Indholdsfortegnelse for September 1989 i Hot Rod

My idea of hot rodding is having fun with cars. Often this column is intended to entertain as well as to express my opinion on a certain subject. This month, I think the time is right to express a concern I have over our responsibilities toward the environment. If you ask someone on the street if he or she is for clean air and water, that person would be a fool to respond negatively. But ask this same person what he or she has done lately to help the cause and you’ll probably get some weak excuse about it being the “other guy’s” responsibility. Rather than stand behind the pulpit and deliver some generic tree-hugger sermon, I’d rather offer a few workable solutions to everyday dilemmas that all hot rodders…

Ragtop Hauler There’s a new ragtop in town and it’s a truck. Dodge’s new ’89 Sport Dakota convertible is available now at your local Dodge dealer. Based on the Sport package, the ragtop (ASC cut the tops) features V6 power, a 5-speed trans, and unlimited headroom. For ’89, 3000 units will be produced, and plans for a ’90 base model are in the works. Craig Arfons Gunning For New World Water Speed Record Craig Arfons may well be the world’s greatest speed freak, and he intends to keep pushing the envelope with this new 4000-hp jet hydroplane. According to a poster in his Bradenton, Florida, shop, “Life begins at 200 mph.” But that’s mere starter-motor speed for Craig, who has broken almost every record in the book and survived a…

We made up five different vehicle “combinations,” giving them some variety, yet trying to keep them representative of typical street-driven rods. Then we sent them to nine of the major cam manufacturers, asking them to recommend one of their grinds for each combo. Other than Lunati (these guys want to be first to the grocery store), there is amazing consistency between manufacturers (look at duration at .050). Also note differences between advertised and .050 duration numbers between brands. All combinations are for street-driven cars with 28- to 30-inch-tall tires and street converters. Next we cooked up a typical street-rod combination and sent it out to a bunch of professional rod builders, figuring they’d have the most experience in which cams work and which don’t. Several admitted they knew little about…

You know Bill Keifer. He’s the guy who founded California Custom Roadsters (CCR). Although Bill has gained a certain amount of fame for selling T-bucket kits, he actually started in business scratch-constructing Model As. It doesn’t take too much imagination to figure out that when Bill’s son Jerry turned 15, his dad laid an A-bone on him. That was eight years ago, and after “changing everything on the roadster pickup at least 10 times,” look what Jerry has built. Obviously the roadster pickup rests on one of CCR’s own chassis. The four-wheel (five-spokes painted pearl white and purple with polished rims and Goodyear Gatorbacks) foundation consists of a 2x3«inch rectangular tube frame with a 3-inch rear kickup, plus a suspension package that runs from a 6-inch-dropped tube axle to an…

When it comes to the Top Sportsman wars, it’s obvious WW that the wind-cheating late models or super-consistent diggers are inherently faster and quicker than shoeboxes or fat attacks. On the other hand, the “aero-magics" or wire-wheel cars sorely lack the crowd-pleasing character of old hot rods. Greer, South Carolina’s Scotty Cannon learned that lesson the hard way. You see, a couple of years ago Sir Scott debuted (at the IHRA U.S. Open Nationals in 1987) his contemporary version of that most popular of gassers, the ’41 Willys coupe. In fact, Scotty’s 7.70-second Cannonball became the world’s fastest and quickest Willys coupe. But driving the Cannon wasn’t a ball. "Every time I would ‘juice’ it, it would either make a hard left or a hard right. And it got so…

Back in 1967, Chevrolet’s original Camaro was a day late and a dollar short. Mustang had a two-year head start in the ponycar race. On the street, the Johnny-come-lately GM entry was initially no match for 390-powered Mustangs or Cougars, while on the track, Shelby’s Mustangs dominated the SCCA’s Trans-Am road race series in ’65 and ’66. The late Vince Piggins, then head of Chevy’s Product Promotion nonracing division, convinced management that a successful entry in the prestigious SCCA format would boost the Camaro’s performance image. The result was the first limited-production Z/28, a car that was initially designed to win the Trans-Am but that in later years went on to become Chevy’s premier youth performance package. In short, Chevy built a special option to win a particular race series…

