Innehållsförteckning för February 1961 från Hot Rod

More often than not the biggest stumbling block to the teenager’s initiation of a new hot rod building project is neither time, money nor talent, but a lack of parental consent based on misgivings regarding the monetary value of a properly constructed street rod. In the opinion of many an “old head” the recovery price of the Model T hit rock bottom long before the automotive Blue Book became a reality, and any move to reconstruct the Model is merely an attempt to flog a dead horse. Nothing is further from the truth. The key to lucrative resale — if this is to be a determining factor for a youngster’s entry into the hot rod sport– is to be found in two basic rules: the wise selection of a popular’…

It’s as easy as slipping into the driver’s seat to see that this new ’61 Chevy has got people sized up in beautiful style. For this is one car that makes beauty make sense— from its slimmer, trimmer out size to a remarkably roomy in size. Larger door openings —as much as 6 inches wider —are an open invitation to get in and be on your way. Entrance height is up, too— as much as nearly 2 inches in hardtops. And there’s more front seat leg room, more foot room in the rear and generous head room (up to 2 inches more in the sport coupe). Seats—as right for sitting as they are for seeing—are up to 14% higher. These sensible new dimensions even reach right back to the easier…

You probably already have a healthy respect for the plants we’ve been putting in Pontiacs. And we guarantee this new one will please you even more. We trimmed about 60 pounds off the weight. A completely redesigned fuel induction system improves engine breathing characteristics and fuel distribution. Valve train is smoother, quieter. Exhaust system is more efficient. Two new gear boxes* (a 3-speed Hydra-Mafic and a 4-speed floor-mounted stick) give you 11 power teams to choose from. Horse powers range from 215 to 348—all with the big 389-inch displacement which turns out maximum thrust at half throttle. Get behind one of these new Trophy V-8’s soon at your Pontiac dealer’s. There’s only one like it. PONTIAC MOTOR DIVISION OF GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION *Extra cost options…

NEWS OF THE ORGANIZED HOT ROD SPORT Elsewhere in this issue of HRM you will find a brief glimpse of the 1961 rules and regulations that will govern drag racing during the coming season. The 1961 rule book is now printed and available from the NHRA for fifty cents a copy, with quantity discount prices available to drag strips, timing associations, clubs, speed shops, etc. If your group should desire to order from 50 to 99 books, the quantity price is forty cents per book. 100 or more books cost just thirty cents a copy. In the past many associations have purchased sizable quantities of books to present to their members, while many drag strips make bulk purchases in order to have the rules on hand for their competitors. An…

PITMAN ARM SUBSTITUTION It is often desirable when building up a hot rod to substitute a longer pitman arm for the original stock unit in order to provide faster steering. Finding a stock pitman arm to suit the length you want may entail a little junkyard searching. In this particular case, a 1939 Buick arm was used on an early Ford Gemmer model gearbox. The splines mate perfectly. Most of these arms have a double width spline (detail 1) which matches a double-width groove on the sector shaft. However, with these points matched, the steering may not provide equal travel in each direction. The cure for this is simple. Carefully make a small hacksaw cut in the middle of the wide spline (detail 2) and then finish with a small…

ROCK 'N ROLL SPRINT Deal' Don: I'm in the process of building up a sprint car and have a couple of personal theories I'd like to incorporate in it. All the race cars I've ever seen have always had engines that rotated in the conventional clockwise direction. On hard acceleration, the torque reaction of a normal clockwise rotating engine always causes the chassis to torque or roll over to the right or outside. Considering that all turns in sprint racing are to the left, it seems to me that it would be far more logical to have the engine rotate in a counter-clockwise direction so that engine torque would conteract the natural tendency to roll to the outside of the continual left turn. I'm planning to run a Chrysler, '57…

THE HOT TOPIC IS THE NEW TEMPEST BY PONTIAC! When you turn a couple of new cars over to a team of teenagers, you know the cars will get a real test of performance and durability. That’s exactly what Pontiac did last July 1 with a Tempest Sedan and a Tempest Safari! The only instructions: “Keep them moving 24 hours a day. Treat them rough! Pile on the miles! Drive safely. Stick to the traffic laws.” The Tempest had already passed all the usual car tests (2,600,000 miles of testing by pro drivers and engineers). But this was the big one. A new and different kind of test. Pass this and the Tempest had it made. It was a responsible assignment. The kids knew it and they bought it—100%! Sure…

Almost everyone agrees, Autolite doesn’t make the prettiest spark plugs in town. The new shiny kind are much more attractive. Obviously, there is a reason why these plugs are blue. The color itself doesn’t make any difference. But it does tell you a lot about the way the spark plug is made. Example: The way the shell is sealed to the insulator. This seal guards against loss of compression, sluggish performance, poor fuel economy. In building its blue plugs, Autolite seals the shell to Al the insulator under tremendous heat and pressure. No plated shell could stand this treatment; it would crack, peel, discolor. Plated spark plugs are usually caulked with powder and the shell crimped to the insulator. Is this difference in sealing methods really this important? It is…

