Indholdsfortegnelse for January 1990 i Hot Rod

Everyone remembers his first car. For me, my life B.L. (Before License) was a nothing—a skinny kid who wasn’t scholarly and barely athletic. As far as I was concerned, my life was on hold until I got my driver’s license. Once that milestone was achieved (the last two months of my 15th year were agonizing), my only ambition left in life was to own a musclecar. It was 1970, and although I had worked at my grandfather’s service station for five years pumping gas and washing windshields, I had no preconceived notions of brand loyalty. All I wanted was a musclecar! I searched for weeks until finally I found a beautiful, used ’68 SS 350, 4-speed Camaro at a local dealership in Boone, Iowa, for an attractive price. It took…

“I need the immediate gratification! This is an illness!”—Customer at Autofanatics responding to the news that his model didn’t arrive. “I can’t find a listing in the journal… is this a pathological condition?”—UCLA research librarian It seems the whole world has gone collection crazy—especially for automobilia. Look at the madness and price inflation of historic cars. Collectors from Japan, Australia, Europe, and the Netherlands are hot for American cars from the ’50s and ’60s. Did you know that in Japan there is an entire store that sells nothing but Moon Eyes accessories?! Shops that deal in automotive-related memorabilia, from old manuals, marque books, posters, models, advertising, old service-station paraphernalia, and virtually anything else you can think of are springing up around the country and the world in response to the…

Engineering legend has it that Atlas, doomed to perpetually bear the weight of the world on his shoulders, lamented, “Give me a lever long enough, and I can move the world.” Atlas realized that levers are simply force or work multipliers: How much work any given lever can accomplish is controlled by both its overall length and the location of its fulcrum (pivot point)—the closer the fulcrum moves to the object you’re trying to move, the greater is the lever’s power, but the longer the distance the lever end has to be moved. Of course, an engine’s output can’t be directly measured as linear force or work. Instead, engines produce a twisting effort, called “torque.” Torque equals the push (in pounds) by the distance (in feet) from the center of…

Don Prieto, an ex-Petersen Publishing Company magazine staffer and the guy who now preps many of our various test vehicles, was right. On September 26, 1974, the day after we all watched the movie The California Kid, Prieto accurately predicted that the price of chopped coupes had just doubled, if not tripled, in value. The made-for-TV film starred Martin Sheen, the late Vic Morrow, Michelle Phillips, and Pete Chapouris’ just-completed ’34 three-window, but neither Prieto, Chapouris, his partner Jim “Jake” Jacobs, nor the rest of us could have predicted just how influential Pete’s full-fendered, flamed, and hammered hot rod was or how the California Kid would affect the street-rod movement that was still mired in T-buckets, resto-rods, and black-on-blue paint jobs. When chronicling the gestation of “Da Kid,” I’m reminded…

When Doug Winegardner first purchased this ’68 RS Camaro back in 1978, he knew little of blowers, big-blocks, or tubs. At 16 years of age he was wide-eyed just owning a first-generation Camarol Yet before long he had traded the original induction system for twin 4-barrels, with loads of stainless braided line and polish for added beauty. By 1982 the “Pro” bug had left tubbed MTs under the rear fenders, new paint ail around, and large holes in Doug’s wallet. It was in 1986 that he finally took delivery of the killer 461 big-block seen here, complete with a polished Mooneyham 871 blower and an Enderle methanol bug-catcher, assembled by Gary Ostrich Racing Engines. A Reed roller cam with 310-degree duration and .624-inch lift combines with Crane’s roller rockers and…

It’s hard to believe that it’s been over 25 years since Ford first introduced the Mustang to a wide-eyed nation. During that time, many changes have taken place, both externally and in the drivetrain, that have retained and improved upon the Mustang image. While several cars of its kind have faded from view, the Mustang has continued to shine. In celebration of its silver anniversary, Ford decided to give a number of performance magazines a chance to see what they could do with this seasoned veteran. Staying true to form, most of these books will probably resign themselves to a few plastic addons and pretty paint, leaving their horsepower and torque wrenches in the drawer. As is often the case, HOT ROD took an entirely different approach, with updates that…

World Finals Just the cacophonous frenzy of professional drag racing makes me tired, let alone knowing what it takes to keep up with the NHRA’s year-long, 19-event, Winston National series. Yet the grandstands—lining both sides of Pomona’s 37-year-old strip—were filled to the gunnels, as if we were watching the Winternats rather than the season-ending World Finals. The weather was Wally wonderful. The turnstiles revolved to the tush push of 100,000-plus race fans. And we were all treated to four days of flawless hauling, thanks in part to Winston World Finals winners Gary Ormsby (Top Fuel), Bruce Larson (Funny Car), and Bob Glidden (Pro Stock). However, the season finale was, in fact, a preview of coming attractions. Due to the fact that the NHRA, in its “on-slowing” attempt to further reduce…

