Indholdsfortegnelse for April 1989 i Hot Rod

California Camaro If you thought the Pontiac Banshee featured on the cover of our January ’89 issue was a little farfetched, perhaps you’ll be more comfortable with this Chevrolet concept for the Camaro of the ’90s. The California Camaro is a “design study” concept IROC Camaro inspired by the GM Advanced Design Concept Center in Santa Barbara, California. Its styling reflects a number of themes found on the Banshee that are in keeping with the duality of the Camaro/Firebird line. It features a broad expanse of glass with more conventional pillars and gull-wing doors. This tentative IROC Camaro is powered by a DOHC V6 and features four-wheel disc brakes, and 17-inch wheels and tires on a 104-inch wheelbase. We’re still not convinced that what they’re showing us is what they’re…

Dan Frohlich started rodding around back in 1972, and he’s still as enthuiastic today as he was 20 rods ago. Experience taught this Irwin, Pennsylvania, paint and bodyshop owner not to trick himself out by building over-complicated cars. His building scheme for his new repro ’33 Ford Cabriolet was to use mostly off-the-shelf components and to rely on a creative livery to set the car apart from 11,000 other rods at the Nats. A trip to Outlaw Performance netted Dan one of the shop’s repro frames, complete with Mustang II IFS, rack-and-pinion steering, disc brakes, and a Koni coil-over-suspended ’66 Maverick rearend guided by a triangulated four-link system. Dan picked unusual KMC wheels (14x6-inch front, 15x8-inch rear) wrapped in 175x14 and 235x15 BFG rubber for rolling stock. For motorization, Dan…

Sometimes you just go for it. Being different is the spice in a hot rodder’s life. That’s the feeling behind Terry Carriker’s Pro Street ’55 Ford Customline. Terry and his friend Jim Allmon worked on this car part time for six years, starting with the frame. They Inarrowed the stock frame and hung a Strange axle-reinforced 9-inch Ford rearend under the rails along with Carrera springs and adjustable shocks, 32-inch ladder bars, and Competition Engineering wheelie bars. The disc/drum brakes from a ’69 Ford Galaxy were installed and the front upper control arms moved one inch. Terry’s Streeter rolls on Weld wheels (15x5 front; 15x14 rear) with Uniroyal rubber in front and Mickey Thompson in the rear. The heart of Terry’s Streeter is a ’69 Cobra Jet 428. A Crane…

The look is there. The desire is there. Now all Jim Burnett, of Sandwich, Illinois, needs to do is drop that Rat motor in the engine bay to complete his Pro Street S-10 hauler. As it stands now, Jim’s ’86 apple-red Chevy S-10 sports yellow, orange, and blue side graphics, pin striping, and a tailgate mascot. Jim and his buddy John Tate did the prep and spray after the wheel tubs were welded in. Next, he mounted a fuel cell in the bed in anticipation of the big-in block engine that he’s building for his truck. The S-10’s tin rides on an R&K Racing frame that was narrowed by Rich Kent. A ’74 Ford Torino 9-inch rearend with 4.11 gears was narrowed just enough to tuck the 15x15-inch Weld wheels…

As one local street machiner put it, “You don’t forget it when you get beat by a girl. Yeah, I remember Leslie,” he added, “a lot of guys around here do.” That pretty much sums up the street scene in “the Valley,” northwest of downtown Los Angeles, in terms of who’s hot and who’s talk. And while Leslie likes to show off her clean ’n’ sassy shoebox by “do in’ the cruise thang,” she’s not afraid to stage side by side with other boulevard bashers at Los Angeles County Raceway to see how fast the other guy’s car really is. More often than not, she reaches the lights first. Leslie, a Sun Valley, California, resident, built her 12-second car on her own, with just a little bit of help from…

