Innehållsförteckning för September 2015 från Hot Rod

When Chevrolet debuted the 2016 Camaro on May 16, 2015, it did so with a quasi-public event that, to the best of my knowledge, was the first of its kind from any OEM. But the truly unprecedented move was how Chevy tossed the keys of its V6-powered 2016 prototypes to the automotive media for a trip around Detroit’s’ Belle Isle Grand Prix course the following day. Walking up to any kind of prototype is a rare experience. Anytime I see cars in camouflage, it’s exciting, and I typically reach for a camera to steal a picture before the vehicle races off. In this case, the six Camaros hidden underneath those black swirls and white vinyl were prepped for us to scrutinize. So here’s the disclaimer: Anytime…

The Happy Camper started as a 1971 Winnebago Brave the Ringbrothers purchased at a Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, in 2014. It had plaid upholstery and wood paneling at the time and was cool in its own retro way, kind of like a mobile cabin. The bad part was what was underneath. A very worn and tired Dodge 318ci V8 had served bravely, but its time was up. The rest of the running gear was even worse. After completely stripping the interior, Ringbrothers began fabricating a complete custom interior starting with a gauge cluster reminiscent of a WWII bomber to go with Restoration Hardware bomber-style seats. The exterior sheetmetal was showing its age, too, so several custom panels were fabricated up front, including new headlight surrounds and dimple-died trim that…

When was the last time you found an original 1969 Chevy Camaro Z/28 rusting away in a backyard? I was taking the backroads through a small town in Wisconsin, and then, there it was: a 1969 Camaro, with Z/28 badges on the front and rear. For all of the traveling I’ve done seeking out old muscle cars, I have found only a handful of Z/28 Camaros sitting around, and all the ones I’ve found were safely tucked away. I had yet to find a true 1969 Z/28 Camaro collecting dust in a backyard. The owner was more than happy to talk about the car and let me see it, as well as a second disco-era Z/28 sitting next to it. He told me about driving the car back from where…

They say that everything should be taken in moderation, but in some cases, excess is exactly what’s called for. At first glance, Jim Marston’s 1964 Fairlane doesn’t look all that outlandish. It’s clean and straight, with a conservative—perhaps even classy—vintage appearance in jet black with a red interior, colormatched Torq-Thrust wheels, and Thunderbolt-style frontend. And then you hear it crank. The animal barely caged under the teardrop bubble hood sounds outrageous. You know it’s big, you know it’s making a lot of power, but no one expects what’s under there. We’re getting ahead of ourselves, though, so let’s start back a few years. Jim wanted a 1964 Fairlane to build as a street brawler. While the majority of people go straight for the “500” trim level with intent to build…

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Big-displacement overhead-valve engines in lighter cars were always a sure bet at grabbing extra horses once you ran out of camming and carbing your Ford flathead or Chevy straight-six. Applying that theory to later cars like in this 1957 photo of an almost brandnew 1956 Chevy—ready to accept a 365ci Cadillac engine and four-speed Hydra-Matic transplant—was also a popular how-to in 1950s HOT ROD magazines. Mid-1950s Caddy engines were in the 300–335hp range, a huge jump from the pedestrian stock Chevy straight-six at 140 hp—and even for the high-output 265ci Chevy V8 rated at 200 hp. And Chevys weren’t the only models considered for Cadillac’s heavy horsepower; Fords, Studebakers, and many non-GM cars were shown in how-tos and features getting the Caddy cubes. But what a hassle when you consider…

Of all the stories we’ve heard about rare barn-find cars, we owe one of the most memorable to Marshall Woolery of Puyallup, Washington. Woolery, who runs Thun Field Rod & Custom, was asked to look at a “special” car. He all but dismissed it at first—it was only out of courtesy to a mutual friend he even went to look at the Dodge you see here. But once he saw it, he called us and said, “D-d-d-d-dude, it’s a f*****g Daytona!” As if a 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona wing car isn’t special enough, the owner, Ron Smith, has had this one since new, sitting unknown to all but a handful of people for more than 30 years. “It was back in 1969 when I received orders for Vietnam,” Smith says.…

One-year-only-production vehicles are rare from the Big Three, mainly because after all the development and design it takes to produce a car, manufacturers want to get more than a single year out of that investment. So the 1958 Chevy is by far the most expensive mainstream automobile ever created because of its one-year-only peculiarity. Why did Chevy do this, especially since 1958 was loaded with so many firsts besides its styling? It was the first year for the Impala, the 348/409ci W engine, the all-coil-spring suspension (that also allowed for the first optional air springs), and the first use of Chevy’s X-type frame. You would think that this would be the first of a three- or even four-year run with this basic architecture. Nope. Some have suggested the sensational slim…