ALTERED IMAGES I noticed in the July issue of HOT ROD Magazine that you had an image of my ’61 Plymouth Fury on page 91. I found it very interesting that your image car had SuperTrapp mufflers. I have enclosed a photo of my car. If you look closely, you can see my SuperTrapps. As scarce as these cars are, I was shocked to see an identical one in your magazine. I thought you would like to know that there is someone out there who likes to be different. Robert M. SmithWinchester, Virginia CONVERTIBLE EL CAMINO Back in the March ’89 issue, in the article “Treasure Of Sierra Vista,” you captioned a picture, “Consider for a moment the lowly early El Camino.” Well, as it happens, I had been considering…

Predicting the future is a risky endeavor at best. With that in mind, we’re not going to be so presumptuous as to think we can tell you what the next big collectible is going to be. Instead, we’re drawing on what we’ve learned from the collectors we’ve interviewed to help you with at least an educated guess. As Dana Kocher, a San Fransico-based collector of manufacturer’s promotional models, said, “It’s hard to say what’ll be hot because styles and tastes change. A model that was extremely popular when it came out and demanded a high price can fall out of fashion and lose its value.” But by drawing on some generalities from other collectible markets you should be able to get a rough idea of how collectible a particular “auto-fact”…

There are ghosts that haunt Blair’s Speed Shop. They’re not the kind that spook in and out of the stacks of ported Rat motor cylinder heads or racks of VHT. They don’t make eerie noises late at night when owner Phil Lukens is working in the back on someone’s street rod. The ghosts aren’t even the reincarnations of past angry customers, elder race drivers, or even Don Blair himself. Hardly, since the shop’s namesake is still very much alive. He even opened up another performance establishment, much to Lukens’ chagrin, called Blair’s High Performance. No, the ghosts are more imagined than real. No one ever claimed to see a ghost at Blair’s, but nevertheless, the spirit of high performance is still very much a part of Blair’s Speed Shop—it is…

With the prices of hot rod favorites spiraling ever higher, the dream of owning something really neat is quickly fading from view. Yet there is still hope for a forgotten few—vehicles that were once overlooked by most now have new designs on life. Thanks to the visions of illustrator Thom Taylor, we are able to look through the past images to see these vehicles’ real potential, thereby adding beauty to the beasts. And, even better, the true benefit of these updates is that most are doable. Removing molding or bumpers, and adding a rolled pan, a wing or scoop and a set of wheels can turn a little into a lot. So before you give up hope on building a hot rod, give these beautified beasts a gander. You might…

You may have heard by now that Chevrolet has terminated its association with the organizers of the International Race Of Champions (IROC), and so the ’90 IROC-Z Camaro is the last of the IROC letter-men. Fortunately, the dissolution of Chevrolet’s involvement in the IROC series did not translate to a gilding of one of America’s most popular performance cars. The IROC-Z is still a winner, retaining its potent TPI 350 V8, excellent suspension, and aggressive street presence. On the heels of the demise of the IROC-Z badge is evidence of the resurrection of the Z/28. The Z/28 designation is displayed prominently on the dash over the IROC-Z identification. Chevrolet hasn’t made a big deal over this, but apparently the ’90 IROC-Z is a transitional model. It seems that a marketing…

Although it seems like yesterday, it’s been nearly 10 years since I covered Gary Gasaway’s multicolor, faster-than-most, road racer-style Corvette. Well, the owner of Gary’s Auto Supply (Fontana, California) ended up junking the ’glassic in ’81 but saved many of the parts, including its wheels, motor, and seats. Now, Gasaway has always had a warm spot in his heart for pre-war Fords, and one day he saw and bought the car of his dreams—a Chassis Engineering/Gibbon-bodied ’34 three-window coupe. However, Gary “Temp Me” Gasaway had to add his input to his newly acquired hammer rod. He first had Orv Lynes “Pro Streeterize” the existing chassis, which included adding one of Deuce Roy’s triangulated, four-link rear sway bar systems to the narrowed 9-inch Ford rearend and a four-wheel disc-brake package combining…

Modern electronic technology has provided us with a unique selection of dedicated high-tech instrumentation designed to monitor and evaluate the performance of our cars. Progressive hot rodders who have accepted and used these driving aids have learned a great deal about the way their cars perform, and they have come to demand even more knowledge to aid them in their quest for greater performance. At the upper end of the scale are expensive, sophisticated race computers that monitor and record a full range of parameters, such as engine speed, wheelspin, driveshaft speed, fuel flow, temperatures, pressures, rpm, g-force, and virtually every individual element of a car’s mechanical performance. Racers have used the data that these computers record on strip charts to analyze their cars’ performance and pinpoint areas where potential…

