Innehållsförteckning för January 2022 från Hot Rod

Editor-in-Chief @john.mcgann I was afraid to drive the 2021 Corvette after it was dropped off at the warehome. Not because I feared it’s power or performance potential, but rather, I was afraid I wouldn’t like it. After more than a year writing about the new Corvette and covering the C8.R in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship, I was worried it would be a “never meet your heros” situation. After all the anticipation, what if the car was boring, uncomfortable, or irritating in some way? What if I didn’t like it? I waited a day, then I drove it. It was amazing. The version I received on loan from Chevrolet was a 2021 3LT dressed in electrifying Accelerate Yellow paint and sporting an $81,000 price tag. It was mine for a…

You would be forgiven for thinking the meet was doomed based on the apocalyptic conditions of the first day of Speed Week. Nearby wildfires filled the sky above the Bonneville Salt Flats with a brimstone haze, while whipping wind gusts toppled canopies and stirred up salt and dust, turning an already angry sky into something looking like the end of days. The doom was short-lived, thankfully. Growing up in northeastern Ohio, we had an expression, “If you don’t like the weather, just wait a day.” Indeed, it was possible to experience an entire year’s worth of seasons in Cleveland over a period of 48 hours, and such was the case in Wendover, Utah, this year. Fire and brimstone skies gave way the next day to azure blue with fluffy white…

The flyer read “Wrecking Yard sale—Secret Stash Revealed.” A family-owned automotive wrecking yard that opened almost 100 years ago has closed, and the remaining inventory and assorted parts from personal projects are in the process of being sold. On April 25, 2021, a crowd had already assembled when Ronnie Bauman and his son Rodney opened the gate onto the property of Bauman’s Auto Wrecking in Riverside, California. When Nathan Bauman, with his wife Franny, moved to Riverside and started his business, there were less than 150,000 cars and trucks registered in the United States. The Ford Model T and the Stromberg carburetor were more than a year away. The number of gas stations in the whole country could be counted on one hand with a few missing fingers. And although…

There’s nothing particularly fragile about the factory steering column in a Mopar, but like any older machine, things start going wrong after a while. Steering wheels usually crack from the sun while shedding a sticky mystery goo, turn signals fail, ignition switches get flaky, and you may even feel inconvenienced by a lack of a tilt wheel on the factory column. If you’ve spruced up the rest of your interior like our man Chris Arriero has with his 1974 Plymouth Duster project, the incongruous homeless look of an old stock steering column and steering wheel may get you to act sooner rather than later. Sources American Autowire; 800.482.9473; americanautowire.com ididit; 517.424.0577; ididit.com Flaming River; 800.648.8022; flamingriver.com…

It was the early ’70s and American muscle cars were ruling the U.S. highways, but as evidenced by the design of the second-gen Camaros, the cars from Europe were also getting noticed. It was in this age before oil embargos and soul-crushing government mandates when anything was possible. It was just the right time for something new, different, and fast to hit the market: the De Tomaso Pantera. The Italian-American mid-engine exotic featured a gorgeous body designed by Tom Tjaarda at Ghia and a monocoque chassis engineered by Gian Paolo Dallara. The partnership with Ford brought a dealer channel in the U.S., production advice, and a great engine—the 351 Cleveland. Launched in 1971, in partnership with Ford, the Pantera (Italian for Panther) was a melding of Euro styling and American…

A fan shroud does much more than just dress up the engine compartment. A properly built shroud will greatly improve the efficiency of a pull fan as it draws air through the radiator. The circular area of even a large fan is significantly smaller than the rectangular surface area of the radiator. That means the fan will cover only a portion of the radiator, possibly as little as 50 percent. That’s a lot of air that is not being pulled through the radiator at low road speeds or while the car is not in motion. In addition, a lot of air will be drawn from around the radiator, as it follows the path of least resistance. The solution is a fan shroud. Shrouds block out any air that isn’t drawn…

