Innehållsförteckning för January 2004 från Hot Rod

“I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description; and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it …” —Justice Potter Stewart in a Supreme Court pornography ruling, 1964 I’m way geeked about the first-ever HOT ROD Magazine/Comp Cams, Pump-Gas Drags announced in this issue—probably because I’ve not yet been yelled at by enough racers in my time. Back in 1992 I was helmet-deep in HOT ROD’s original Fastest Street Car Shootout, an event born of pure intentions and one that was outrageously popular right up to the point where guys were showing up in full-on Pro Stockers with nitrous and license plates. We staffers of the time were…

The other day my husband's uncle, Earl Cowan, told me there was a 1957 picture of my dad in the current issue of HOT ROD magazine. Earl recognized the picture of my dad and his dragster because he used to hang around the OKC dragstrip in the ’50s. My mother immediately bought three copies. She placed a magazine in front of my dad and told him there was something in there he would want to see. Needless to say he was shocked and began telling us stories about that car that I’m sure I’ve heard before but didn’t remember. I thought you might be interested in the story behind the red and white dragster and the man driving it. My dad, Orby Hartman, was a construction worker at the time…

Greg Spradlin's gallery offers a wide array of stunning Street rods, musclecars, customs, exotics, and ladies to spruce up your Office, living room, or garage. A lifelong car nut, Greg started out by drawing in pencil, and then later transitioned to watercolor, airbrush, and eventually Computers, which he uses to create all-digital Images. His other hobbies include desktop Publishing, Web design, screen print graphics, and photography. To see more or buy of his fine art, visit www.gregspradlin.com. Did You Know … According to a release from the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, the NHRA's annual California Hot Rod Reunion at Famoso Raceway brings $3 million to the local economy in Bakersfield, California.…

Back in 1989, HOT ROD held the Model Car Nationais, where participants duked it out with fellow model crafters for bragging rights, trophies, and cash prizes. Jeff Watts of Parma, Ohio, won the Senior Division for his rendition of a ’66 Nova. He came back the next year and cleaned house, winning First place in the Custom, Street Rod, and Competition Drag Hasses. So what did he do with the HOT ROD prize money? With the help of his dad Ken, Jeff tracked down a real ’69 Camaro and went drag racing. Over the years, their 15-second green machine has been transformed into a blue beast that currently runs 9-flat at 150 mph on motor thanks to a Donovan aluminum 588ci big-block topped with Dart 355 Pro 1 heads and…

Texas native Daniel Gilbert, a second-year Student at Universal Technical Institute’s Houston campus, took home a $7,500 scholarship on August 29 at Indianapolis Raceway Park during the NHRA U.S. Nationais. The Castrol GTX Top Techs Program recognizes and rewards the nation’s finest automotive students to help them further their education. Our parent Company Primedia donated part of the proceeds, and Senior Editor Matt King was on the selection committee. And yeah, Daniel got to meet the winningest driver in drag racing history, too.…

The plodding introduction of Chevy’s SSR roadster pickup has finally come to a walk, what with the first of the 25 Signature Series celebrity vehicles selling at a Kruse auction ($57,500 for the Doobie Brothers' Ride), a few production models eking into owners’ hands, and production in full swing by the time you read this. Meanwhile, in what has become the norm for specialty vehicles from Detroit, Chevy has delivered a couple of ’em to our friends at So-Cal Speed Shop in Pomona, California, which will build perhaps the first hot rodded SSR outside of GM. In addition to the retro cosmetic scheme seen in the illustrations, the 5.3L Gen III V-8 will be topped with a Magnuson supercharger System. Look for a full feature in a coming issue of…