Q: I’m building a 1939 Plymouth pickup with a 330ci DeSoto Hemi, a 727 TorqueFlite trans, and an 8¾-inch Chrysler rearend. I have the usual front axle setup with disc brakes from Pete & Jake’s. I have a rear disc kit from The Right Stuff Detailing. I’m told I should put in a proportioning valve to make sure the rears don’t lock before the fronts. Is this correct? If so, how do I safely set the valve? I’ve never scratch-built a car before—always just restored them. By the way, the car weight should be about 2,500 pounds (no fenders, shortened bed, custom frame). A: The guiding principle is the rear brakes should not lock-up before the front brakes—otherwise, the car can go into a flat spin. Proportioning valves are always…

My job has turned weird. People keep asking me what it’s all about, so let me figure that out as I write this. First, a backgrounder: I started at this company in 1991 as a HOT ROD staffer, then edited 4-Wheel & Off-Road, Car Craft, and Rod & Custom, before HOT ROD and HOT ROD Deluxe for 12 years—minus a one-year sabbatical with a Web-video company that self-immolated when the economy crashed. Today, I’m succeeding with a Web-video company—this one, TEN: The Enthusiast Network. Well more than half my time is spent conceiving, producing, co-hosting, and doing much of the wrenching involved in the gearhead adventure show called Roadkill. I do the same, to a lesser extent, for the inshop how-to series, HOT ROD Garage. Those…

SEND YOUR PHOTOS To be included in Scene by Readers, send low-rez photos and some information about them to HOTROD@HotRod.com. If we elect to use your photo, we will email back with instructions on how to send us a high-rez photo for publication.…

It’s 1969, you’re Chrysler Corp., and you’re trying to win every NASCAR event you enter, but Ford has got this super-slippery Talladega and it’s kicking the streamlined butt of your Dodge Charger 500, despite all the work you did on that car to make its grille flush and its rear window angled just right. You have ideas for something really radical, but man, track testing is expensive and how do you keep all your plans secret if any yahoo with a camera can sneak into the stands when they hear the roar of that Hemi engine on the banking? How about wind-tunnel testing? It wasn’t new in 1969, but it was still an unusual way to adjust the design of a car, certainly not something that would be done for…

“The idea with the Derelicts is to make it look like we did nothing.” — Jonathan Ward Subtlety is not readily available on Rodeo Drive. It’s likely the only thing money can’t buy in that glittering, palm-tree-lined tribute to excess that is Beverly Hills, California—which made Rodeo the perfect backdrop for the Icon Derelict–built 1948 Buick Super 8, possibly the most understated custom we’ve ever seen. With its soft green patina, pale, blushing interior, and hubcapped steel wheels, at first glance the Super 8 convertible looks like it was just found under a faded quilt in the garage of a former WAC named Ethyl, which as it turns out, isn’t too far from the truth. Where it went from there is decidedly more upscale. After talking to builder Jonathan Ward,…

When people say there aren’t cool cars hiding anymore, we remind them that HOT ROD publishes new barn-find photos every month. How do we find so many diamonds in the rough? The key is doing good detective work and asking lots of questions. 01] Ask questions. No car is truly lost—somebody knows about it, and you have to find that somebody. 02] Keep an eye out. Watch for open garage doors or cars sitting in backyards. 03] Network. If people know you’re looking for old cars, your reach and access multiplies. 04] Attend car shows and swap meets. Surrounding yourself with like-minded people is a great way to mingle and get information. These are also places to network with people who don’t use the Internet. 05] Go to junkyards or…

When Ford rolled out the Ford GT supercar in Detroit in January 2015, enthusiasts worldwide let out a collective gasp. Finished in Liquid Blue, the futuristic supercar showed its winning pedigree. There was no questioning the race-inspired design, and with rumors of Ford heading to Le Mans in 2016, the new GT style was quite fitting. What we weren’t expecting was a V6 powerplant to be sitting under the trapezoidal fuselage. OK, Ford is winning with the 3.5L EcoBoost, but is it proper for a road-going supercar? Know one thing: Ford is committed to the EcoBoost, and its 3.5L (213ci) variant has been a success both on and off the track. The twin-turbo, direct-injected V6 powers everything from the Taurus SHO to F-150 trucks. It also powered winning Ford race…

Ford 1975–1980 Granada/Monarch and 1975–1977 Maverick/Comet front spindles and disc-brake assemblies (aka “Granada brakes”) can be installed on 1964½–1973 Mustangs and early Falcons, as well as other similar vintage midsize Ford models with the samestyle front suspension. Lincoln Versailles spindles have a larger-diameter lower ball-joint stud, but they can also be made to work by using an adapter from MustangSteve.com. Granada brakes bolt directly onto early 1964 V8 Falcon ball joints and tie-rod ends. Other Falcon and Mustang front suspension combos may use tie-rod ends with a different stud taper depth that isn’t directly compatible with the Granada spindles, but Mustang Steve offers a bunch of different tie-rod end adapters, sleeves, and bushings to solve the interface problem. Alternatively, Global West can remachine the Granada spindles to work with your…