Indholdsfortegnelse for December 1989 i Hot Rod

Can you believe it's Christmas again so soon? Well, even if there is snow on the ground where you're at, HOT ROD can still make you feel warm inside—no matter how cold it gets outside! Every year we plead, cajole, berate, and finally intimidate the staff until everyone appears for our annual staff photo session. We try to make it fun, and this year we gathered at Vaughn Barnes' wonderful “HOT ROD Cafe.” We convinced 18-year-old Jonathan “Hoss” Nagel to bring his hot pink, blown, '58 Pro Street Corvette to grace our staff Christmas photo—along with our tribute to the inimitable Gray Baskerville with what have become known as “B-ville Happy Masks.” Sitting daintily in the front row of this demented crew with her HOT ROD T-shirt is Group Managing…

The Great Studebaker “Chainsaw” Massacre, Part 1 By the time you read this, Bob Jackson of Pompano Beach, Florida, will have already put the blade to his immaculate '50 Bulletnose Stude business coupe, sending yet another rare antique to Pro Street heaven. Plans call for a Lingenfelter big-block and a wild candy paint job by Mike Adams (see “Neon Nova,” HRM November '89). Bob has prepared several different, interchangeable bulletnose pieces for the car, including a motor-driven chromed propeller, a free-spinning wooden propeller, and a .50-caliber machine gun tip connected to a 12-volt windshield-washer pump for use as a mobile squirt gun. Now that's daring to be different!…

HRM May '89 “So radical… so slick … classic '32 body with huge tires and 8-second power… the classic combination that commands a place in HRM's Top Ten.” Boyce can—and has—driven his dual-purpose, allsteel Deuce to and from a number of rod runs, even though it has enough power and bolt-on traction to tunnel your vision. And if you don't think this high-profile hauler rumbling around Pleasanton or thundering down Sears Point doesn't stir the soul, then write me. Boyce is into demo rides.…

HRM October '89 “People's choice at the Car Craft Street Machine Nationals says it all… a Pro Street machine that really runs at the track … it takes courage to cut up a new body, unique paint, state-of-the-art fabrication, high detail, bitchin' V6 engine, and, best of all, they're going to light it off down the track … combine color, stance, and a Dare To Be Different Chevy V6 engine and you have all the ingredients for the Gebhardts' hot Pro Street Beretta. No only is this baby visually hot, but it also takes charge on the dragstrip. The Gebhardts have become one of street machining's more accomplished car builders.” And when you consider that it's still not fully finished, Ballistic Beretta is going to be the shot heard 'round…

FAST HOT ROD Shoeboxes, Fat Attacks, door-slammers—whatever you call them, they're the hottest thing to hit drag racing in years. The spontaneous appearance of these crowd-pleasing, “Prostalgia” 7-second hot rods shows that America still feels “the need for speed.” And what's more, we don't want to settle for the streamlined sameness found in the high-end Procategory cars. Cars such as Scott Cannon's '41 Willys are leading-edge extensions of what hot rodding is all about: BIG engines with brutal amounts of torque and horsepower (with the ability to put it to the ground) and personal style. And judging from the reaction of the crowds and the number of cars being built, fast hot rods are definitely one of the best new trends of the '80s—and one that'll live well into the…

This section is devoted to the “flip” side of hot rodding—a few of the more memorable moments of the decade. Wild rides and crashes are the inevitable consequence when ultra-competitive drivers get together on, and off, the racing surface. While every driver and real racing fans hope that crashes will never happen, it's a fact of racing that they do. We don't live in a perfect world, and there is substantial risk in driving a high-performance machine to its limit. That's part of what makes it exciting. But our modern-day gladiators aren't suicidal fanatics. They are highly trained, intelligent athletes who, to paraphrase Jackie Stewart, are paid to drive as fast or as quick as they can and live to race another day. And with modern safety technology, the risks…

'86 Comoro, Mike Burroughs, Nashville, Tennessee HRM March, April, May, December '87 In our humble opinion, Mike Burroughs' Camaro is the baddest all-around performance hot rod of the decade. It did (and does) everything—except cruise fairgrounds! Driven by Dean Tait, it ran an 11.07-second quarter-mile at 125.40 mph at Los Angeles County Raceway. Driven by Rick Mears, it toured the 2.5-mile Willow Springs road-race circuit in one minute, 40 seconds—about 10 seconds off the lap times turned by all-out road-racing Camaros or 'Vettes (Mears explained that he could have dropped the Camaro's time by a good 10 seconds but that would have required some serious four-wheel drifts and he didn't want to scratch the black beauty). Driven by suspension expert and designer Dean Dodge, it averaged 1,03g on the skidpad.…

