Indholdsfortegnelse for June 1991 i Hot Rod

Something has happened that I never thought would occur: My toolbox is full. I remember the proud day about 19 years ago when I bought my first six-drawer Sears Craftsman toolbox. I was taking the vocational auto mechanics course at Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny, Iowa, and it was time for us to step up and buy tools. At the time, I didn’t think I’d ever fill that toolbox, especially after I moved into a house and had my first real garage. Soon after, I bought the companion lower half of the toolbox and dreamed of the day that I’d own more tools than the box would hold. That day has come. Like most hot rodders, I’m a tool freak. If you’ve ever seen Tim Allen’s comedy routine…

STORMIN’ NORMAN CLOSING IN ON THE 8S Stormin’ Norman Gray is still at it, squeezing every last ounce of power out of his nitrous-oxide-injected, 357-cubic-inch, Jack Roush-prepared small-block Ford Mustang. The engine uses modified TFS aluminum Street Heat heads and an Accel/Digital Fuel Injection system. Norman’s 9.73 at 140 mph opened everyone’s eyes earlier this year. But more recently, Norman switched to a two-stage Compucar nitrous system that yields an additional 175 horsepower. The car promptly responded with a 9.17/148-mph blast at Moroso Motorsports Park. Can the 8s be far behind? Norman also has a white GT convertible that runs 11.41 at 117 mph in full street trim, using the two-stage nitrous system. SHELBY TO DRIVE VIPER INDY PACE CAR Sports car legend Carroll Shelby will drive a domestic-built ’92…

HIGH PERF HYDRAULIC CAMSHAH & KIT A cam’s specs dictate the operating _ pm range of the entire engine combination and should be chosen based on the car’s intended use, weight, trans type, rearend gearing, engine size, crankshaft stroke vs. rod length, and cylinder head flow numbers. For typical under-10:1 CR 350 small-block engines, hydraulic cams with intake durations between 215 and 230 degrees at. 050-inch cam lift and lobe separations between 110 and 114 degrees produce good midrange torque and horsepower while retaining acceptable idle and vacuum characteristics. With a 2200- to 5500-rpm power band, Crane’s single-pattern Commander grind CCH-284-NC (part No. 114201) specs out with 222 degrees duration at. 050 tappet lift, 114 degrees lobe separation, and. 450 valve lift. Lifters, springs, retainers, and cam lube are available…

22 WHEEL COVERS For rodders who desire a custom wheel look, ZZ Wheelz has a series of glue-on kits that will make any steel wheel more distinctive. The ZZ wheel covers are made from clear rust-, corrosion-, and bulletproof Lexan that can be painted on the inside, so the coating won’t chip, fade, or oxidize. To attach the cover, first the host wheel is cleaned and the two inner flanges are partially coated with a silicone adhesive that ZZ supplies (photo A). Both the retention ring and deflector plate are pressed onto the silicone (photos B and C). Once in place, more adhesive is added around the perimeter of the two retaining elements. After the adhesive dries, the base wheel is ready to accept the compatible ZZ wheel cover. It…

There’s a line in a Billy Joel song that says, “Have you heard about the new fashion, Honey? All you need are looks and a whole lotta money. The same could be said of hot rodder wanna-be’s who don’t know one end of a ke-inch wrench from the other. They’d better be rich, because otherwise they just won’t survive. That’s the way it is in hot rodding. If you’re going to get involved, you better know how to spin those Wrenches. Of course, it’s not enough to just Know how to remove and replace a carburetor or how to change spark plugs, Diagnosing a problem is often the only key to repair. In the case of high-performance tuning and construction, you must know the theory and basics of how each…

Since it was first minted in 1932, the Deuce wheelbase was set at 106 inches. But Dick “Magoo” Megugorac changed all that. A Magoo’s client owns a Ferrari dealership, so nothing would do until Dick shoehorned a V12 into the space that was originally designed to retain either a poor four or a vigorous V8. To do so required Magoo to increase the “32”s wheelbase to com pensate for the longer V12; hence the term stretch rod. Well, Gary Matranga’s Hemi-hauled highboy is probably Sacramento’s longest stretch rod. This thing’s got a 119-inch wheelbase, some 13 inches longer than stock. The reason for this is obvious: to make room for the 468-inch, 6-71-stuffed, electronic-injected, ’57-built, Chrysler-type cast-iron Hemi. Gary’s eclectic elongation includes the following: a Dennis King-constructed chassis comprised of…