Key-In-Cap Fontex International, Inc. has the solution for all of you who constantly lose your keys. The Spare Key/Gas Cap stores up to four spare keys in its hidden compartment and protects them with a combination safety lock, all the while serving duty as a traditional gas cap. You can order yours for $19.95, plus shipping, by calling (800) 8884668, ext. 2035. Poncho Duds The Pontiac desperados from Purely PMD out in the Tunnel Port Territory of New Mexico have come out with their latest T-shirt, the "Ricky Ram-Air." Colors are Carousel Red and white on a silver-gray background. Cost is $10.95, post-paid (U.S.). An additional $2 will get you a copy of the "Pipeline” parts listing/newsletter. Write to Purely PMD, Dept. FIR-01, 504 Carmony NE, Albuquerque, NM 87107. Mini-Racers…

Eighteen-year-old Hoss Nagel has it made. First, his dad (Harold) gives him a graduation present in the form of a “driver” ’58 ’Vette. Next, “Goub,” one of Harold’s employees at Leonard’s Carpet Service (Anaheim, California), takes a year off from his other duties to scratch-build Hoss’ handler. And lastly, they get it done in time to make our January 1990 cover. As you must have gathered by now, “it” all started a year ago when Harold found the makings of a neat set of wheels for his growing boy in “San Berdoo.” According to Goub, “It was a complete car, but once we removed the paint, we found that the front ’glass was junk.” Thanks to “repop” fiberglass components, that portion of the ragtop’s restoration wasn’t hard. What was hard,…

Since its introduction in 1955, the small-block Chevrolet has been celebrated in word, picture, song, dyno test, and bank deposit. For over 30 years, it has reigned as the nation’s most popular and prolific performance engine. And (moans and groans from the Ford and Chrysler contingents aside) the small-block Chevrolet has been the mainstay of the performance industry. Much of the small-block’s longevity is due to the fact that the engine is like a chameleon—it can adapt to any environment. From its original 265-cubic-inch displacement, Chevy’s small-block has been worked and reworked, revamped and refined to fit the needs of the moment. During the years when bigger was equated with better, displacement grew to 283, 327, 350, and finally 400 cubic inches. When the need for downsizing or specific displacements…

Building a first-rate hot rod requires more than just good parts—just ask Jim and Nancy Elgan, owners of this beautiful ’28 Ford sedan delivery. For them it was a labor of love involving friends, craftsmen, and considerable imagination to achieve these results. First, a TCI frame was fitted with a narrowed Super Bell dropped axle complete with Posie Super Slide leaf springs, TCI shocks and four-bar, Mustang steering, and Volvo disc brakes. In back a polished Jaguar XKE independent suspension utilizes Aldan coil-over shocks and JFZ four-piston calipers; an additional caliper and disc clamp the driveshaft and function as an emergency brake. At each corner, vintage Halibrand wheels have been fitted with Michelin radials; 145-15s in front and 235-15s in back. Fuel is supplied from a pair of 7½-gallon saddle…

Does Bush’s beater look familiar? A touch of ’glass that you’ve seen before? The answer would be in the affirmative if you remember what was on page 40 in the August ’89 issue of HOT ROD Magazine. But better yet is the story behind Bob’s two-door Sedan. “In 1981 I restored a ’74 Corvette. After 500 miles, the air conditioner quit. I was so burned out by the restoration that I left it at a dealership to get it repaired. That night the dealership was broken into and my ’Vette was stolen. Two months later they found my car, stripped, cut up, and burned. What was left—engine, trans, rearend, steering column—I bought from the insurance company and, after my experience restoring Corvettes, I decided to use my recovered parts to…

When it comes to the mid-’60s General Motors intermediate chassis, trunk floor “cancer” rot seems to run in their genes. Water leaking past the rear window seal erodes the unpainted trough beneath the window and then starts to accumulate in the trunk well. Pretty soon you have holes in the floor; in extreme cases, cancer reaches even the underfloor fuel tank braces, which can really be a pain in the gas. These days, replacement trunk floor sheetmetal patch panels are available from restoration specialists such as Chevelle Classics and others, but only recently has high-tech cutting and welding equipment become readily available at a price within reach of the serious home-builder. One of these handy aids is a sophisticated new metal technology known as “plasma cutting.” While rotten sheetmetal can…

CABS & TRUCKS ’69 CAMARO Z/28. “The Screamer.” First-place show car, totally restored, featured in Muscle Car Magazine. Never-raced 350, Manley pistons, pro valve job, 4.56 rear, 2-speed/stall converter, Inglese dual sidedraft Webers. Photo upon request, serious inquiries only, $19,500 o.b.o. Anthony DiMeglio, 270 Cedar Grove Ln., Somerset, NJ 08873, (201) 805-9507. KING OF PRO STREET, PRO-ONE. Chevrolet Celebrity Eurosport VR 454 Pro Street machine, street-legal, three superchargers on an aluminum-headed 454 Chevrolet, Turbo 400, custom 9-inch, tube chassis, digital dash, Arrest Me red paint. Read all about it in October ’88 issues of HOT ROD and Popular Hot Rodding. 1000 street-driven miles. Built to drive and show. Building new car, must sell. Delivery available. $49,000 o.b.o. Mark Grimes, (402) 4933597. ’77 "MIRAGE" MONZA. Authentic, rare, very good throughout. Air,…