In his editorial for the January 1986 issue of HOT ROD, former Editor Leonard Emanuelson observed, “We have just scratched the surface of hot rodding with electronics.” In 1989, Hypertech's owner, Mark Heffington, decided to see just how far hot rodders had come in dealing with the new technologies—by organizing the world's first exclusive computer-controlled car drag racing event. To interest as many entrants as possible, he put $10,050 in prize money up for grabs in what turned out to be an immensly successful and popular contest. On the weekend of August 19-20, 1989 (it was originally scheduled for June 2-4 but was rained out), the Inaugural Hypertech Computer Car Nationals was held at Memphis Motorsports Park in Memphis, Tennessee. Saturday's schedule included time trials and a Heads-Up Gamblers Race…

For most people, improved performance is as close as the corner parts store—or the latest HOT ROD Magazine. Just pick out your parts and plunk down your bucks! Yet others see it a bit differently. For them, it's “do it yourself, or don't do it!” Take Rick Northrop of Jacksonville, Illinois, owner of Northrop Performance Engineering (NPE). For years he's been fabricating everything from racers and show cars to engines and induction systems. A few years ago, he began his research with a big-block, Ford-powered '70 Mustang utilizing Kinsler mechanical fuel injection that was featured in the December 1987 issue of HOT ROD. Rick's performance plan for his latest Ford effort was simple. He desired, like all hot rodders, something different. Ultimately, Rick's search led him to build a beautiful…

It's easy to judge a vehicle's horsepower and acceleration potential. For engine output, the dyno is the ultimate judge. For acceleration, the dragstrip is the universally accepted performance yardstick. But when it comes to the esoteric subject of “vehicle dynamics” (known to us common folk as “handling”), an objective, quantifiable evaluation is difficult, if not impossible. Every road course or coned slalom set-up is different: On the street, cars rarely achieve the high speeds typical of the long, smooth, flat racetrack (besides, you don't usually have two lanes with which to play the “apex game”). And different drivers prefer varying chassis setups, depending on their particular driving styles and levels of expertise. In an attempt to find a common, universally acceptable quantifier that does for handling what quarter-mile acceleration runs…

HOT ROD magazine The new buzzword in the high-performance aftermarket these days is electronics. It seems that the industry has finally realized the advantages of putting those invisible little electrons to work in a high-performance automobile. Ignition companies were the first to see the potential of electronics, and they continue to lead the way with high-tech components for the 1990s hot rod. If you want to stay abreast of the new technology in high-performance today, take a look at the following User's Guide to ignitions and electronics. You might be surprised to find that what was yesterday's dream is today's real ity! BELDEN AUTOMOTIVE No matter what your level of high-performance, NAPA-Belden has the wire set for you. Whether you're a “price-conscious customer or a high-speed racing enthusiast, our “good,…

To say that Dave and Dennis Aase like cars is like saying that Henry Ford built a car or two. These guys live cars, from racing to rodding. During the week, their interests revolve around Porsche and Mercedes Car Dismantles, Inc. in Anaheim, California—two “Euro-graveyards” with enough goodies warehoused to build 50 examples of each mark! Their showroom houses a collection of prime Porsche racers, including a wicked 935, and the famed 962—multiple winner at every road course in the world. Free time for the Aases is sometimes spent crewing for a friend's sprint car team at Ascot Dennis has also been piloting IMSA GTO and GTP cars for years, including stints with Dan Gurney's All American Racers. So when these “independent thinkers” stepped up to a couple of hot…

THE WRENCH THAT STOLE CHRISTMAS. The Skilwrench8 cordless power wrench. It's faster and easier than manual wrenches. An all-metal housing delivers strength to tighten or break loose bolts by hand. Includes wall-mounted charging stand. JBA HI-FLOW HEADERS What every Mustang owner needs: JBA headers. Big-Tube and Shorties unleash power in your Ford vehicle. JBA manufactures headers for '65-'70 and '79-'9O Mustangs, 5.0 F-150s and Broncos. Send $4.00 for their 102-page catalog packed with Ford Performance parts. J. Bittie American, 7954 Dagget St., San Diego, CA 92111, (619) 560-2030. DREMEL 4100 AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE TOOL KIT Variable speeds, 5,000 to 30,000 RPM, and 24 specialized bits make this tool perfect for any job on any car. Use it to grind, drill, deburr, sharpen, shape, polish, cut and more. Work on metal, fiberglass,…