When factory musclecars stalked the streets in the halcyon days of the ’60s, Holley’s 3310 4-barrel carburetor fueled the best of them. Big-block Corvettes, Z/28 Camaros, and all the heavy hitters were Holley equipped. Rated at 780 cfm, the 3310 was a terrific carburetor for these applications. With vacuum secondaries and more-than-adequate flow capacity, it delivered good power and excellent driveability on engines that often ran on the ragged edge of reality. Through the years, the 3310 remained a stable hallmark of the highperformance industry. In both street and racing applications, it was distinguished time and again, but in the ’90s, the 3310 has grown long in the tooth. As the world of electronic fuel injection overtakes us, carburetors still remain the primary fueling systems for street and racing applications.…

With summer’s heat rapidly bearing down upon us, it’s about time to get out the old swimsuit and sunscreen. It’s also time to make sure our engines are equally protected against overheating. One area of engine cooling-system performance often over-looked is water pump efficiency. An oversize radiator core is no guarantee that your hot rod engine will cool efficiently if the water pump isn’t up to snuff. Unfortunately, water pumps are not what they were 20 years ago. Back in the musclecar era, engines such as the small- and big-block Chevy used efficient, cast-iron water pump impellers. Today’s “modern” sheetmetal impeller looks like an alternator fan, and it is unable to provide the flow or water pressure through the block equal to that of the early cast-iron impeller. Unless a…

DON’T SCREAM...SCREEN! Certain engines, such as the big-block Chevy, have wide oil drain-back slots in the lifter valley above the camshaft. When blueprinting the engine, the slots should be deburred and radiused to aid oil drain-back. It’s good insurance—especially when running roller lifters—to install protective screens over all the oil drainback holes, so small pieces of metal from an occasional valvetrain failure won’t find their way into the timing chain, oil pump, or crank. While any wire mesh screen can be cut and shaped to fit, corrosion-resistant stainless-steel screen has the most durability. Glue the screens in place with good-quality epoxy after carefully cleaning the block surface to ensure a good bond. Many builders also epoxy four small magnets near the drainback holes to catch even finer particles.…

MAIL CALL At mail call today, I received your generous package of HOT ROD magazines. I don’t think you realize what this means to me. I have been in the Middle East since September 1990 and have been going through “classy-car withdrawal” because I haven’t been getting my regular fix of classy cars. You people are lifesavers. The Marines with whom I share HOT ROD and I thank you very much for your support. The magazines will be passed around for all to enjoy. Michael C. Arndt FPO San Francisco, California KINKY RECEPTION I just finished reading my March ’91 issue of HOT ROD magazine, and it solved a decade-long dilemma for me. I have an antenna that has moved with me from state to state, and I just didn’t…

ADJUSTABLE ANTISWAY BARS Antisway bars can improve your car’s handling when used in conjunction with complimentary suspension components such as polyurethane bushings. For more positive bar performance, manv manufacturers offer kits that replace the endlink-through-bolt setup with some type of double spherical rod-end (Heim joint) setup. Since most replacement bars have their ends shaped similarly to the factory bar, the Heim joints end up being placed in single shear, which is undesirable from an ultimate strength standpoint. By contrast, Rancho Suspension offers its own-design front and rear sway bar kits that not only use rod ends mounted in double shear, but they are also infinitely adjustable! A simple sliding clamp arrangement on the bar ends permits fine tuning the bar’s torsional rate to compensate for such variables as vehicle weight,…

With so many first-rate Camaros roaming the streets of America, it’s difficult to build one that stands apart. Yet, Tom Christian did just that! He blended an impressive collection of hood-bulging hardware for a look that’s hard to ignore. The obvious difference between this ’83 F-body and so many others is its unique form of induction. Unlike more typical tuned ports, tunnel-rams, or superchargers, Tom opted for the high profile of a Crower mechanicalfuel-injection system. The polished, tuned-length ram tubes breathe from high above a voracious 427 Chevy that’s brilliant with braided stainless-steel line, anodized- and polished-aluminum pieces, and chrome hardware. Most of the internals are from TRW, including the valvetrain and pistons. A Mallory ignition fires the fuel before Hooker and SuperTrapp components extract it. A GM Turbo 400…