While Solo II is the largest program in terms of individual participation, Pro Solo is definitely where the money is. Last year the 12-event schedule saw racers competing for $2 million in prize money and contingencies. With such sums you can imagine the level of competition. It is fierce. If you want to see some great drivers in action, plan on attending one of these events. As mentioned, Pro Solo is derived from Solo ll-style competition. The difference is that rac-ers run on mirror-image courses and combine their times from | both courses to determine ranking. We talked to Howard Duncan, SCCA Pro Solo manager, for a closer look at this exciting form of autocrossing. “Basically,” said Duncan, “Pro Solo differs from Solo II in the style of start and…

CARS & TRUCKS ’69 AMC AMX. Rebuilt 390, 4-speed with Go-Pak. $4750o.b.o. Vince Krizan, (616) 963-0111, Battle Creek, Michigan. ’77 AMX. 8-cylinder, P/S, P/B, air, positraction, original owner. $3900. Joyce J. Wallace, 6803 N.W. 50th Ct., Ocala, FL 32675, (904) 629-4685. ’48 ANGLIA. 301 Chevy, tunnel-ram, roller cam, 5.86 Olds with spool rearend. Ran 11.60s, 4-speed. $6500. (219) 6748213, after 5 p.m. ’55 AUSTIN HEALY. Custom all-steel bodywork, Center Lines, healthy 302 Ford, Toploader, show quality, fast and fun. $19,500 o.b.o. Sean Kieffe, 16400 Sierra Hwy., Mojave, CA 93501, (805) 824-2477. ’48 AUSTIN A/GAS STREET ROD. 400-cubic-inch hemi, six Deuces, T10 4-speed, ’57 Olds rear, 4.88 and 2.89 gears. Full roll cage, 4’,4-inch chopped top, fuel cell, Center Lines, new tires, aluminum interior, pro wired, pro paint, disc brakes, ’glass…

A BETTER IDEA Your magazine should have scolded Ford Motor Company for offering first the Turbo 4 and then the supercharged V6 in its late-model Thunderbirds. Ford should have gone with the H.O. 5.0 V8 that is both powerful and has proven far better than the complicated and expensive turbos and superchargers. Rupert YessayianLa Quinta, California You’re absolutely right, Rupert. Taking your advice, we’ve verbally chastised the Ford marketing folks and sent them to bed without supper. Actually, we’d love to see Ford build such a supercar, but the restrictions of CAFE fuel standards have kept Ford from building such a car. Why not build your own? PERSON OF THE YEAR I’m glad to see that HOT ROD has recognized just what a real contribution Eddie Hill has made to…

Birds of a feather flock together. But contrasting this pair of birds—one in the form of the lovely Lana Morason clad in her Ziganne two-piece swimsuit, the other being the ’89 Winston Cup, Bud Moore Engineering-prepared, Brett Bodine-driven, Ford Motorcraft T-Bird-isn’t as April Foolish as it would seem. You see, 32 years ago Ford’s original two-seater Thunderbirds actually raced down Daytona’s beach. However, this beaching ’Bird-driven by Danny Eames decked out in his Isky T-shirt-was no Stocker. Unlike their topless predecessors, today’s ’Birds are now dressed up in windtunnel-proven plumage-a byproduct of France’s Super Speedways. Still running chassis and suspensions designed by Ford in the ’60s, Bud Moore’s flock of thunderers rely on 356-inch, SVO-designed per-FORD-mers, which will wing it for 500 miles at 8000 rpm-and live. Back in 1957,…

From a rodding stand-point, Jacques Alexander Raney’s chopped and dropped, Adams’ candy-red, ’glassic three-window Ford repli-coupe is the personification of overkill. Ac-cording to Raney, “Originally, the ’32 started out as a ’driver.’ But as things progressed, one action led to another, and before long the whole enterprise became a detail obsession.” While Raney supplied the dollars, our ol’ pal Mike Adams (he was the force behind Larry Williams’ in-credible ’40 Willys featured in our February ’88 “Round Pounders” story) and his pal, machinist Bud Reid, slid in the details. For starters, if you were to stick your head under the running boards, you’d be met by a multipiece brushed, clear-anodized, aluminum floor pan ventilated with 600 louvers; it covers a custom-built frame, c’ed in the rear to lower the car,…