“You're building your coffin” was the typical response we got from the uninformed. But instead of a wheelstanding, guardrail-bending deathtrap, the Wilshire Shaker turned out to be a very stable ride [grain of salt: this is per the guy who's never owned a radial tire—ed] Of course a lot of it has to do with the fact that we’re not trying to push 800-plus horsepower through the Chassis like Dickie Harrell and the boys did. The Shaker’s got a more manageable 528 flywheel horsepower that's delivered to the B&M flexplate by a Hilborn/Electromotive-injected GMPP ZZ502/502 crate motor. After the Art Carr 2,200-rpm torque Converter, full-manual, pushbutton 727 TorqueFlite and Currie Enterprises 3.50:1 Ford 9-inch and Detroit Locker digest it, 346 hp and 486 Ib-ft of torque arrive at the M/T…

Just like compressor maps help you select a turbo (covered last month), Turbonetics/Spearco has developed efficiency charts for its Standard intercooler cores. The charts are calibrated for engines running 10-psi boost at 6,000 rpm. (For 15 psi, increase pressure drop about 10 percent; for 20 psi, increase by 30 percent; for 5 psi, reduce by 25 percent.) For example, this chart for Turbonetics’ PN 2-176 intercooler shows the unit is suitable for a 350ci engine at 6,000 rpm running 10-psi boost. Here’s how that’s figured: First locate engine displacement along the bottom axis. The cfm values assume 100 percent VE at 6,000 rpm; if you intend to run the engine higher, use the cfm value derived from last month's formulas. Note the point where a vertical line (red in this…

Some guys spend a lifetime looking for the deal of a lifetime. They start and stop so many projects, always looking for the better deal, that they never really make any progress. Then there are the guys who pick one project and stick with it. That's Tom Ciancitto. In 1969, Tom traded a beat-up '59 Austin-Healey 3000 roadster worth about 300 bucks for a ’37 Ford pickup, and the ensuing 34-plus years have been a pretty long, strange trip. But he’s definitely got something to show for it. Toms logged over 50,000 miles in the ’37 hauling motocross bikes from track to track; he’s cruised it as a Street rod, had it laid up in the garage in pieces for more than a few years, and built it back from…

HOT ROD Cover Cars by Johnny Lighting What: Most musclecar fanatics agree that 1970 was the pinnacle year for outrageous factory offerings. This limited-availability, three-car, 1/64-scale collection from Johnny Lightning pays tribute to our Sept. '69 cover art and is available only online from Playing Mantis. Included are intricately detailed replicas of a 429 SCJ Torino, Cydone Spoiler, and Hemi Cuda featuring opening hoods and mostly meta! construction. How Much: $14.99 Source: Playing Mantis; 800/MANTIS-8; www.playingmantis.com HOT ROD '40 Ford Banner What: This 28x40-inch double-printed full-color banner can be hung virtually anyplace and pays tribute to an all-time classic hot rod. The 100-percent polyester construction resists stains and cleans easily. How Much: $25 Source: B.S.I. Products; available at racing collectibles stores HOT ROD Party Pennants What: Add a touch of…

It’s a good thing American Motors decided not to name its ponycar entry Sceptre, Vixen, or Tarpon. Can you imagine trying to come up with a compelling story title using those suggested names? Instead, AMC hit the bull’seye and picked Javelin for its new-for-'68 "Mustang,” giving us the opportunity to strut our stuff with this witty and highly imaginative story title. And speaking of witty and highly imaginative, Tom Lodge is one Floridian with an eye for the unusual. He spotted this '69 Javelin at an estate auction several years ago and managed to make the high bid. What he got for his $500 was an original SST model packing the potent 315hp 390 V-8, the biggest optional motor available in the AMC lineup until the stroked 401 arrived on…

The purpose of a crankcase evacuation pump—commonly called a vacuum pump—is to improve piston-ring seal by reducing ring flutter that can be caused by positive pressure in the crankcase (blow-by). Greater percentages of improvements can be seen with narrow ring packs, and additionally, those thin rings add power through friction reduction. So it’s all good. In order to run a vacuum pump, the crankcase must not be vented through valve-cover breathers or even leaking gaskets. With a wet-sump oiling System, the vacuum pump is a stand-alone, beltdriven accessory, and its speed is adjusted by altering the pulley ratio. One-12 AN line is plumbed into the engine, usually at a spot in a valve cover without too much internal oil splashing. The pump draws through this line, then spits air and…