Anyone who’s ever ridden with Doug Kauffman knows his passion for the pavement. Whether he’s pushing the pedal a thousand miles to a rod run or just down the dragstrip, Doug makes the most of it, as he’s been doing for the last 12 years. Way back when, Doug’s ’38 Chevy delivery cruised its way into just about every car magazine, including HOT ROD’S Top 10 Street Rods in 1980 (“Best of the Rest,” HRM March ’80). In the years since, he continues to drive his delivery, and it’sstill going strong. The 440-cubic-inch v Chevy under the hood is reliable and powerful. A complete Crane valvetrain draws from an Edelbrock Tarantula manifold and a K&N-filtered Holley 850 double-pumper. The ignition is from Vertex, with stainless Herb Gebler headers venting the…

If your search for hot hues and made shades has you wandering in the ozone, let’s take a look at the latest paint trends that are both cool and hot. Imagine how your latest hot rod would look emblazoned with scallops, flames, graphics, or splashes of color. Or how about the subtle monochrome, two-tone, ortri-tone looks using metallics, pearls, pastels, or candy colors? Rich and bright are “right” in the ’90s! Face it, the most important visual aspect of any car or truck, aside from its design, is paint. And with today’s wild combinations of colors and shapes, almost anything, provided that it’s tasteful, can work. The only problem is choosing which elements are right for your car. One way to select a look is to check out ideas used…

Prior to 1969, most GM cars used an alternator with an external regulator. While they were good in their day, most early-model alternator cores have been recycled through rebuilders several times, and now the cases, rotors, and stators are in a worse-for-wear condition. Old, separate mechanical voltage regulators are also prone to failure. Besides, in a custom job, who wants a lot of extra wires cluttering up the engine compartment? The answer is a later Delco alternator with a built-in regulator. The only hassle is rewiring to accommodate the new unit, but M.A.D. Enterprises has developed complete, self-contained kits that make the job easy. M.A.D.’s kit works with either 10SI or 12SI alternators. Available in ratings through 63 amps, the Model 10SI was first introduced in 1969 in some highperformance…

CARS & TRUCKS ’’RAPID PLUMBING” ’55 HILLMAN HUSKY PANEL Two-liter Alfa Romeo Spyder running gear. Show winner, 100 percent unique, English built. $12,000, or will trade for street rod or Pro Street. Shipping negotiable. Chris Hay, 17 Birdhall Rd., Cheadle Hulme, Chesire, England, SK8 5QB, 011-44-61-485-6773. ’87 BUICK GN 3.8L TURBO. Almost all options included. T-roof. Stored since new. Only 2500 miles., $23,000 U.S. Brian Knechtel, 167 Huron Rd. E., Shakespeare, Ontario, Canada NO8 2P0. (519) 625-8717 ’50 CADILLAC HEARSE. Black Deltron with candy flames, all new chrome, burgundy velour interior, 455 Olds, TH400, Olds rear, p.s., p.d.b.. tilt/telescoping, A/C, stereo. New from the ground up. All work professionally done. Rides and drives ike a new Cadcy Truly unique $35.000/trace. Rick Schnell. 341 106th Ave N.W, Coon Rapids. MN 55433.…

PACK UP THE KIDS AND GET YOUR KICKS ON ROUTE 66 St. Martin’s Press is offering The Route 66 Traveler’s Guide and Roadside Companion for anybody intrigued by Route 66. As the first new Route 66 travel and motor guide to be published in four decades, it takes the traveler step-by-step down America’s scenic and historic Route 66. The book comes complete with newly computer-generated yet vintageappearing maps of the old road, as well as entries on each of the towns and cities on the route. Included are places to visit, places to avoid, historical interest locations, and where to find the best burgers, roads, gas stations, cafes, and hotels. For more information, contact St. Martin’s Press, Dept. HR-06, 175 5th Ave., New York, NY 10010, (212)674-5151. TERMINALLY WIRED Perfect…

HIGH-TECH PULLEYS To keep conventional V-belts from slipping on the pullev, the mounting brackets must typically be tightened to produce 120 pounds of belt tension; the resultant friction costs power. However, multiple-rib (serpentine) belts need only 65 pounds of tension; cog/radius tooth belt drives need only six pounds. Jones Racing Products is well-known among hard-core racers for its trick belt-drive systems and billet aluminum pulleys and brackets. But Jones also has an extensive line of serpentine and cog belt drives for the high-end street market. The serpentine setups are considerably cheaper than the premium cog belt designs. Setups are available for virtually any option, including power steering, air conditioning, and dry sumps. Jones has 40 different basic cog/radius belt drive kits, 30 different serpentine belt kits, plus blower drives, specialty…