There’s a man in Wisconsin who doesn’t know the meaning of the word “impossible.” He’s Eric Buell, ex-road racer, ex-Harley-Davidson engineer and, now, full-time motorcycle manufacturer. Harley-Davidson, in nearby Milwaukee, is doing just fine these days. The company is selling Harleys just as fast as it can crank them out—but the slow-revving, show-oriented machines are designed more for cruising than for all-out cornering. Eric Buell is out to change that. He’s building his own line of handcrafted sport bikes, using Harley engines, for fans of American motorcycles who also like to make time through a set of esses or around the twists of Laguna Seca. The first Buell, the RR1000 Battletwin, was designed to make an impression on the Battle of the Twins national series road races. With the aging…

First "TAD" Into The Fives Ed Donovan Dead At 61 Hot rodding has lost another pioneer, one who many claim was the last of the old-time machinists. But more than that, Ed or Eddie, or Pachy (short for pachyderm, a nickname given to him by Tom McEwen), or Mole (racing partner Frank Startup’s brother claimed that Ed reminded him of a comic-strip character when he was working on a car in his small, dark garage) was one of drag racing’s more complex personalities. On one side was the racer. Ed was the first to run “the can” in his Fargo-equipped B-model. Ed would fill the float bowls of his radically reworked Riley side-draft carburetors with alky. The engine would therefore light on alky (like they do today in the Top…

BUDGET A-BODY I look forward to receiving HOT ROD every month. I especially like the technical articles. One of my cars is a ’68 Chevelle SS 396, which I had completely restored mechanically at a total investment of $10,000. After that wallet-draining exercise, I thought I’d see what I could build for minibucks. After checking the want ads and local junkyards, I gathered all the parts needed to build this 79 Malibu. It’s powered by a ’69, 60,000-mile, 472-inch Cadillac motor factory-rated at 375 horsepower, 525 Ibs.-ft. of torque, and 10.5:1 compression. You always say that there is no replacement for displacement, and you’re right! Backed by a Turbo 400 trans with a homemade shift-improver kit, I get 16 to 18 mpg and can idle all day in traffic or…

Experience tells us that a clean sheet of paper is no guarantee that a glamorous new product is going to be superior to its predecessor. It also reminds us that Japanese auto-makers are far less fickle than their domestic counterparts when it comes to making sweeping design changes that affect an automobile’s traditional character. Hence there was never much doubt that the new Nissan 300ZX would be a world-class, rear-wheel-drive sports car with quantum leaps in performance, styling, and quality. With the stated intention of building the world’s best sports car, Nissan set out to apply its unique understanding of the performance-car buyer by translating his needs into, the purest form possible. While the previous 300ZX was long on cosmetics and short on performance, the new version is pure sports…

When I arrived at ace engine builder Kip Martin’s immaculate machine shop in tiny Augusta, Kansas, to witness the dyno test of Don Kennedy’s Pontiac 455-SD NHRA Super Stock drag engine, I expected the typical dyno flog, the usual serious thrash of cams and manifolds. But I was in for big surprise. Kennedy has long been a fierce competitor in the Super Stock wars, and the Kip Martin-built combination is already well dialed-in concerning camshaft and intake manifold selection. Instead, what I was about to witness was how a modern, computerized Super Flow dyno and years of tuning savvy could add significant amounts of horsepower to an engine without swapping any major components. Too often the average hot shoe seeks horsepower by merely bolting on parts, never realizing how much…