IN THREE WORDS: Shrunken racing rods THE GIST: About a decade ago, as skyrocketing costs were signalling the death of affordable grassroots oval racing, Charlotte Motor Speedway officials vowed to fight back and come up with a solution. They pictured small, nimble, simple, low-maintenance cars that were easy on the wallet and light enough to be towed by (or even in) a small pickup. These demands prompted the birth of Legends Cars: ⅝-scale '30s Ford and Chevy replicas on a dedicated tube Chassis and powered by motorcycle engines. The cute yet potent pocket rockets compete on both ovals and roadcourses throughout the United States and in 10 foreign countries. With strict vehicle rules ensuring parity and classes divided by driver skill, racing is extremely competitive. VEHICLE SPECS: • Length, width,…

Peak horsepower is for bench-racing and selling aftermarket parts. Average horsepower, or “area under the curve,” is for pleasing your butt-o-meter on the Street and blowing off doors at the track. As the term implies, it’s simply the total area beneath a power/torque curve, and we offen calculate it by averaging the power numbers at a number of rpm data points that fall in the engine’s intended rpm range. The higher the average power, the betten From a performance standpoint, ideally an engine would ideally be able to constantly operate at or near its horsepower peak. However, unless equipped with a continuously variable transmission (Audi A4; Honda Civic HX and Insight; Nissan Murano), it won’t stay within that narrow rpm range; engines paired with conventional manuals and automatics must rev…

Hot on the tail of the Ultima GTR, Factory Ur S Five Racing (the guys with the cool AC-like roadster Street and race component cars based on 5.0 Mustang donor parts) is hard at work on the GTM. The $20,000 price of admission includes a tubular-Steel spaceframe, aluminum panel reinforcements, and an epoxy-resin laminate body that looks like it came Straight out of Italy. The package is designed to incorporate C5 Corvette Suspension and a mid-ship-mounted Gen III Chevy small-block mated to a Porsche G50, Audi, or ZF transaxle. At just 2,200 pounds, the GTM is sure to scoot It’s just up to you to find the donor cars. See more at wwrv.factoryfive.com.…

Now that we’ve written the tagline, we realize that it about sums up the changes to the second-year Dodge SRT-4 econo-blaster. The 2.4L turbo front-driver now delivers 230 hp and 250 Ib-ft, up from last year’s 215 and 245 numbers. Colorwise, say adios to that screaming yellow and hello to a Subaruish Electric Blue; silver, black, and red remain the sedate options. More good moves: a Quaife Automatic Torque Sensing diff is now Standard (and a godsend during our track time at Willow Springs), and the 205/50-17 Michelin Pilots have been replaced with stickier BFGs. The MSRP jumps a grand to $20,995. See more at www.dodge.com. And can you believe there’s already an event just for SRT-4s? Hit www.srt-nationals.com and be there in February.…

The Wilshire Shaker Nova has been under construction for six years. To catch up on all the details, check out the following stories that ran in HOT ROD magazine. • "Ramming the Rat," July '99 • "The Father Dowel Pin Mysteries," May '00 • "Ohm Sweet Ohm," Jan. '01 • "The Hole Truth," April '01 • "Match Bash: How to Build a Funny Car," May '01 • "Match Bash Part 2"' June '01 • "How to Two-Tone," April '02 • "Wilshire Shaker," Dec. '03 If your collection of back issues is incomplete, just log onto HOTROD.com and click "This Month" on the main page to see these articles in their entirety.…