OLE 1LE I just purchased the September issue of HOT ROD Magazine and the article “Braking Away,” by Marian Davis, really ticked me off. This article is nothing but the normal, glorified Chevrolet hype I have come to expect from a GM-oriented publication such as HOT ROD. There are several inconsistencies, beginning with the headline “Watch out, Mustang … Camaro's got it together at last.” Yet, in reading the article, it is clear that the 1LE Camaro is somewhat of a snail in acceleration, even when the equipment includes a rather wimpy 7¾-inch rearend with 3.45 gears—compared to the Mustang's 8.8-inch rear and 3.08 gears. Why is the Mustang LX 5.0L (even a fully loaded GT) so much faster than a strippeddown Camaro? While I admit that the 350-cid Camaro…

Our adventurous ZZ Top pals are at it again, this time appearing in a new Disney Channel movie called Mother Goose Rock 'N Rhyme that will air early next year. Executive Producer Shelley Duvall assembled an enormous cast of celebrities to play the nursery rhyme characters, and ZZ Top was asked to play the three men in a tub—the tub being, of course, a smaller stylized version of their Eliminator '34 coupe. Shown here with Shelley Duvall and Breakfast Club lead singer Dan Gilroy, the boys are lookin' good in their new role as movie stars.…

Can you believe it? The 21st century is only 10 years away! The decade of the '80s has streaked out of sight like a 'Liner at the salt flats—and the '90s are in the staging lanes revving up and getting ready to launch. Time, as it were, rolls on. But before we streak down the “front straight” of the '90s and enter the sweeping right-hander of the 21st century, it is lifting that we pull in for a pit stop and acknowledge the accomplishments of some truly amazing individuals in a truly amazing decade: the '80s. Taking advantage of a caution flag. John Baechtel thunders down pit lane with a look at HOT ROD'S Top Ten Cars of the '80s. Stopped in his pit. he signals his crewchief to pop…

For the last 15 years the caller on the other end of the line has initiated our ongoing conversation the same way: “This is Boyd. Hey, how are ya doing?” It's never, “What can you do for me?” Or, “You really messed up that story.” Or, “I need this favor.” Or, “Do I have the hot tip for you!” It's always, “Can I help you? … sure thing … when do you need it? … no problem.” Conversely, Boyd Coddington has had his share of problems. You don't detail-build 75 street rods, or stick together a couple of America's Most Beautiful Roadster winners at Oakland, or start a wheel shop, or scratch-construct a CadZZilla under magazine deadlines—and do all of that at the same time without encountering a sweat or…

FORD AND PONTIAC LEAD THE WAY When you consider new performance cars in terms of the absolute value-to-dollar ratio, there aren't many that measure up. There are plenty of fully loaded performance cars that soar right past the, $20,000 mark as if it didn't exist, but fortunately there are a couple that still deliver good, strong, affordable performance without a host of compromises. For the past several years the Ford Mustang LX 5.0L has been the winner hands down, and it remains at the top of the list for 1990. In fact, the unlikely Fox platform, which was never really designed for performance applications, works so well under the Mustang that it must surely be honored as the absolute best performance car value of the 1980s. The Mustang has indeed…

At the September 18, 1988 running of the Miller High Life Thunderboat Regatta at Mission Bay in San Diego, California, two Unlimited Hydroplane boats became airborne—simultaneously! It seems that John Prevost, piloting Miss Circus Circus (No. U-00), and Ron Snyder at the controls of Miss Madison (no. U-6), were taken by surprise by a sudden gust of wind with their boats racing at 165 mph. The boats had just come out of a turn and were accelerating when they left the water. Both boats performed airborne “endos,” with Miss Madison crashing upside-down and Miss Circus Circus landing upright. Both pilots were unhurt in this most unusual, tandem mishap.…

Good times are fast times, and while the decade of the '80s was busy setting low e.t. of the century, some of the world's most talented racers and their race cars were making hot rodding history by establishing performance standards that will never be forgotten. We've selected 10 of the most awesome race cars of this decade; and, while there are most certainly others that qualify, these are the cars that left a lasting impression in our minds and on the pages of HOT ROD Magazine. They qualify as the best of the best because of the records they set and/or the way that they did it. Some race cars that aren't on the list certainly deserve to be, but there just isn't room. A good example is the Chevrolet…