Although few folks agree on which Detroit automaker fired the first round in the domestic horsepower wars, almost everyone accepts Chevrolet’s ’62 409 as one of the top guns in combat. When the “musclecar conflict” first began back in the mid-’50s, each factory’s initial reponse was to make the most of the machinery that it had on hand. And since compact and intermediate-size models were just being developed, early-’60s maximum-performance factory packages continued to be evolutionary outgrowths of the hot car and motor combinations that were offered before them. In other words, each manufacturer simply installed its most potent V8 engine into its most popular full-size passenger models for service on the streets, strips, and speedways of America. As Pontiac was preparing to upgrade its 389-cubic-inch V8 to Super Duty…

When Robert Meshey, Jr. brought home his ’66 Dodge Charger R/T, they just laughed. “It was in pretty bad shape,” admits Robert, “but I knew the car had potential. I got it looking nice, but then the motor went away so I decided to start from scratch." That decision began a series of late-night/early-morning thrashes with his friend Jerry Thompson; his father, Robert Meshey, Sr.; and his tolerant girlfriend, Sabrina Bowman, that culminated in one bad Streeter. Robert’s trick Charger runs a Direct Connection “purple” camshafted, TRW-slugged, Holley/Edelbrock-fed, Accel-ignited, Blackjack-exhausted, .030-over ’66 383-cubic-inch motor. He cut the heads .010 inch and polished and matched the ports and runners. A ’66 727 Torqueflite with a 2850-rpm-stall Hemi converter, a Hayden cooler, a B&M Transpak, and a Direct Connection Stage III chromed…

PAIN IN THE GAS? Q How well would a ’46 Merc flathead V8 survive on today’s unleaded gasolines? What are the burning characteristics of a flathead combustion chamber? Are they prone to pre-ignition and detonation? I would probably run about an 8:1 aluminum head and three Ford/Holley 2-barrels. Bore and stroke would be 3.375x4.00 inches. This engine would be coupled to a stock ’40 Delux coupe 3-speed and a 3.78 or 4.11 rearend, with a camshaft of moderate duration. Greg MizukamiTacoma, Washington A The flathead survives quite well on unleaded gas. After all, it was designed in the “good old days” of low-octane gas, much of which was unleaded. Most stock blocks already have either hardened valve seats or hardened insert seats. Naturally, aftermarket aluminum blocks have replaceable valve seats;…

CARS & TRUCKS ’55 BEL AIR. Pink and blue with pearl flames, matching velvet, 270 watts, 327, 350 Turbo, photos, video. $16,000. Part trade, project rod. Randy Erickson, 3090 E. Palouse River Dr., No. 217, Moscow, ID 83843, (208) 882-6429. ‘69 BOSS 429. KK No. 2032, white. Only 29,480 miles. Completely restored, ready to show. $58,500. Mike Sechrest, 500 N. Lexington, Holden, MO 64040, (816) 732-6328. ’69 SS CAMARO CONVERTIBLE. Roll bar, 5-speed. Adult driven, owned for 13 years. Excellent condition. $25,000. Richard, (904) 563-0929, after 9 p.m., Florida. ’63 CHEVY NOVA SEDAN DELIVERY. Pro bracket 11.50s, complete with new 350 engine, Powerglide trans, 8-inch Turbo-Action converter, 9-inch Ford rearend with spool, 31-spline axles, wheel tubs, six-point roll bars, $4500. Trailer included. Hugh Greene, 1910 S. Houston Lk. Rd., Kathleen,…

Quick Cards Mega Promotions has just released a collection of action-packed drag-racing cards. The 110-card series captures all the great racers doin’ what they do best, plus it includes candid portraits of your favorite racers. Gene Snow, Eddie Hill, Shirley Muldowney, Ed “The Ace” McCulloch, and Joe Amato are just a few of drag racing’s all-stars featured in this classic collection for only $19.95, plus $3 shipping and handling. To order your drag-racing card collection, send your check or money order to Mega Promotions, Inc., Dept. HR-09, P.O. Box 5852, Hollywood, FL 33083-5852; for credit-card orders call (305) 653-5225. Gotcha Covered Automotive Research and Development (ARD) offers the first aftermarket valve cover that fits ’87 and later small-block Chevy motors. The valve covers are designed to fit the centerpost configuration…