Each full point of compression is worth about 30 Ibft on a typreal 350 engine. But you gain 30 hp (or 50 Ib-ft) per pound of boost—so unlike a normally aspirated engine, it pays to trade off compression for the ability to run more boost. That’s why street-driven turbo Setups generally like compression ratios between 8.0:1 and 9.0:1. Adialed-in 8:1 electronically managed EFI engine can generally Support one atmosphere (about 15 psi) of boost on 92-octane gas. When you start making over 12 pounds of boost, it’s time for a no-holds-barred short-block. Hank the Crank says that a forged or billet crank, heavy-duty U.S.-made rods (like Carrillo H-beams), premium trimetal bearings, and custom-forged heavy-duty turbo pistons are mandatory. With pistons, strength is more important than saving weight. Maintain at least…

Purpose-built machines tend to be one-track-minded: Stiff road-race? Chassis limit dragstrip traction, and drag Suspension leaves you scrapmg the doorhandles on road courses and autocrosses. If something kicks ass in one area, the theory goes, there must be a deficiency somewhere eise. Gh, there are plenty of vehicles that can do many things well, or at least well enough: this is the brief of the modern automobile. But what if you could dramatically imprave on this late-model credo. then measure the improvement in whole numbers, not fractions—and fulfill the role of being a total package in all arenas, including Street driveability? Not so simple. So we were a liftle surprised to stumble onto Randy Brown’s green '94 395ci LT1 Firebird Formula. At the www.fbody-event.org get-together in Indianapolis this past May,…

As far as we can teil, the very first sanctioned boat drags were organized in California during 1957 by the Long Beach Boat and Ski Club. HOT ROD covered the second annual event in the Aug. '58 issue with photos that looked a lot like the four-wheeled rodding of the day: Olds, Pontiac, and Hemi power, Strombergs and Stacks, finned valve covers and magnetos. Even the names were familiar, including Keith Black, Art Chrisman, Ernie Hashim, and legendary timing master Otto Crocker. Drag boats appeared on HOT ROD’s cover three times in 1959, ushenng an era of regular coverage that was eventually focused into Rooster Tales, a column by legendary staff photographer Eric Rickman that ran almost every month from April '64 through Nov. '70. Clearly, hot boating was hot…

Leave the support vehicle at home, drive to the track on pump gas, and lay down your best average e.t. over three dragstrip passes. That’s the bottom line. See, HOT ROD has been here before, establishing the vastly popular Fastest Street Car Shootouts of the early ’9Os, then watching them blow entirely out of control as so-called Street cars showed up with Jerry Bickel chassis and IHRA Pro Stock mills. Forget it. The lesson we learned is that any time you lay down some drag rules, someone’s gonna build to the limit to take the glory. It’s why Stock Eliminator turned to Super Stock that turned to Pro Stock that became anything but stock. It’s why A/FX turned to altered wheelbases that turned to Funny Cars. No stopping it. But…

LS1 Cylinder Heads Air Flow Research 818/890-0616 www.airflowresearch.com Improving upon the phenomenal performance of Chevy’s Gen III small-block cylinder heads is no small feat, but AFR is up to the challenge. Available with either 205 and 225cc CNC-ported runners and 2.02/1 60-inch valves, AFR Claims the heads flow over 300 cfm at 0.600-inch lift. The 0.750-inch-thick decks and reinforced rocker-stud bosses enhance durability, beefy runner walls allow room for porting, and the swirl-inducing combustion chamber design (66 or 76 cc) enhances low- and mid-lift performance. They’ll bolt right on without any special parts necessary. Look for the scoop coming soon in HOT ROD. Nitrous and Fuel Pressure Gauges NOS 714/546-0592 www.nosnitrous.com Designed for the hardcore sportsman racer, these gauges ensure precise nitrous and fuel metering for that extra edge in…

THIS MONTH ON HOTROD.COM • Subscribe Online • Message Boards • Events • Featured Vehicles • HOT ROO Project Cars HOT ROD Merchandise What are you looking for? We have the latest HOT ROD-branded goodies behind the HOT ROD Merchandise button on the navigation bar. If you wanted the 2002 and 2003 Power Tour Videos, it’s the place to find them, too. Wilshire Shaker Steve Magnante has been building an altered-wheelbase Nova since before there was a HOTROD.com. You’ve seen the stories in the magazine, now squint at its stunning orange-and-white suit and bristling intake Stacks while you watch it make the first shakedown run of its life. Steve reports, "No wheelies.” No? See for yourself with a video download. Message Boards We were lurking on the Power Tour board…