This car is an absolute blast to drive—front-wheel drive and all. Itsturboc harged, intercooled, four-valve DOHC 2.0-liter engine delivers as mooth 190 hp at 6000 rpm with abroad torque curve to make this sport coupe scat. And the suspension is tuned to allow you to take advantage of this free-rewing, high-tech engine. What’s more, it has one of the most user-friendly control arrays anywhere, all wrapped up in the slipperiest sheet metal this side of a wind tunnel. Before we ease behind the wheel, let’s run down the technical particulars. The Plymouth Laser is labeled a ’90 model even though it’s been in the showrooms since the first of this year. It’s the domestic version of a joint project between Plymouth and Mitsubishi. Designed at Chrysler’s Pacifica studio, it incorporates…

On October 1988, during the UtahSalt Flat Racers Association World of Speed event at the Bonne-ville salt flats, the SE Race craft team of Karl Staggemeier and Gary Eaker broke the existing record for the fastest speedattained in a production-class vehicle. Driving a mechanically and aerodynamically enhanced ’88 Pontiac Trans Am fitted with a normally aspirated, single 4-barrel, 358-cubic-inch small-block V8, the team recorded a blistering two-way average of 231.661 mph. The car was mechanically prepped with a host of innovative ideas, and aerodynamically enhanced based on knowledge that the two aerodynamicists gained from years of experience in the GM wind tunnel in Warren, Michigan. As members of a small group known as Advanced Vehicle Aerodynamics, their primary assignment is the aerodynamic development of General Motors production-based racing vehicles. Through…

If you’re going to change a classic, you’d better do it right. Steve Dekkenga “did right” by his ’72 Oldsmobile 442 His modern-muscle theme didn’t really change anything on the car it just enhanced it. Take the engine, for example. The already potent 455-inch torque monster was enhanced with a Crane valvetrain and Edelbrock manifold. Other than those changes the engine and driveline were left stock, with the exception of the air cleaner. The exterior is “enhanced by a candy-brandy Photography: Todd Howard wine paint, which included the wheels and bumpers. The rear wheels are widened one inch for a wider contact patch for the 455 to work with. The vinyl top is refinished in a burgundy vinyl. Inside you’ll find stock, restored white-on-black upholstery. Steve left it alone but…

Installation of General Motors’ 4-speed/overdrive TH700-R4 automatic transmissions behind many popular engines is now possible, thanks to a new series of block-to-trans adapters available from Tony Rossi’s Automotive & Marine (1693 W. Arrow Hwy., Upland, CA 91786, 714/982-4801). Rossi’s adapter kits mate 700-R4 cases with the traditional Chevy V8/Chevy 90-degree V6 block bolt pattern to the following rear-wheel-drive engine blocks: Buick/Olds/Pontiac/Cadillac V6 or V8 (“BOP”), AMC/Jeep V8, Chrysler big-block B/RB/Hemi V8, and six-bolt mounting pattern small block Ford 289 through 351 Windsor/Cleveland V8. Available midyear will be an adapter for the Ford 351M 400/429/429-Boss/460 V8s. Kits include the adapter, instructions, torque converter spacers, and other required parts. Rossi is one of the foremost high-perf TH700-R4 builders in the nation, having shipped more than 1200 units in 1988.…

Convo/Pro To Go Center Line’s new aluminum wheel features rib-like convolutions that increase the wheel strength while keeping its weight 30 percent lighter than other racing wheels’. They are SFI 15-1 Spec-approved for racing and SAE-okayed for highway use. Convo/Pro has a polished outer rim and a machined centersection. Contact Center Line, Dept. HR-04, 13521 Freeway Dr., Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670, (213) 921-9637. Shifting Gears New for your TH400 transmission: A B’M kit that lowers the ratio of first gear by 11 percent and the second gear by six percent, without changing the final-drive ratio. So whether you need more pulling power in your tow vehicle or better acceleration in your strip/street machine, the B’M LRGS kit is for you. For more information, contact B’M Automotive Products, Customer Service,…

