) 842-7279 or (916) 842-5788. ‘65 CHEVY C-10. Stepside, shortbed, custom paint, “flames.” Skip Martin, 2650 S.R. 183, Atwater, OH 44201, (216) 947-2080. CHEVROLET’S ‘Ten that made a difference.” Top low-buck truck, show or drive. Very clean and reliable. $12,500. John Perry, 1393 5th Ave., Corning, CA 96021, (916) 824-4184 or (916) 345-9770, work. ‘69 CORVETTE CONVERTIBLE. Original, 427/390 hp, 4-speed, H/D rearend, new tires and exhaust. Needs minor work. $8000. Terry Moon, 721 N. Harvey, Borger, TX 79007, (806) 273-6554. ‘76 CORVETTE. Red, $8800 o.b.o. David L. Newby, 6218 S. 107th East Ave. No. 3, Tulsa, OK 74133, (918) 254-1458. ‘66 DODGE…

Triple Security Device This sturdy, detachable block-out plate locks into a permanent, rigid steel frame and blocks, simultaneously, the shift lever and the stereo system. The steel frame is permanently secured to the seat tracks using McGard tamperproof hardware that also renders the seats theft proof. For more information, contact Grant Products, Dept. HR-03, 700 Allen Ave., Glendale, CA 91201, (800) 952-6947; (213) 849-3171 in California. Wwwwwwwwow! Weiand’s new catalog includes listings for street supercharger kits and components, intake manifolds, camshaft kits, water pumps, chrome air cleaners, valve covers, and more. To order a copy, send $3 to Weiand Automotive, Dept. HR-03, 2316 San Fernando Rd., Los Angeles, CA 90065. Corvette Corner Baker Performance Products offers a 17-inch wheel and tire set for your ’84 ’87 ’Vette. The wheels have…

At the cost of $300 to $400 over | the amount normally spent on a small-block Ford overhaul, you can stroke a 351W engine 140 inch and wind up with 372 cubic inches (including the typical 030-inch overbore). No exotic parts are required—just an off-the-shelf 351W crank, Chrysler 318 connecting rods, and forged small-block Chevy “turbo” pistons. According to Total Performance owner John Vermeersch—Ford performance specialist and one of the originators of this combination—the net result is an engine that is 25 to 30 percent stronger than standard 351W-based motors in both horsepower and torque over a much broader rpm range. Depending on the rest of the parts combination (cam, cylinder heads, compression, induction, and exhaust), you’ll end up with either a street-king combo that fits within the standard small-block…

You’ve been thinking hard about installing that “big” cam. The power that pushes you into the back of your seat. That choppy sound, the crisp response of the engine at high idle. No doubt about it, that’s what you’re after… But first, you should consider a few ‘not so basics’. Unfortunately you’re going to suffer some undesirable side effects. You’ll lose some degree of ‘streetability’. Maybe the power brakes will operate marginally due to a loss of vacuum. The motor may be flat at lower RPMs because of poor throttle response. What happened? That big cam just killed the cylinder pressure! Dynamic cylinder pressure can be simply defined as the amount of pressure produced in the cylinder by the explosion of the fuel/air mixture during the power stroke. A ‘big’…

Like Mark Twain’s rumored demise, the reports of the death of high performance were greatly exaggerated. Who could have imagined that a decade that began with gas lines and diesel Chevettes would give birth to ZR-1 Corvettes, supercharged Thunderbirds, and F40 Ferraris? Unfortunately, the price of this technical progress is reflected on the window stickers that adorn these New Age supercars. Dual overhead cams, blowers, and electronic fuel injection aren’t cheap. Unless you are an investment banker or budding real estate baron, the cost of performance can be prohibitive. What America needs is a low-tech alternative. Two valves will work just fine if you lift them high enough. Cubic inches will beat cubic technology any day. Electronic fuel injection is terrific when it works, but you can still fix a…