Any hot rodder who isn’t familiar with /I the names of Dode Martin and Jim Dl Nelson and the Drag master dragsters hasn’t been paying proper attention to his Hot Rod Magazines. Dode and Jim own and operate the Drag master Company in Carlsbad, Calif., where they manufacture dragster’ parts and complete dragsters. They call their latest charger, which they built for their own use, “Two Thing.” Two Thing is a strange name for a car but the name came about quite naturally. At the time Two Thing was being built Dode and Jim were also working on their previous dragster, which is a conventional single-engine car. To simplify identification of the parts for the two machines, the fellows started calling the single-engined car “One Thing” and the new car,…

Today's careful kart buyer is confused occasionally by the claims he hears and reads about the various brands. Claims are hard to prove, but easy to make. Actually, by examining a few factors, the discriminating kart driver can make a wise selection. For example, consider the prestige of the kart manufacturer and how long he has been in business. The name should be based on years of kart manufacturing experience rather than months. The kart manufacturer should have a racing team and a testing track in order to evaluate and improve his product. The manufacturer's team should have a proven record of wins at tracks throughout the nation. The kart should have won Sweepstakes and various class championships at both 1960 Grand Nationals. The kart should be handsome and clean…

1961 AUTO SPORTS SPECTACULAR — Television. Presently programmed for February 5th is a fantastic TV show scheduled for coast to coast release by CBS-TV. Tabbed the 1961 Auto Sports Spectacular, the show is to feature the big races at Nassau along with lots of color atmosphere and interviews. The Nassau, Bahamas, annual week of speed events is one of the top race activities. Check your paper for local time. 1960 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP DRAGS — Film. From Bisbee-Downer Productions comes an exciting new 16mm color-sound film of the NHRA Nationals. This 17% minute film affords all viewers a front-row-center seat at the famous Nationals, presenting all the sound and fury that makes the Nats so thrilling. Available through NHRA's new Film Library Service for a nominal rental fee, the film is…

HOT ROD MART Requirements: 25 word limit per ad, not including name and adress. We reserve right to edit copy or refuse ads. While not responsible for accuracy of description, we will reject misleading statements. No ads from commercial firms. Only one car may be listed in any one ad; this limitation not to apply to parts or equipment, however, $5 per ad must accompany each insertion. When photo is included, the rate will be increased to $8 per each insertion. Due to normal delay in publication, allow at least two months from time ad is received until it is printed. SELL– Complete collections Motor Trend, Motor Life Car Craft, near comolete Hot Rod, Road & Track others. Would trade for kart equipment. Joe Oder RR 1, Van Buren, Ind.…

FAIRBANKS-MORSE KART BRAKE Of special interest to karting fans is new internal expanding five-inch brakes developed by Fairbanks-Morse. May be used on either live or stationary axles; are quite versatile. Mounting plate bolt circles are 3-inch diameter and positioned to accommodate flange type rings if desired. Rugged brake features a lever and linkage system actuating a cam. Write to Fairbanks-Morse Co., Magneto and Engine Accessories Div., H-2, Beloit, Mich., for more info. ARC WELDER The Dynamic Welder Co., 1808 S. Federal St., H-2, Chicago 16, III., reveals further improvements to their Dynamic Welder. Rugged transformer with newly designed coils using inorganic materials incorporating glass and asbestos insulated windings, new improved cable jacks and output terminals; all facilitate faster changing of current settings and instant, stable arc. Manufacturer claims easy, professional…

Bangers — single cylinder engines in cycle jargon — have been traditional since the first motorized two-wheeler breathed fire about the turn of the century. Like the four-bangers at Indy, the classic 30 cubic inch singles have successfully stood ground against more elaborate multicylinder layouts by virtue of their exceptionally good low rpm torque, tractive qualities and ease of maintenance. During sixty years of motorcycle production, Matchless of London, England, has relied heavily on the single; it did a job for them in 1907 by winning the first of the now internationally famous Isle of Man TT road races and has been bringing home the mutton ever since. In more recent years, with the invasion of increasing numbers of high rpm sports twins of considerably more displacement, Matchless, in addition…

The Bendix Hydraulic Brake is used (with some modification) on most makes of General Motors, Ford Motor Company, Hudson, Nash and Packard cars. In this brake assembly, both shoes are connected by means of a spring at the heel, or bottom end, of the shoes. Because of this connection, these shoes thus work as a team and are referred to as primary and secondary shoes. When the brake is applied with the car Oin forward motion, the wheel cylinder actuates only the primary shoe. This shoe in turn actuates the secondary shoe by means of a feature of the brake. This feature, called servo action, forces the secondary shoe into the rotating brake drum, with the result that it does about twice as much work as the primary shoe. Because…

Anew single-grade motor oil known as RPM Special Motor Oil has just been introduced by Standard Oil Company of California, Western Operations, Inc., in the Los Angeles Area. This is reportedly the world's first heavy-duty ashless detergent single-grade motor oil, providing another big step in savings to the motorist. It is stated to do this by reducing engine deposits and wear, thus maintaining new car performance for a longer period of time than is possible with the present heavy-duty ash-forming detergent oils. Commercial experience obtained with the first all-ashless detergent multigrade oil, RPM Supreme Motor Oil, introduced in 1957 by the Standard Oil Company of California, spurred the efforts for developing an ashless detergent for single-grade motor oils. Over the past several years the “heavy-duty” (alkaline metallic detergent) oils have…