Innehållsförteckning för November 2020 från Hot Rod

Editor-in-Chief BE TENACIOUS The 2020 running of Bonneville Speed Week occurred last week, as I write this, and unfortunately, none of us were able to be there. These are unprecedented times, and not just for us in the media, but for all of us as a nation, if not the globe. Companies world-wide are tightening their belts, implementing hiring freezes, and cutting costs to survive an economic downturn, and ours was no exception. Without the financial means to travel to Bonneville, we relied on friends, racers, and social media to see what was happening there. It’s old news by now, but the Speed Demon streamliner posted the fastest flying mile and fastest top speed of the meet, earning the Hot Rod Magazine Trophy for the former, and setting a record…

Dennis Varni, a lifelong Bay Area hot rodder, is no stranger to the world of hot rodding… any part of it. He has tried the likes of Bonneville, vintage Mexican and European road racing, and, of course, the Grand National Roadster Show, where in 1991 he won the pinnacle of rodding awards, the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster trophy. Considering those credentials, what has Dennis been up to lately? Look at this 1934 Ford three-window fenderless coupe, and you will get a good feel for where his rodding roots are taking him now. His garage is neatly parked with a handful of hot rods that came out of Rolling Bones Hot Rod Shop (RBHRS) in New York. Nowadays, Dennis is into hot rods with a nostalgic patina appearance and has come…

More than 20 years after the first Gen III LS1 V8 rolled off the assembly line for the 1997 Corvette, it seems there are LS cylinder heads everywhere, and even more stories that have tested and recommended various performance upgrades in the LS cylinder head department. Layered on top of that is the multitude of variations on stock displacement, port configuration, valvetrain type, and other evolutionary changes that have occurred over the years. It’s a jungle out there, and even though the LS is the go-to powerplant for those on a budget, there’s a lot of stuff to know before considering a build. Here, we will dyno test three new LS cylinder heads and perform a camshaft swap on a naturally aspirated Gen III 6.0L LY6 truck engine. We’ll be…

Technically speaking, the correct terminology is release bearing, as in clutch release bearing. When considered in those terms, it’s easier to imagine what this component is and what it does. The throwout bearing is the last piece in the series of components that comprises the clutch linkage, from the pedal to the clutch assembly, inside the transmission bellhousing. It is a bearing, meaning that it allows interaction between a moving surface and a stationary surface. Just like wheel bearings allow movement of the spinning wheel hub around the non-moving spindle, the throwout bearing is the component that comes between the clutch pressure plate, which is spinning when the engine is running, and the non-moving clutch fork—or the hydraulic slave cylinder typically found in newer cars. Though there are a few…

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: “Big Daddy” Ed Roth built the fun stuff, wild, whimsical cars that tickled the fancy and pickled a kid’s imagination for life. Back in the day when Roth was at the peak of his artistic career, creating cars like the Mysterion, we were all snot-nosed little kids, and it was square to call him “Big Daddy” Ed Roth—simply “Big Daddy” Roth or just “Big Daddy” was how the cool guys said it. In 2020 “Big Daddy” Roth’s Mysterion exists mostly in the memories of those who saw it in person, but thanks to Jeffery Jones, a guy most likely as much a madman artist as Roth himself, re-created a fantastic version of the Mysterion. The lead image for this story is…

Organized drag racing celebrates its 70th birthday on July 2, 2020. On that day in 1950 the first “official” drag race took place at an out-of-commission Army airbase in Santa Ana, California. Soon that airbase was established as Santa Ana Drags, the world’s first commercial dragstrip. When it closed nine years later, drag racing had become a nationwide sport with established rules and classes, national championships, and a major sanctioning body. Today, drag racing has evolved into a huge worldwide motorsport—and it also still exists at a smaller grassroots level not much different from what those guys in Santa Ana were doing 70 years ago. When Did Drag Racing Really Start? To say when drag racing began involves a lot of speculation about an activity that, in all likelihood, has…

What’s it like to make a pass in a really fast race car? Aaron Wells, owner of this Pro Mod 1967 Mustang, gave us one of the most succinct descriptions we’ve heard in a while. Running in the Mid-West Pro Mod Racing Association, his supercharged Mustang has run a best time of 3.66 seconds at 209.75 mph in the eighth-mile. “Before each run, my dad and my friend Travis Cannon check the track to make the final decisions on the tune. When the car fires, I put it in high gear, roll through the water, and nail it. It’s a rolling burnout; I don’t use a line lock. At the end of the burnout, I go to neutral and hit the transbrake to engage reverse. I hold the reverse handle…