The ’Vette launches straight, quick, and smokeless. The left corner jerks up, responding to the torque of the L88 big-block. The 60-foot mark flies by in 1.6 seconds. The car starts leveling out and settling down for what appears to be a respectable low-11-second pass. Then it happens: About 100 feet into the run, with all the fury of an avenging army, the ’Vette jumps to hyperspace as the NOS Fogger system is activated. The ’Vette squats again, with a trace of smoke off the tires, and blisters the asphalt. An instant later, the plastic bullet trips the quarter-mile timers. Caught off guard by the brutal display of acceleration, the people in the stands are quiet. All eyes focus on the left-hand track tower: 9.99 at 141.06 mph! The fans…

Crane Cams’ Engine Management System (EMS) is a new direction for the company, but one that puts it back in the loop, so to speak, with modern engine management systems. Crane’s unit is a high-performance, stand-alone, direct plug-in replacement for your GM Computer Command Control system. It can be used with the optional EMS Remote Control to allow the driver to monitor and manually override all functions controlled by the EMS computer, or it can be used in the automatic plug-in mode, just like a computer chip. The control panel of the remote control unit has a series of LEDs that light up to indicate a rich or lean exhaust gas condition, cooling fan operation, wide-open-throttle operation, RTD or ignition retard when the knock sensor detects detonation, and finally, torque…

Second-generation Camaros and Firebirds were fine-handling cars in their day, but time has passed them by. The latest-generation F-cars and ‘Vettes run rings around them on the skidpad. Nevertheless, many of us continue to admire their classic good looks, not to mention their rugged, dependable drivetrains and beefy brake systems that are sadly lacking in many of today’s more modern offerings. If only their handling capabilities could be upgraded…. Well, we’re here to tell you that your ‘70-’81 Camaro/Firebird can turn the corner in the handling department, thanks to an innovative suspension package developed for these cars by St. Petersburg, Florida’s Vette Brakes & Products (VP). Originally known for its stainless-steel-sleeved brake calipers, in recent times VP has branched out into integrated suspension packages for ‘Vettes and second-generation F-cars. What…

What’s neat about trolling the main in a rod as low as Ken “Posie” Fenical’s ‘33 sedan is that you’re always a cut below the rest. What’s more, Posie’s sedan is homologated, which means that it’s powered by Ford. Scott Lightner built the B&M blown, 302-inch, thinwall Henry, then Posie hooked it up to a Gennie-shifted C4 transmission. The interior is sporting-house plush and features door-to-door dark red cloth and vinyl trim that covers a pair of ‘67 Corvette seats, along with a Posie-reworked dash panel filled full of Stewart-Warner gauges. How low is low? Posie is six feet, two inches tall. Posie—builder of leaf springs and special-interest automobiles in Hummelston, Pennsylvania—practices what he preaches: He’s constantly building rods for himself, too. And, in his words, “My ‘33 is all…

Bike TEST We were stunned when we first rode the ‘88 ZX-10. The government was making noises about limiting the speed and acceleration of big-bore sport bikes, and many manufacturers were treading carefully across what they perceived to be a legal minefield. Then Kawasaki, with its all-out performance image in a state of decline, went all out. The engine is a development of the familiar four-valve, liquid-cooled DOHC four that powered the 900 and 1000 Ninjas. But Kawasaki went in and modified the head substantially, straightening the intake tracts and modifying the valve gear. The result is a huge power increase and a valvetrain that Kawasaki’s engineers figure is safe to a screaming 13,800 rpm. The chassis is completely redone as well, using the 17-inch wheels popular in road racing…

DOWN AND DIRTY The Bonneville salt flats and Speed Week are undoubtedly two of the greatest, long-lasting motorsports marvels hot rodders have been given a chance to visit or compete in during the last 40 years, with few interruptions. While dragstrips come and go around the world, Bonneville is here to stay. Too bad it only happens twice a year for the August Speed Week and the USFRA’s October meet…don’t forget El Mirage! If you want a taste of Bonneville, see some of the wildest and baddest machinery this side of Mars, and fill your ears with wonderful mechanical music, you ought to pay the old dry lake a visit. The Southern California Timing Association (714/750-8316), which promotes the races, has a six-race calendar to accommodate everyone’s schedule and car-construction…