In the old days, builders of speed goodies used their own rods to evaluate the parts they produced. Consequently, guys such as Ray Lipper, the head roller at Center Line Tool Co., were the leaders of the hot rod movement. About a year ago Lipper decided that he needed to re-establish Center Line's presence in the modern street rod movement, so he commissioned Chuck Lombardo's California Street Rods to whip him up a 120-day wonder based on current “kit kar komponents.” However, “roadster” Ray did one thing out of the ordinary. Instead of having “Lombago” slip in the boring small-block Chevy/350, Turbo/9-inch Ford combo, he made a move for Mopar Performance: 440 inches of Weiand windmilled—blower, intake manifold, air cleaner—Wedge. That's why when Ray rolls out in his Convo/Aero-wheeled road…

Most hot rodders remember founded by Bob Spar and Mort Schuman—as the Hydro-Stick company that gained its fame by building racing automatics. But for the last few years, B&M has also become increasingly involved in street rodding. So it figures that when rod builder Brizio (Roy) teamed up with rod owner Mumford (John) to build a stout Streeter, the other B&M would want to become a part of the action, too. Now we say “action” because Mumford's coupe de Deuce just happens to be motivated by one of Racing Head Service's 631-horse powerplants, and it doesn't take a whole lot of imagination to figure out what an attractive power-to-weight ratio Mumford's 2800-pound chopped Deuce, three-window coupe possesses. As is the case with the majority of current street rod technology, Brizio's…

When Dean Brown takes to the street in his Porsche Guards Red '69 Camaro and cracks the butterflies on his 11:1 fuelie Mouse motor, the rest of the world snaps to attention. He's setting up for a strafing run and he's not taking prisoners. Dean beefed up the bottom side of his '70 400 small-block to get a solid foundation for the intended combination of air/fuel-flowing components. He scammed a set of rare 461-X casting fuelie 'Vette heads and had them match-ported to the Crower fuel-injection manifold and Blackjack AK-5000 aluminized headers. A Crane “Fireball” cam (.480 inch at .050 lift/228 degrees duration at .050) bumps the valves between pulses of the Accel ignition. Dean says that the engine really kicks, even though the cam is somewhat “mild” and the…

Jeff Poore, Milford, Delware hot rodder, is one busy guy-Besides running four business (one's a speed shop) he also builds hot rods. He says that he's built 22 street machines and assorted on and off-road haulers in the past, and this '88 Celebrity Eurosport shows that he's learned his craft well. Part of what elevates Jeff's mechine to celebrity is that it's designed to be both street and NHRA Super Gas legal. The rest lies in the superior execution of the car. The heart of the car is a TRW-slugged, Competitioncammed, Weiand-manifolded, Holley-carbureted, Acee! dualpointignited, Cyclone-exhausted, bored (.030 inch), and clearanced '70 small-block 400 Chevy that Jeff and his friend David Tucker built. For an extra attraction they ported, polished, flowed, and cc'd the heads-and added nitrous for stunning straightaway…

Certainly one of the highlights of this year's Goodguy West Coast Nationals was the Valve Cover Nationals. Now in the third year of competition, participants have attained new levels of technology in their search for speed. Some have even looked to “pro builders” to cover up the competition with new-fangled creations, including Ron Buck's high flyers, which took many top honors. While the original plywood track was replaced with brushed aluminum prior to last year's competition, additional improvements have all the variables covered. At the finish line, winners are now verified by dragstripstyle light beams, while staging is still in the hands of car owners who carefully align their covers behind flip-down starting gates. Yet with all of the advances in valve-cover technology, the races themselves have never been closer,…

CANCELLED CHECK BALL? Q As my Holley carb has aged, the vacuum secondaries do not work properly anymore. The check ball had deposits on it and was stuck on the seat. A cleanup and polish job with a drill bit did not help. Removing the check ball entirely works great—if you like secondaries that just pop open. Is this a common problem with Holleys? Also, where can I obtain secondary springs that do not come in the spring kit? All the suppliers I have tried claim they cannot order them. Bob Panichi Chatsworth, California A The seven springs contained in Holley secondary diaphragm spring kit 20-13 are sufficient for dialing in 99.9 percent of all Holley vacuum secondary carbs; usually, this wide-ranging assortment will even compensate for complete check-ball removal.…