The easiest way to make big power is to start with a big engine. Big-block Chevys are a great platform for making big power, and the only thing better than a big-block is an even bigger one. If a 454 is good, then a 502 is even better, right? If we follow this line of thinking, a 502 can make the transition from good to great by simply punching out an extra 63 cubic inches. The goal for this particular 565 big-block stroker was to reach an honest 850 hp on pump gas, without resorting to a power adder. Sources ARP; 800.826.3045; www.arp-bolts.com Comp Cams; 901.795.2400; www.compcams.com CP Pistons/Carrillo Rods; 949.567.9000; www.cp-carrillo.com Edelbrock; 310.781.2222; www.edelbrock.com Holley/Hooker; 270.782.2900; www.holley.com K1 Technologies; www.k1technologies.com Lucas Oil; www.Lucasoil.com MSD; 915.857.5200; www.msdignition.com…

Cars, trucks, RVs, and motorhomes run dual 12-volt batteries for various reasons. Depending on how you wire a two-battery 12-volt system, the result can be a 12-volt system or a 24-volt system—or even both 12 volts and 24 volts. ● There will be 12 volts (about 14.2 volts with an alternator) if the batteries aren’t wired together but kept isolated from each other. You can have two separate harnesses or use a battery isolator or selector switch. ● There will be 12 volts if the batteries are wired together in parallel: positive terminal to positive terminal, and negative to negative. Amp output will be the sum of the multiple batteries wired this way. ● There will be 24 volts (about 28 volts with an alternator) if two 12-volt batteries are…

Q: I have a 6.0L LQ4 engine out of a 2005 ¾-ton Silverado that I am installing in a 1957 Chevy Bel Air. The outlet on the water pump comes up and forward. It looks like the outlet on GM pump PN 12682286 (sic) might work better. Can you tell me if this pump would work on my engine? A: John, car-type LS pumps have front exits, but other parts, including water pump spacers, may be necessary to make them work, depending on the parts you already have. Let’s take it from the top: First, your above-referenced part number does not exist within the GM parts system. You probably meant PN 12681186 (casting No. 12681180), which is stock on 2005-2007 LS2, 2008 LS3, and 2007-2008 LS7 Corvette engines. The What…

“Are you still interested in the Studebaker truck?” That was the phone call Robert Solgat had waited more than two years to get. Solgat is now the owner of this barn find 1959 Studebaker Scotsman pickup, packed with an LS3 engine and customized with hundreds of modifications. He first saw the truck about five years ago. It was in a friend’s barn, being stored for somebody else who had plans to restore it back to its original farm truck form. It appeared to be in good shape, although the paint had dulled to a rhubarb red color and there was some minor rust in the bed, but the sheetmetal was straight. “You don’t see a lot of these trucks, so of course I really wanted it, but my friend said…

As affordable, buildable cars from the ’60s and ’70s become more difficult to find, we’re pleased to see enthusiasts’ interests turn to alternative body styles and cars from the ’80s and ’90s, many of which have just as much, if not more, performance potential as any ’60s-era Chevelle or Mustang. One platform that seems to be exploding in popularity is the GMT400, GM’s 1988-1998 pickup trucks. Interestingly, these are known colloquially as the OBS Chevys: the “old body style”. Speaking as the owner of both a ’93 C1500 as well as a ’67 C10, I’d consider the 1963-1966 pickups to be the old body style, but what do I know? Common Problems Overall, these are simple, reliable trucks, but like all vehicles, they have quirks you’ll likely need to address…

Source Flock It!; 815.986.1097; flockit.com…

I’ve been very fortunate to have had a professional connection to HOT ROD for 29 years, and in that time, it’s been amazing to hear how HOT ROD has affected people’s passions and often their livelihoods. I’ve most often heard these stories from the pioneers of our hobby as they reflect on the golden years of the '50s and '60s, but also from today’s rock stars, from leaders of the OE car manufacturers, and of course from regular hot rodders like you and me. I don’t think that kind of influence was on Robert E. Petersen’s mind when he published the first issue in January ’48. He just wanted to make a buck—and man, did he. Imagine one magazine holding all the power of today’s Internet and then you might…