Innehållsförteckning för August 2018 från Hot Rod

I’ll admit it, I watch YouTube drag-racing videos. In the garage, on the iPhone, at the dentist, and last year the kid’s Christmas pageant. The big antennae that are likely irradiating my neighborhood also brings me hours of this stuff, then cool kids like Kyle Loftis at 1320 Video does us all a solid by flying to Sweden to cover the Stockholm open so I can watch it at home. Whenever the office is lame all week, the Friday night crack is a Smart TV away. With millions of internet views and subscribers for the taking, I’ve noticed there are now car guys popping up everywhere. They are trying hard, but they often reek of newness. Rather than turn this observation into hate, I can’t help but flashback to the…

For the uninitiated, Pete Chapouris was a legend in the world of hot rodding. Being one of the founders of Pete & Jake’s Hot Rod Shop, the landmark 1970/1980s-era hot rod aftermarket parts and chassis business, Chapouris was among the best when combining professional-level promotion and showmanship with a high-quality parts business. Throughout his 50-year career, Chapouris not only had a knack for developing and manufacturing hot rod parts that people needed but also opened up many new avenues for car enthusiasts to express themselves. His history includes building hot rods for rock stars (with multiple vehicles for ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons), restorations of iconic hot rods (including the Doane Spencer roadster), and vintage race cars, such as Alex Xydias’ So-Cal Speed Shop belly-tank racer from the Jan. 1949 cover…

Much like a mad scientist analyzing parts laid out on a table, a similar scene was playing out at Wilson & Steely Kustom Coachworks, the former Hudson dealership in Athol, Massachusetts. Instead of a table, the shape of a 1932 Dodge coupe body lay in wait, immediately recognizable in bare metal and perched atop a mountainous chassis looking like it was ready to take on the end of days. Shop co-owner Steve Wilson explained what led him to create such a radical hot rod for longtime client Phil Cercone. Steve actually found the Dodge lurking in the basement of a dilapidated house waiting to be torn down, and strangely enough, the coupe had seen plenty of duty on the streets in the early 1960s. This happened to coincide with Phil…

Is there really a thing as too much horsepower? Nope, there’s not. In fact, making as much horsepower as possible within the confines of a powerplant’s capabilities is exactly how we roll as gearheads. Ever seen a 1935 Ford truck with 1,000 rwhp, a manual transmission, and a hydraulic handbrake? Well, now you have. Excessive, right? Nope—just right. HOT ROD would like to introduce this 1,200hp, twin-turbo, manual-transmission hooning mobile; the newest project vehicle we’ll be covering is Factory Five’s new 1935 Hot Rod Truck dubbed the “The Drift Rod.” This truck will be built to disrupt society and will be equipped with enough angle to slide corners, scare babies, shoot flames, and billow smoke from its hides. While period-correct is a big part of what HOT ROD is about,…

“I’m so grateful! I’m overjoyed to finally see my Bronco up and running.” — Tevete Usumalii, Owner THE RESCUE SO FAR Tevete (“T”) Usumalii and his 1998 Ford Bronco have really been put through the wringer. It all started when a missing 25¢ oil-galley plug cost him his 349ci stroker small-block Ford engine. L&R Engines fixed the short-block (June 2018 issue). In the July 2018 issue, Mark Sanchez at Advanced Engineering West (AEW) assembled the engine top-end only to discover valvetrain geometry and lifter problems, a wrong distributor gear, and serious issues with the fuel-supply system. Finally home-free? Not on your life! The engine front accessory drives, fuel tank gauge, and custom instrument panel implementation were still screwed up. We’ll fix them this month, then put the Bronco on Westech…

Among the most common questions that people ask me is, “What’s your favorite car?” I don’t have an answer, because I’m not at all attached to just one year/make/model. To me, the allure of cars is hunting for them and getting to know them and then doing things in them. Hence, I feel the more relevant question is, “What was your most fun car?” Dodging a single answer, here’s my list of the top 11 most fun cars I’ve been involved with, in no particular order. My 1970 Super Bee is a must on this list because it was my first car, so it trained me about what was fun about being a gearhead—and it was most fun before I spent a jillion bucks restoring it. My friend and JP…