To most hot rodders, cam science is a black art practiced by a few cognoscenti who speak a strange idiom so nobody can learn their secrets. The major problem is that there is little standardization of terms among camshaft manufacturers. But once you see how cams work and know what the terms really mean, you’ll be talking “cam” in no time. WHAT CAMS DO We all know that the camshaft opens and closes the valves to let the air/fuel mixture into the cylinder and the exhaust out. The cam itself is an age-old mechanical device that converts rotary motion to linear motion. Most of us also know that the bigger and fatter the lobes on the cam, the higher and longer it will lift the valves, allowing more air/fuel into…

Nissan is acutely aware of the hidden value in a successful racing program. With its GTP car regularly cleaning everyone’s clock on the IMSA circuit, it was only fitting that the new 300ZX would make an appearance in race-car trim. The new entry in I MSA’s GTO category was designed by Trevor Harris and produced with Yoshi Suzuka-styled bodywork hand-formed by Doug Barnhold. The T Mag chassis was assembled by Clayton Cunningham Racing and features many of the design elements of the GTP car. Its three-bay design configuration allows for engine, cockpit, and rear suspension support structure and is as rigid as a bridge girder. This ensures maximum performance from suspension elements firmly anchored to a chassis that never yields. Electra-motive Engineering’s Wes Moss designed a hybrid Hewland VGC transaxle…

It seems that the car world is full of 12-second, 11-second, even 10-second cars. Just ask the guy next to you at the stoplight what he runs. Chances are he thinks he’s got a 12-second-or-better machine. As the saying goes, “It’s the same old song and dance.” Steve Stoker is a Chino, California-based hot rodder who definitely has a “way bad” ride. His ’66 Nova is a mean, 11-second, bottle-fed street bullet with quite a few notches in the T-handle shifter. Steve’s Nova is the kind of car we all hate to run against because, well, to be blunt, he cheats. He’s got a hidden nitrous system to back him up. To be fair, the nitrous is only one part of the combination. He runs mid to low 12s on…

Ever since Opel GTs first appeared in Buick showrooms in 1969, people have been finding ways to improve them. Three such individuals can be found right here. Dale Steinfield’s interpretation combines candy-blue and gold graphics over a reworked candy-apple-red exterior. Black Naugahyde upholstery joins with a teakwood dashboard that’s fitted with Stewart-Warner gauges and a 75 Chevy Monte Carlo tilt-column steering wheel, while a full roll cage maintains a strong safety margin. The chassis was fabricated using 2x3-inch tubing with Jeg’s Vega-based A-arms and spindles, Pinto rack-and-pinion steering, and Gabriel shocks. A 9-inch Ford rearend with Strange axles has been joined using Jeg’s four-link control arms and Koni coilover shocks. Traction is supplied by 30x12.5-15 Goodyear-shod Weld wheels with 135SR15 Michelins riding 3½-inchwide Welds up front. Other special touches include…

TRANSMISSIONDENTAL MEDITATIONS Ford’s sturdy C6 automatic trans has begat an equally beefy 4-speed automatic overdrive known as the E40D. Initially introduced during the ’89 model year in over-8500-pound GVW trucks and vans, the 430 lbs.-ft. of torque capacity trans is slated for Broncos and 4x4s as well. Several readers have expressed interest in this trans’ retrofit potential. Ford transmission engineer Stan Rosen was kind enough to fill in some details and send these drawings that compare the new trans with a C6. Compared to a C6, the E40D is larger in girth (44 inches compared to 41%, measured just in front of the manual lever) and almost four inches longer; in fact, it is a tight fit even in existing pickups, so you’d probably have to “butcher” traditional musclecar floorpans.…