Brent and Terrie Hajek of Hajek Motorsports in Enid, Oklahoma, have added Connie Kalitta's Bounty Hunter '69 Mustang to their collection of 20 vintage Ford race cars. The Boss 429-powered Funny Car was campaigned by Kalitta in 1969, and Shirley Muldowny drove it in 1970 as the “Bounty Huntress.” It languished unattended for years before the Hajeks acquired it and began the restoration process. Horsman Race Cars in Wichita, Kansas, restored the chassis, while Brent and Terrie did the rest, except for the paint, which was applied by Laverne Kelly. Brent displayed the car at the U. S. Nationals and Kalitta was reunited with it after 20 years. Like most former race cars, it is clearly unsafe by today's standards. Yet, ironically, it was still being raced by a bracket…

Just before this issue went to press, a new candidate for the world's baddest race cars staggered World Of Speed participants at Bonneville with an unprecedented speed blast. Running a 1200-hp, John Lingenfelter-built, twin-turbocharged 355-cubic-inch Pontiac small-block, Gary Eaker of S/E Racecraft fired his Pontiac Trans Am across the Bonneville salt flats at a scorching 296.150 mph. A return run of 291.066 mph established a 293.608-mph average that obliterated the former 239-mph record in the A/Fuel Coupe class. The car ran in a Fuel class,'but used only gasoline to set the new record. Gary Eaker (left) and John Lingenfelter are confident that 300-mph sedans will be with us in the near future. Partner Carl Staggemeier, who drove the normally aspirated version of the car to a 232-mph C/Prduction record last…

HRM April '89 “For sheer performance out of an honest-to-goodness street-driven vehicle, the Sledgehammer certainly qualifies as Top Ten material. While there are some serious contenders attempting to surpass Callaway's current mark of 254.75 mph, this car stands out as the first of its kind. If nothing else, Sledgehammer holds the record for the most number of heat exchangers on board one vehicle!… Callaway Engineering's Sledgehammer was timed at 254 mph, allowing it to lay claim as one of the—if not the—fastest production car in history. That is enough to earn it a spot in HOT ROD'S Top Ten … superior styling, sophisticated technology properly applied to make it a kick-ass car that performs as it looks … and it's sooo fast… just too awesome to leave out… American ingenuity…

There are a couple different ways to look at the baddest engine selections. First there is the visual aspect. Some engines are so bad looking, it's flat scary just seeing them, much less hearing them run or sitting behind them in competition. Others are big-time bad because they really deliver the goods—such as setting a new record or laying waste to the competition in such a manner that they are nothing short of dominant. In either case, big bad powerplants are a core element of hot rodding. They are central to almost every hot rodding project, and their intricate internals are a never-ending source of amazement to all of us. Three of this year's baddest engines are already record setters in one form or another, while the fourth is simply…

Hot rods are fast… but time flies. The decade of the '80s is soaring right out of sight, leaving an unparalleled legacy of achievement and precious little time for us to reflect on the changes that have affected our sport and the momentous strides we have taken. Street machines came of age in the '80s, advancing brilliantly from cobbled-up collections of bolt-on parts to well thought out and competently fabricated vehicles that easily rivaled the high level of quality and execution previously found only in the street-rod segment. Pro Street was the overriding theme of the '80s, and it was largely responsible for the rising tide of street-machine quality. Spinoffs from the Pro Street movement included fat-fendered “pro fat” cars and the parting shot of the decade: alternative body styles…

Danny Sullivan's celebrated and spectacular passing of Mario Andretti in turn one on the 120th lap of the 1985 Indianapolis 500 gets “360-Sullivan” our vote as the '80s' luckiest racer. Going inside to pass Andretti (A), Sullivan gets sideways exiting the turn. An instant later, Sullivan is doing 200 mph backwards (B), a few feet in front of a surprised Andretti. Sullivan's car is about 270 degrees through its “360” (C) while Andretti is totally enveloped in tire smoke. Suddenly our hero (D) finds himself straightened out and in one piece. In the course of the spin (E), Sullivan scrubbed off a lot of speed and slid to the outside… which opened the door for Andretti to drop low and pass Sullivan (F). The only thing left to do then…

Not completely satisfied with the lackluster performance of his '88 Chevrolet Beretta, Tom Davis was determined to make his car all that it could be through the application of basic hot-rodding skills and contemporary Pro Street science. He began by completely disassembling the car and installing a tube chassis and roll cage fashioned by Hawkins' Speed Shop in Richmond, Indiana. The body was lowered over the — frame four inches and the chassis was outfitted with a 9-inch Ford rearend, four-link bars, coil-over shocks, Wilwood discbrakes, and Pinto rack-and-pinion steering. It rolls on Mickey Thompson street rubber with massive 21.5-15 tires bringing up the rear. The engine is a 402-cid Donovan aluminum small-block equipped with a Cam Dynamics street roller cam and a BDS supercharger. Twin Holley 4-barrels feed the…