The ’88 Corvette sits on the apron alongside the 7.5-mile oval at the Transportation Research Center (TRC) in northwest Ohio, idling comfort-ably at 700 rpm. It looks much different-sleeker—than either a production Corvette or the “production” Callaway twin-turbocharged cars. This silver devil has a very hungry look about it. The Corvette has made a couple of tentative top-speed passes with John Lingenfelter behind the wheel, but the results are not encouraging. The car is suffering from a high-speed misfire. Tim Good, the Callaway Chief Engineer, is disappointed. The sleek Corvette runs only 210 mph on what sounds like six cylinders. A TRC employee offers that anything over 200 mph is “respectable.” “By the way,” the man asks, “how fast you guys trying to go?” “It should run over 250,” Good…

Perseverance—the ability to press on, regardless, is what it takes to build a really good ride. But sometimes things happen that make you wonder if it’s worth it. Take the saga of the Jacobis’ S-10, for instance. Don bought the truck in ’82. He promptly dropped the nose and tail, installed Keystone Klassic wheels (14x5 front/15x8 rear) and Super Star tires (P185-60 front/GR70s rear), a tonneau cover, and added graphics. When broadsided in ’84, Don decided that it was a good time to get serious with the project. He added a tilt front end with 90 louvers in the hood, built the - engine, shaved the handles, and fabricated the suicide doors. He also repainted his hauler, all of which kept Don and Barb occupied for a ’ couple of…

General Motors had a goal in mind when it designed its new line of light trucks: integrate the finish and comfort of passenger cars into the rugged yet aesthetically modern confines of a work truck. GM’s ultimate goal was to build trucks so refined as to appeal to both professionals and gentle man truck drivers. The company succeeded with the introduction, in 1988, of GMO’s appealing Sierra series of Sport Side trucks that combine the traditional step side look with fleet side streamlining. The new trucks also showed tremendous hot rod potential and immediately interested Jim Ewing, boss of Bell Tech, Inc., who thought the half-ton Jimmy could be turned into a fun, all-around hot rod. Jim devised a striking project that he submitted to The Vista Group, GMO’s West…

Are you the type of hot rodder k who gets excited over “winding L road next 12 miles” road signs? Do you suddenly feel the need to accelerate on curvy freeway transition roads? Does your driving record need relief from such antics? Are you tired of watching all those racers on ESPN having all the fun? Are you on a budget? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may be a candidate for going Solo. “Solo” is the general Sports Car Club of America’s (SCCA) nomenclature for events that time a single car through runs over a variety of courses. Events fall in three categories: Solo I, Solo II, and Pro Solo. Solo I is a high-speed event usually run on a racetrack such as Sebring, Laguna…

Mesa, Arizona, resident Mark Miku has two things going for him. First, he’s a “MoPurist.” During his 25-yearlifetime, he’s owned a ’71 Challenger, a’70 Charger, and a ’69 Super Bee 440Six Pack. His current “squeeze” is this’74 Duster. Second, Mark—unlike many of his brethren who restore rather than rod—wasn’t afraid to do a bit of modifying. So when he began working on his rally red Duster a couple of years ago her an into a pair of problems. First he had to adapt the Pinto rack-and-pinion steering to the car and then fit in an Alston chassis kit that was originally designed to be used in a Challenger From there it was just a matter of using his imagination. After finishing the chassis—featuring Race Country and Koni shocks, Alston adjustable…

Flash Gordons The father and son team of Bob and Robby Gordon is making waves in the world of off-road racing. While 20-year-old Robby won several Score/HDRA races in ’88 with his ’66 Ford-bodied Class 8 truck—including the last Riverside Off-Road Championship races—his father, Bob, was flying over the rough desert terrain to collect a first in Class 2 (two-seat Unlimited buggy) and third overall in the ’88 Baja 1000. Bob was also one of only 10 drivers out of 700 who completed every mile of the eight Score/HDRA races and earned the Toyota Milestone award. And “Baja” Bob bounced over those rattlesnake and cactus-infested miles (only the six best results are tabulated) faster than anyone—48.12 mph—which earned him one third of the $10,000 Toyota True Grit award. The other…