Innehållsförteckning för May 1966 från Hot Rod

SEARS WHEEL Sears, Roebuck and Co. enters the wheel market with this “Astral I” stylized steelrimmed and cast aluminum-centered unit. Careful material selection and control insure heat-treat in excess of aircraft specs. Wheels are now available at Sears stores. PRE-FAB HEADER KITS Smooth mandrel bends and pre-cut flanges make up this package. A few simple welds, and you’re in business. Pieces are trimmed and pre formed for easy assembly. Contact Cyclone Automotive Products, Dept. HR, 3401 Winona Avenue, Burbank, California. NEW IN PISTON RINGS Here’s a ring within a ring, providing a complete circle of sealing material and reported to greatly reduce fuel leakage, particularly in the use of nitrobase fuels. Priced comparable to conventional ring sets. Write G. L. Franz Co., Dept. HR, 16246 Minn. St., Paramount, Calif. DONOVAN…

Here’s another live one. Seems it’s going to be tough to get around saying you don’t want to pass up an opportunity to catch four gears in one of these rubber-wheeled hemis, so we won’t. Don’t pass it up! The subject for this round of performance checks was Plymouth’s entry into the street hemi program. Four hundred and twenty-six inches of muscle, stuffed under the now-renowned hemi chambers, tied to a Hurst aden four-speed, and landlocked with 3.55 gearing of a type Plymouth Division calls Sure-grip; and it does. Published engine output figures are 425 hp and 490 pounds-feet at 5000 and 4000 rpm respectively for the ’66 426. Cylinder heads are cast iron instead of aluminum, the R3116 Holleys have been replaced with Carter 4139S and 4140S pairs (front…

If you had to choose a single word I best befitting the AHRA event at I Irwindale, it might well be “anti-climactic.” For two days, the fervor had mounted to the point that when the last round of Top Fuel remained, the single pass by Bob Hightower seemed to let the air out of the bag. Not that the “Vandal” didn’t deserve the win. For certain, Dave Smart and Bob Hightower had “survived” some of the West Coast’s stiffer competition. In retrospect, the win was there from the beginning. The Vandal carded an 8.08 in round one as Ron Hampshire in the Waterman and Hampshire entry went out of shape and shut off. Round two saw the Vandal pick off an 8.29 as Jimmy Nix drew the red bulb. Another…

Having been a “shifty” character for many a mile, when Bob Greene asked if I wanted to road test the new six-speed 250cc Suzuki X-6 Hustler, I jumped at the chance. I hadn’t been doing much riding, having “retired” from competition, so I was anxious to get back in the saddle for some of those unmatched thrills that come from being “up on two wheels.” The feeling that struck me when seeing this machine for the first time was one of appreciation for its pure beauty. The gleaming red and silver color scheme, the polished aluminum, and the liberal use of chrome all combined to present a package that looked classy, without being frilly, and yet retained the appearance of a business like performer — which is the whole idea…

“Anyone with some knowledge of motorcars is aware that spark plugs—or sparking plugs as we call them in Britain —need periodic cleaning and regapping to perform efficiently. What many people overlook is that a judicious bit of filing maybe in order at the same time. “As plugs wear, their electrodes become rounded and require higher voltage to fire. Missing can result, robbing you of power and economy. Filing the electrodes so their edges are sharp again and adjusting the gap to correct spacing with parallel surfaces restores performance. “With sparking action occurring as often as 300 times per minute under extreme heat of combustion, the best electrodes will eventually erode beyond a point where they can be corrected by servicing. When this happens, I recommend you install a new set…

ADDENDUM TO THE ADS Dear Sir: I was glancing through your magazine for the month of December and noticed two advertisements that puzzled me. The two-page Champion ad stated that the Ramchargers ran the quarter at 210.76 mph-"fastest in the Nationals’ history.” But on page 115 there was another ad that said the Brissette and Sutherland dragster ran the quarter at 219.00 mph. It seems to me that 219 is faster than 210, so why didn’t the Brissette and Sutherland dragster get the honor of the Nationals’ fastest quarter? Please clear me up on this if you will. Jim Holochak Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Happy to, Jim. You are making reference to two different “Nationals.” The Ramcharger team ran the NHRA meet and the Brissette and Sutherland rail participated in the…

There are some things like bib overalls, wrought-iron gates and lightning rods that you can plan on selling enough of to warrant continuing production, but not so much as to let you get sassy. In some measure, by the admission of Chevrolet executives themselves, the El Camino has enjoyed this kind of existence; popular, but not in the hot tracks of their bigger Impala models. For '66, Chevy revamped the looks of the Chevelle and did a good job of it on the whole, but since the Camino uses some pretty basic design sheet metal from the cab back, it's difficult to achieve an appearance radically unlike similar models of previous years. If you've been a regular reader of ours, you probably recall that a pickup like this was given…

The Motorama dates back to 1950, when the show was presented as an III all-automotive spectacular which included in its displays virtually every form of racing machine, along with dozens of other unique and dazzling vehicles representative of the early-days hot rod sport. The show’s originator and producer, Robert E. Petersen, steadily grew busier with production of his then newest project, that of publishing HOT ROD Magazine and, as a result, he was forced to retire the Motorama for several years. But today the title has been revived, and the 1966 show, known as the Winternational. Motorama, held in Los Angeles at the Pan Pacific Auditorium, opened to thousands of automotive sports fans who were treated to witness in one assembly a gallery of all that is found in the…