If you're thinking that Dave Lewis' '61 Ford pickup looks familiar, you're right! Dig down in your stack of HOT RODs to the January '89 story entitled “Off The Wall” and you'll see that what was once transformed from street to strip has again found its way back on the road! Yet much of its heart and soul have remained intact—goodies such as the well-stuffed, Weiand-huffed 468-cubic-inch Chevy and a high-stalled Turbo 400 tranny. Also retained was its 2x3-inch rectangular tube chassis that was Z'd for a coil-sprung 9-inch Ford and joined in front with a '75 Mustang II independent suspension. To maintain safety and chassis stiffness, its full roll cage also stayed in place, which, along with the chassis, was fabricated by Dave's brother, Arvil Lewis. While 195/60-14 BFGoodrich…

Dave MacDonald's understated yet potent 74 Duster began life as his mother's commuter car. But in true hot rodder fashion, Dave and friends Lonnie Leigh and Steve Reid turned this meek, slant-six-powered Mopar into a muscular Hemi-meta-powered supercar. The transformation started by stuffing a '68 Dodge 426 Hemi between the fenders. The Hemi features a Crane hydraulic cam, lifters, and double-wound valvesprings. The heads were lightly ported and received a three-angle valve grind. The factory inline, dual 625-cfm AFB carburetors feed the engine, while an MSD ignition sparks it up. Dave built the engine himself and retained the stock cast-iron exhaust manifolds. A Speed-Pro pump and Moroso eight-quart oil pan are present; chrome valve covers and the factory air cleaner provide the bright-work for this big-inch brute. Dave had Bill…

There's something about the sound of a rumbling, rasping V-4 that sends your heart rate up a few notches. Motorcycle fans are well accustomed to the ripping snarl of an inline four—but the throbbing pulse of a V is somehow reminiscent of the roar of Don Garlits' Fueler at Englishtown. The V-Max, you'll remember, is Yamaha's all-out, biceps-flexing musclebike. It was introduced in 1985 to combat the stoplight-racer Magnas and Eliminators from Honda and Kawasaki—and it blew their handlebars clean off. With 1198 cc of dual-overhead-cam, four-valve-per-cylinder, liquid-cooled V-4 under its wild-looking, ersatz airscoops, the shaft-drive V-Max was, at the time, the most powerful street-legal motorcycle ever produced. Some lighter, chain-drive sport bikes were faster on the top end—but on the strip the V-Max was the undisputed leader of the…

CARS & TRUCKS '67 BUICK OPEL KADDET. 402 Chevy big-block, less than 2000 original miles. Asking $5500 o.b.o. Mike Sapp. 312 Judith Dr., Normal, IL 61761, (309) 452-5305. '72 CHEVELLE MALIBU CONVERTIBLE. 400 small-block with nitrous, TH350 auto trans, Cowl Induction. Black with custom red interior. Second owner. There is too much to list on this car. Asking price is $15,000, but is negotiable. John D. Scadova, Jr., 22 Dort St., Keene, NH 03431, (603) 3526215. '76 CAMARO. Fresh hi-po 400, Posi, beautiful black, very fast. $2900 negotiable. (818) 448-4722. '69 CAMARO SS. 100-percent restored, 396 big-block, Muncie 4-speed, 3.73 12-bolt Posi, custom paint. Must sell, $11,000 o.b.o. Gary Schulte, 29999 Schulte Ln., New Vienna, IA 52065, (319) 921-3605. '66 CHRYSLER NEWPORT. 383/2-barrel, auto, 44,000 actual miles, garaged. All original,…

For the first time in the decade, I wasn't at Indy for the National Hot Rod Association's (NHRA) U.S. Nationals drag race. I probably fell on my sword by missing organized drag racing's premiere event. However, all was not lost. Tim Marshall, ex-HOT ROD Magazine staffer and lensman par excellence, took my race place, and through his efforts we bring you the highlights of this most memorable of acceleration contests. For instance, the paid at tendance for the five-day dragfest was estimated at 140,000. During that time the fans were treated to Darrell Gwynn dipping into the fours for the first time with a number-one qualifying 4.981—backed up by a 4.991 during first-round eliminations. This pair of subfive passes put Gwynn in the NHRA record books. However, Don “the Snake”…