The devil be damned, we’ve got real pickups from hell. This collect on of blue-collar haulers comes off the line scorchin’, snortin’, and six turns left of side-ways at wide-open throttle. If it’s trucks you want, it’s trucks you’ll get. Slammed and tubbed, rods with beds, full-tilt racers, and 10-second s reefers—we’ve got it all. Now hop in, hang on, and get ready, ’cause the next car that blows your doors off might be a truck! ’66 Chew El Camino Fred Pope, San Bernardino, California Pope’s Elco is a hard-leavin’, 3870-pound all-steel-bodiedquick ride. With the help of Brad and Bob at Torrance Service Center, this Elco cranks out high 9-second e.t.’s, with a best blast of 9.97 at 135 mph. Perhaps even more impressive, this feat was performed with a…

Since the time when the first hot rodder turned a wrench on a car, performance enthusiasts have sought their own version of the Holy Grail: max power for the least money. This certainly hasn’t changed with today’s hot rodders, and perhaps the best bolt-on power improver in the last decade is nitrous oxide. If you spend any time on the street, you’ll soon discover that all the really fast cars use nitrous. It’s the easiest, quickest, and best dollar-per-horsepower investment available. Thankfully, the nitrous oxide aftermarket has made the bolt-on, budget-based, 125-horsepower kit a very attractive purchase for any hot rodder interested in quick power. One of the best-known companies that specializes in nitrous kits is Nitrous Oxide Systems (NOS). Co-owners Mike Thermos and Dale Vaznaian produce thousands of street-and…

Dr. Fred Lamport Jr. has the right idea when it comes to making hot rodding a family affair. This blown ’60 Corvette is already promised to his son on his 18th birthday. Meanwhile, Dad derives tremendous enjoyment from building and displaying the car. The 5-year project began with a fully molded custom frame by Tim Poude of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. The chassis is fitted with a 9-inch Ford rearend and a Mustang front end by Total Ford. Coil-over shocks and Ford disc brakes are fitted at all four corners. The Cragar Drag Star wheels wear Goodyear front runners and 33-inch Mickey Thompsons on the rear. Fred adopted a tough-guy approach under the hood with a stout, supercharged small-block. The 358-cubic-inch engine sports a Crane roller cam and valve gear, Hedman…

Hot rodders will go to great lengths to build something unique that expresses their preferences and automotive tastes. That’s how it is with Frank Morgan, a Hartland, Michigan, resident and college student. Frank and his father bought this ’84 Dodge Daytona for S200 and gave it the Pro Street advantage. They started by fitting the body with a 1.5x3-inch mild steel tube frame. Frank and his dad then installed a narrowed Ford rearend with a 2.50 gear, resplined axles, and Versailles disc brakes The rearend is suspended by a 32-inch ladder bar setup featuring a diagonal link and coil-over shocks. The custom-made front suspension uses 71 Pinto spindles and rack-and-pinion steering, with Aldan coil-over shocks. The whole thing is set down on a Weld Racing/Mickey Thompson big-and-little combo. After squirting…

MORE PERK FOR MERC Q I’d like to replace the 2.9L V6 EFI engine in an ’88 Merkur Scorpio with the ’89 Ford Taurus 220-hp SHO V6 dual-cam/24-valve motor. Would the auto trans now in the Scorpio bolt up to the SHO block? How tough would it be to install the SHO motor (which is mounted sideways between the front wheels of a Taurus) in the Scorpio, which is a conventional front-engine/rear-wheel-drive design? What mods would be required on the existing Scorpio EEC-IV onboard computer and its sensors to accommodate the SHO’s two-stage, direct-port EFI system? If the above swap is too costly and difficult, what recommendations could you give on improving the existing stock V6’s performance? Steve Anthony Kennewick, Washington A Any swap is possible, but practicality is the…

CARS of the BIZZARE Drag racing’s golden age was during the ’60s. Anything and everything ran—multiengine dragsters, modified roadsters, competition coupes, the first altered-wheelbase Funny Cars, Fuel Altereds, Gassers galore, and a whole host of “bizarr-os” we called exhibition cars. These eccentric enterprises included wheel standers, jet and rocket cars, V8-powered go-karts and motorcycles, electric cars that were wired to the starting line, and, of course, Jim Lytle’s collection of Allison V12-urged monsters. You have to give Lytle an A for “engine-uity.” Anyone with the wherewithal to fashion this array of horsepower has got to be a “Lytle” bit too much. Photography: PPC Photo Library ZEE-WHIZ When you think you’ve seen ’em all-Willys, Studebakers, classic Chevrolets, Fairlanes, Comets, Bubbletops, or Chevelles, plus all your ’90s iron—along comes a guy like…