When I saw the April ’03 issue’s “Fat Fender Makeover,” I knew that I’d found the paint scheme I’d been looking for! Thom Taylor’s rendering of an updated car was great! Here is my car in ’02 Mercedes Amethyst and Silver after I showed Lester’s Automotive what I wanted. It’s a ’37 Pontiac "224" Touring Sedan, built in Canada, with independent Suspension that is now AirLift Easy Street bagged with Fatman dropped spindles and 17x7 Torq-Thrust Hs in 205R45/17 Avon XR tires. I used to own a speed shop, so performance is in my blood. Accelerometer (Tazzo) records 0-60 in 5.92 sec. and 1.38 g’s! Not bad for a 3,800-pounder! Gord FormanWinnipeg, Manitoba, Canada…

What: Gasser Wars: Drag Racing's Street Classes: 1955-1968 Who: Author Larry Davis, available from CarTech, 800/551-4754; www.cartechbooks.com How Much: $39.95 plus $4.95 S&H In the late ’50s, thousands of street-legal hot rods participated in organized drag races across the country. They ran in three major classes: Gas, Modified Production, and Modified Sports. As the racers got more serious, the cars became street-legal in appearance only. Yeah, they had headlights, taillights, and interiors, but they were full-on race cars with blown Hemi engines, wide racing slicks, and insanely lifted suspensions to accentuate weight transfer when the flag was dropped, or later, when the Tree went green. Because these cars resembled Street vehicles, they had a huge (an base, and their short wheel-published. bases and wicked, overkill engines made them exciting to…

What: Custom-built 1/18-scale die-cast replicas Who: The Diecast Mall; Lombard, IL; 630/424-1700; www.thediecastmall.com How Much: Not cheap; our Crusher Camaro replica cost $400 Ever wanted a 1/18-scale, die-cast-metal replica of your hot rod? Not just a generic replica, but one that’s been completely reworked to replicate the personal changes you’ve made to your engine, Suspension, inferior, wheels, and paint? If you have, but aren’t a skilled model builder, then John Fox, proprietor of The Diecast Mall, can help. Fox, an accomplished model builder, Starts with a stock pre-assembled diecast metal model, then handcrafts it into a replica of your ride based on photos you supply. This requires the availability of a basic model of your vehicle type as a jumping-off point. Fortunately, the explosive growth in the die-cast collectibles market…

There are so many branches in the Family tree of hot-rod building it’s become a mind-boggling paradise. We’ve got Pro Street, Pro Touring, lead sleds, sport compacts, Street rods, fat fenders, kustoms with a “K,” low riders, rat rods, the Trans Am look, neo-NASCAR, the Gasser look, and tons of others. Each style has its own strict codes and highly specific set of aesthetics. What about altered-wheelbase Funny Cars? Incredibly popular between 1964 and 1967, they represent the historic first pairing of extensively lightened Detroit body shells with insane levels of horsepower. For a scant three race seasons, the world watched in awe as these beasts broke free of the NHRA’s shackles. Rapidly they evolved from rule book-abiding Super Stockers and Factory Experimentals into brutal [and often deadly) exhibition match…

If you were with us last month, you should be fairly well versed in selecting a basic turbocharger configuration for a given application. But the turbocharger is only one piece of an integrated System including inlet ducting, exhaust piping, wastegates. and other components This month we'll take a look at how everything fits together. Inlet Ducting Power level defines the inlet duct sizing. Generally the compressor inlet should be about 1 inch larger in outer diameter than the outlet. You can’t go too far wrang if the inlet ducting is the same size as the compressor inducer orifice size. Wastegate Short of buying stock in a piston Company, the primary means of preventing engine-destroying over-boost is an adjustable wastegate. Located in the exhaust collector downstream of any individual primary tubes,…