On February 12, 1966, Dick Brannan, in an altered ’base Mustang, cut an e.t. of 9.19 seconds at Irwindale, California, awl an automatic transmission program more than a year in development came to bear. Three weeks later at Bakersfield, (Gas Ronda, in another Mustang, blistered the “funny” competition (blown cars included) with an 8.95 and another Cruise-O-Matic-inspired victory. At this point, the cat was definitely “out of the bag,” and we began to investigate the nature of the soft-box that Ford’s Charles Gray was calling “almost a production unit.” A quick trip to the Dearborn establishment (through the office of Paul Preuss, Ford Division public relations and with assists from the Transmission and Chassis gang who developed the beefy automatic), produced some rather revealing bits of information. Our findings, complete…

U. S. Highway 1 winds down the eastern seaboard from Fort Kent, Maine, to Key West, Florida, seemingly like an asphalt thread shuttling the warp and woof of the American fabric. Many of this nation’s great population centers are sprawled along its shoulders, history courses its path, and when you get south of the Mason-Dixon Line, they write folkrock ballads about the drivers who ply the giant steel and aluminum diesels over this road that runs like a black river through the night. There are a lot of clues to a nation’s character whirring over U. S. 1 at any given moment, and if you were heading south across the Florida state line in mid-February 1966, you’d have noted a bushel of bright-colored Grand National stock cars being hauled on…

Dateline Daytona: “Dog-gone! Don’t that chicken smell good, though!” It was Daytona, sure enough. Daytona—with the rain about to bust loose any minute, and fifty hot shoes out on the track ready to do the same. And the bands playing, and the beauty queens, and that good old barbecue chicken cooking. And on the pole, Richard Petty raring to go on those good old Goodyear Blue Streaks. And right from the flag, young Richard shows them all what a car’s back bumper looks like. It was the world’s fastest 500 mile stock car race, and after a year’s absence, Richard Petty proved that he can get there faster than ever before. In front of a record crowd of more than 90,000 people, Petty out-ran his own track record-1 60.627 miles…

You’re an A A/Fuel Dragster driver. The crew straps you into the car, checks the tautness of the shoulder straps, and then puts on the face mask, helmet and goggles; they give you that necessary feeling of security, even though it’s hot in there. A light bump at your back indicates that the push car is in position. You wave to signal the crew and down the staging lanes you roll, the sound of the push car’s engine breathing down your neck. Oil pressure: Up. Mag switch: On. Your knees tremble as the first “rump” of the supercharged engine is sounded and you feel the big mill come to life. Next, pre-stage. Crew members hurriedly check engine temperature, wipe down the slicks, remove’ the push bar and wave it in…

After a show like the Hemi-Under-Glass, what do you do for an encore? If /I you’re George Hurst, you sit in your Warminster, Pa., office, consider the problem and then defer to the inspiration of brain-truster Jack Watson, President of Hurst Performance Research in Madison Heights, Michigan. Take one of the Youth Market’s hottest numbers, the Olds 4-4-2, and cram in, not one, but two, count ’em, two, blown/injected 432 cubic inch (remember the 425?) Olds — one for the front and one for the back. What expedient would you use for a drive train? Just the decade’s mechanical breakthrough for the industry, that’s all. The Toronado front wheel drive assembly. Stock? Almost. The right hand axle shafts were swapped for left handers because they are stronger, and then each…

In keeping with the air of professionalism prevailing during the last few years in the development of drag racing, the United Drag Racers Association has evolved. It offers to racers, affiliates, and even non-racers, an organization not only capable of sanction, but one embodying the essentials of a successful racing effort; safety, experience, unity, and an evident sense of fair play. The association was formed in September of 1963, principally by and for participating drag racers. Since that time, it has grown to include a total of eleven chapters with some 1700 members throughout the country. During the course of its growth, the UDRA has attempted to promote driver representation and overall safety. Driver tests, safety rules committees, tech and grievance committees, all combine in an effort to provide drag…

In most accidents, somebody failed to see a driving hazard. Somebody was a victim of bad-seeing habits. For good, safe driving always be sure other drivers and pedestrians see your car. Use your turn signals early to let others know your plans. Don’t count on the “right of way” to keep you out of danger. Don’t count on pedestrians staying clear of your path—make sure they see you. Make sure the car following you knows your intentions. Use your brake lights to give him early warning. At night, because of weather conditions, turn on your driving lights. Never drive with parking lights. According to Harold Smith, originator of the “Smith System of No-Accident Driving,” making sure that others see you is one of the best seeing habits you can form…

About the time this issue hits the stands, all you boaters will be getting out the scrapers and paint brushes to get the “old girl” into shape for some spring cruising on the first warm day. This is all well and good, but let’s take a good look at the safety equipment, too. Is it all there, and is it all working? How about the life jackets and cushions? Be sure the mice or your pet pooch hasn’t been chewing on them—they don’t float too well when they’re full of holes. Batteries all fresh and the flares dry and usable? First aid kit in order? Check on the sunburn lotion. How about the fire extinguisher; is it fully charged? These things don’t sound too important right here, but should you…