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David in Indiana told us about bunch of neat, but neglected, vehicles in his area. Unexpectedly, he said he also had a few cars sitting at his house. In his backyard, he had a 1969 Plymouth Road Runner, a 1968 Dodge Superbee, and his fun project was an original yellow 1970 Dodge Coronet. The Road Runner had been sitting for a long time before David saved it. The Superbee was in rough shape as well, but it was still solid enough to be considered a trendy “ratty muscle car.” He has been working on the Coronet, and it runs and drives well. David is the next generation of gearheads, and he was thoughtful enough to allow the cars in his backyard to move on to better homes since we saw…

After you explain (to yourself and others) that the car you are driving is fashioned after Steve Saleen’s original race car from 1987, there’s a nod, then suddenly everyone becomes OK with the blazing-yellow paint, eye-popping graphics, and white wheels. Race cars, you know, are bright and flappy, loud and fun. And the original happened to win the SCCA Escort Endurance Series championship that year. We discovered this while attending Roadkill’s Zip Tie Drags in South Tucson right before a midnight run through the Arizona desert on the way back to L.A. Behind, the noise from the exhaust reminds you of a Fox Mustang wearing a mild pair of chambers. In front, the slide-whistle pitch from the 3.2L Kenne Bell supercharger lets people know you’re coming. By the time we’d…

Maybe we take motorsports too seriously, but don’t tell that to the diehards of the 2018 AMSOIL Engine Masters Challenge presented by JE Pistons, where we pit engine builders in an eight-cylinder bar fight for the strongest horsepower and torque figures. Scored on an average power number across a set rpm range, Engine Masters Challenge separates the bolt-on heroes from the true mad scientists. The best engine builders don’t just go for that peak number, it’s about building the right combo for the application and—well, reading between the rules to find a few extra ponies. From Jon Kaase’s dropped-combustion-chamber MEL (effectively giving it taller, smoother ports) with inch-thick “head gaskets” to Gene Adams Performance/Smithberg Racing’s variable-intake-runner Hemi, the creativity and innovation of Engine Master’s Challenge never ceases to impress us.…

Q: I’m constantly reading about the benefits of using spacer blocks on street rods between the manifold and carburetor, but I’m wondering how spacer thickness and design—open versus four-hole, for example—affect performance. Also, I’ve read about many “carburetor replacement” EFIs that use carb-style manifolds, but I’ve never heard if these types of units would also benefit from the increased plenum area offered by spacer blocks. Could you shed any light on all of this? A: Spacers are said to improve air/fuel vaporization through and out of the carburetor. Anytime the air/fuel charge has to turn sharply coming off the carb, it increases the chance of separating the fuel from the air. If there’s big drops of wet fuel instead of an ideal fine, homogeneous mist, performance will be adversely affected.…

As our obsession with wheels and tires continues to grow so does the increasing amount of options we have to choose from. From colors to sizes, diameters to widths, open lug to closed lug, the wheel industry has provided so many paths that it’s hard to decide which one to take. Like fashion, wheel design is in a constant state of evolution. You’ve got your staple designs (mesh, five-spoke, six-spoke, split spoke, and so on) but now we’re seeing a synthesis of classic designs intertwined into many of today’s most popular wheels. Now, if you’re a wheel buff with historic knowledge, you’ll recognize many of the styling cues borrowed from the most iconic wheel designs ever created. From BBS Turbo Fans, Epsilons all the way to the historic Volk TE37,…

Searching for your next set of wheels can be cumbersome, but as your search continues remember one thing: Some wheels may look alike, but they’re nothing alike—particularly when it comes to quality or construction. Especially in modern times where the market is flooded with an influx of cheap knockoffs, the wheel market can be hard to navigate. To help better make that decision, you’ll want to consider budget and style. But above all, be sure to find out how the wheel you want is manufactured. By now racing purists and fans of well-built wheels know all too well about RAYS Engineering, the creative force behind such brands as Volk Racing and Gram Lights. With deep-seated roots in racing, RAYS Engineering is also the powerhouse behind Volk’s infamous TE37. Introduced in…