For an engine family as ubiquitous as the small-block Chevy, dozens of ignition wire sets are available, either over the counter at your local auto parts store or from the performance aftermarket. But if you seek more of a custom look and wire routing, or if you’re building an engine with limited support, you may need to make a set of plug wires. Fear not, the job is easy and can be done with a few simple hand tools. Check out how we made wires for Project Truck Norris, our 1967 C10. Sources BluePrint Engines; 308.236.1010; blueprintengines.com MSD Ignition; 888.258.3835; holley.com Total Cost Involved; 800.984.6259; totalcostinvolved.com heidts.com www.arp-bolts.com…

Roadkill @davidfreiburger I’m frequently asked about how I got my job. Years ago, the hidden agenda in the question was “I want to work at a car magazine?” Now it’s, “How can I grow my audience as an influencer?” I’ll answer those, but first, the 15-second explanation of my job: I was a typical gearhead who became a freelance automotive writer, leading to a staff job at HOT ROD in 1991, then became the editor of various magazines, which morphed into hosting YouTube videos that grew my social-media following before my videos became cable TV shows. I was the editor of HOT ROD for about a dozen years, and now I host Roadkill, Roadkill Garage, Engine Masters, and others. How did that happen? My car-related life began with my father,…

By 1970, the American automobile was undergoing a transformation at light speed, surpassed only by the technological changes in the racing world. As if to underscore that change, for the first time in the history of NASCAR’s Motor Trend 500, the magazine’s photographers would document the entire event at Riverside Raceway with color film. As an overcast sky dawned on Riverside Raceway on January 18, 1970, race teams and spectators were a million miles from the national discord, choosing instead on that day to celebrate what made America unique. A field of 44 cars from all over the country (and even one from Germany) would take the green flag at what was easily the single most difficult track on the NASCAR circuit, and in the most powerful American cars to…

Don’t hold it against him, but Jeff Schwartz isn’t a Mopar guy—he’s a car guy. He certainly wasn’t looking for another project when he happened upon this survivor 1971 Dodge Charger Six-Pack 440 Super Bee, but he’s in love with it now. Schwartz’s credentials as a car guy can’t be beat; not only is he the creative and engineering force behind Schwartz Performance in Woodstock, Illinois, he’s a force to be reckoned with on a road course, and he’s built a pile of insane machinery including a 1965 Pontiac Tempest, a 1971 Olds Cutlass, 1972 Chevy Vega, 1967 Ford Custom 500, and a 1981 Pontiac Trans Am—and that’s only a fraction of the cars he’s built in his garage. While a Mopar has yet to benefit from Schwartz’s deft handiwork,…

If you’re thinking about adding fuel injection to your hot rod then you’ll need to address the car’s fuel system, specifically the tank. Yes, an inline pump from your stock tank will work, but the better route is an in-tank electric pump and a baffled fuel tank. You may be wondering if a baffled fuel tank is necessary. Technically, no, but in a practical sense, the answer is yes. With a carburetor, it doesn’t matter if the fuel pickup became uncovered for a moment. Why? Well, because the carb’s fuel bowl carries enough fuel to continue to supply the engine. With EFI, however, the system needs a constant flow of fuel, and any interruption in this will cause the engine to stutter or stall. This is why EFI tanks have…

Restomods are hot right now. Modifying an older car to perform like modern cars allows enthusiasts to put modern performance into the classy looks and coolness of a car from the ’60s, and among the most popular recipients of this trend is GM’s A-body. Chevelles, Malibus, GTOs, Cutlasses, and Skylarks are among the best-looking cars of the era, and there’s no shortage of resto and performance parts available for these cars. Shock and spring manufacturer Aldan American has partnered with Performance Online to meet customer demands for a bolt-on suspension system for the A-body, and we are documenting the install on this ’64 Chevelle SS. Sources Aldan American; 310.421.0685; aldanamerican.com Performance Online; 888.973.5807; performanceonline.com…