Turbochargers spin at up to 100,000 rpm, so external lubrication is required to protect the turbo and its bearings from damage. The turbo is usually connected to the host engine's Standard engine-oil lubrication System via external cooling lines, although some isolated reservoirs and independent electric circulation pumps have been developed. These pumps are also useful if the turbo is mounted lower than the oil level in the engine oil pan sump.…

There are only three things guaranteed in Life: death, taxes, and traditionalists intimidated by radical new technogizmos that alter how things have been done since “the good old days.” When it comes to fuel delivery, while young punks and gray-beards can go back and forth on supposed power advantages of their atomization method of choice, EFI indeed offers clear benefits in emissions quality, driveability, and gas mileage. That’s exactly why all the OEMs ditched carburetors long ago. However, in a world of no free lunches, the benefits of EFI come at the cost of increased complexity. Faulty, sometimes-difficult-to-diagnose mass airflow, manifold absolute pressure, and oxygen sensors can leave you pining for old-school jet-and-metering-rod technology, when all you needed to tune an out-of-whack air/fuel ratio was a keen nose and ear,…

Thanks to the generosity of Brad Parrack, my first quarter-mile pass on water was a 10.98 at 95 mph. It began when I suited up into the constrictive safety gear (see the sidebar) and dropped into the seat of Brad's Scream Dream, where l’d remain for an hour as the boat was dragged from the pits, through the line to the in-ramp, and finally into the water. Once in the drink, a soaked NJBA worker helped hook the boat to a jet ski to tow me to the holding rope strung across the lake, where I pulled the boat to see a flashing amber light for about 30 seconds, at which time I fired up the engine and initiated the MSD Launch Controller. Next, the amber goes solid for 5…

Five-thousand hours: That’s 208 days, 30 weeks, or 7 months depending on how you count it. it‘s the amount of time from the first pitch of Opening Day to the final out of the World Series. It’s how long the clock ticks between Christmas and the Fourth of July. It’s like working 125 consecutive 40-hour work-weeks without ever taking a nap. And it’s the amount of time Doug Nichols wrenched on his ’67 Nova SS to create the masterpiece you see before you. Now that's true dedication. There are some people who say they do all their own work, then there are those who really do all their own work. When you dedicate 5,000 hours of your life to working on a project, there’s a good chance you’re one of…

Admit it: Any automobile that goes mid-8s at over 160 mph in the quarter-mi deserves respect. The sheer engmeering involved. not to mention the cost, of pushing any full-bodied car to those numbers takes no less than full devotion—and that’s with hundreds of cubic inches and eight cylmders throbbmg away under the hood. Now, picture that same speed, that same time, that same overwhelming burst of energy, with half the cylinders and less than a third of the displacement you’d expect. On 8-inch-wide tires. Intrigued? Welcome to John Shepherd’s 8.76-second, 165.97-mph, back-to-back three-time IDRC National Street-class championship-winning '91 Eagle Talon. Need a translation? Here’s some background. Once upon a time, Chrysler and Mitsubishi, after years of blowing in each other’s ears, got together and had a baby, and they called…

’73 Oldsmobile Cutlass S Dave Gray Guelph, Ontario, Canada Painstakingly long restorations can make you want to quit, so after almost five years of labor, Dave made it all worthwhile by picking up his buddies and cruising until dawn. He says, “It took us all back to the days when it had whitewall tires, faded paint, and an oil-burning engine. None of us wanted it to end.” Power comes from a 350 Rocket motor strapped with ported heads, an Edelbrock Performer RPM intake manifold, and a Holley 750-cfm double-pumper carb. ’61 Ford Thunderbird Convertible Daniel Pisarcik Wilkes-Barre, PA Is that a two-seater or four? It’s actually both. Daniel retrofitted a tonneau cover from a ’62 T-bird Sports Roadster that transforms his ’61 from a four-passenger people-mover to a slick two-seat…