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Offset is the location of the flat mounting surface of a wheel relative to the wheel’s centerline. Negative offset means that the mounting surface is toward the center of the car, positive offset means that it’s toward the outside of the car, or the wheel is “pulled in” toward the center. Offset affects many things other than just whether the wheel has the appearance of “sticking out” past the fender. The wrong offset can cause rubbing problems when the suspension is compressed or the wheel is turned. Offset affects the steering geometry’s scrub radius, possibly leading to problems with torque steer or self-centering characteristics. Offset also affects the suspension’s motion ratio, which directly determines the effective spring and damper rates. Potentially, in a very heavily loaded vehicle, or with extreme…

We’ll never know exactly what Edwin “Alan” Rietz was thinking as he hoarded nearly 100 vintage cars and trucks over a 45-year period, but there are clues. A look through his collection reveals a dozen or so collectible Mopars, mostly 1970 models, but the majority are what you might call “everyman” cars—stuff like Dusters and D100s. Rietz’s favorite machinery was produced by the Chrysler Corporation—Dodges especially—but there is a smattering of C4 Corvettes and Cadillacs on Rietz’s 1,100-acre farm. There are no Fords in sight, which is puzzling, but according to relatives, Rietz did own a 1948 Ford in high school—his only known Blue Oval. Alan Rietz passed away September 30, 2017, taking that secret with him. Rietz’s barn find came to our attention by way of the VanDerBrink Auctions…

There is nothing like a big nitrous backfire to destroy a perfectly good engine. This happened after the internet nitrous guys insisted we subject an LS engine to the same treatment given our Big Bang turbo combinations where we added a good set of heads, cam and intake, and a pair of turbos to a high-mileage 4.8L, then cranked up the boost to the breaking point. After seeing showoff numbers like 1,482 hp, the nitrous guys wanted in on the action. To find the answer to the nitrous question, we secured a high-mileage 5.3L LM7 from a local LKQ Pick-A-Part, increased the ring gap on the factory (high-mileage) rings, and put it back together. All the other components remained stock, including the block, crank, rods, pistons, bearings, oil pump, pan,…

Last time we discussed possible benefits of cross-drilled disc brake rotors, but there’s a downside, particularly on street-driven cars subject to repetitive heating and cooling cycles: it creates stress-risers, leading to crack propagation from the drilled holes. Generally, a race car has less of a problem because it has less extreme heat-cycling (the brakes get hot and stay hot). High-end race rotors are made from better materials, and racers consider rotors a disposable item and periodically replace them just like an oil filter. To reduce crack potential, cross-holes should not be drilled with a uniform “inline” circumferential pattern on equal radii. That’s more likely to adversely affect the structural integrity and lead to cracks. Instead, drill holes in an overlapping, staggered pattern. As to hole location, Porsche used to drill…

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With over 120 years of history, ABT has remained committed to their roots as an innovation workshop. Officially founded as ABT Tuning in 1967, they have accrued a rich racing heritage that started back in 1950 with an Audi. From the racetrack to the street, ABT Sportsline has continued to deliver on their commitment to excellence and today they are the largest tuning provider for the Volkswagen and Audi Group. Since then, ABT continues to develop their brand. Their latest offerings have set social media ablaze — especially with their collaboration with famed Swedish alpine race skier Jon Olsson. Known by many as a professional skier, car culture knows Mr. Olsson as the guy with the most intense and unique builds. From his insane Lambos with roof racks, to his…

Your wheels are an extension of your personality, and, along with that, are aftermarket accessories that can change the way your car or truck looks. But with so many new releases flooding shelves, it’s difficult to cover them all, so we’re highlighting a few of the most talked-about releases for 2018. Whether you’re after a new look or rejuvenating an older project car, these latest offerings are sure to get your attention. On that note, happy wheel hunting and we’ll see you next year! TURBO FANS If you’re a fan of the nostalgic look of “turbo fans” then you’ll be happy to know that Fifteen52 will be releasing their own version of turbo fans for their Turbomac and Integrale wheels. Manufactured in ABS plastic and carbon fiber (custom order), these…

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