Innehållsförteckning för July 1984 från Hot Rod

California Smog Updates Through the combined efforts of SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association), the California Bureau of Auto Repair, and various concerned individuals within the industry, the recently enacted California emissions inspection program has been amended for the benefit of hot rodders and street machiners. As the program was first implemented, virtually all speed equipment was outlawed and smog stations were instructed to fail cars based on a visual inspection for aftermarket parts. The new BAR revision accepts the presence of performance, add-on, and modified parts that are emissions related provided they have provisions for the original emissions control devices, and those devices are in fact hooked up and operative. The part must also be listed in the manufacturer’s catalog for street application on the model vehicle being inspected. The…

Headlight Covers Mr. Gasket Company is offering headlight covers which both protect and beautify your vehicle. They are manufactured from durable Lexan plastic (smoke or clear), and require no tools for removal after initial installation. They’re designed to fit ’81-’83 Ford Escorts, ’83-’84 Mustangs, ’78-’81 Camaros (except Rallye Sport), ’80-’82 Chevy Blazers with dual square headlights, and many other cars and pickups. Mr. Gasket Company, Dept. HR-07, 8700 Brookpark Rd., Cleveland, OH 44129. A Perfect Fit Earl’s Performance Products has just introduced ’’Auto-Fit’’—new hose end fittings for performance applications. Auto-Fit, which uses a single-nipple design and a unique sealing method at two points, is available in popular sizes for oil, fuel, and vacuum line applications. Earl’s Performance Products, Dept. HR-07, 825 E. Sepulveda, Carson, CA 90745, (213) 830-1620. Blazing Sunroofs…

For the muffler test, it was necessary to come up with an engine that was reliable and yet powerful enough to produce some big horsepower numbers. A 9.4:1 454 with aluminum open-chamber heads and healthy cam was chosen and carefully blueprinted by Gale Banks’. After assembly, the engine was installed on Gale’s unique portable dyno apparatus, carted into position, and then fully run in for 1½ hours. A simulated “street high-performance” exhaust system was fabricated to connect the dyno engine to the mufflers. It consisted of Hedman 4-2-1 marine headers; they’re similar to normal car headers, but curve up instead of down to clear Gale’s dyno apparatus. The headers neck down into dual, 6-foot-long, 27½-inch-diameter pipes with a crossover tube. Previous research by Chrysler had shown that such a crossover…

In the old days, when roadsters and coupes were hot and street confrontations were a nightly happening, only those struck with “sleepers” sickness would opt for sedans. Then family-oriented street rodding emerged as the way to go, which eventually led to the resurgence of interest in sedans. Amherst, Ohio’s Darryl Rodgers and his “Tee-for-Four,” a name he picked “because there are four people in our family,” epitomizes the continuing trend toward larger, closed cars. Now although the Tudor rests on a Posie-built chassis (comprised of a 1 1/4X3-inch rectangular tube frame which supports a tube front axle, Monroe shocks, Posie’s own springs, plus Chevy van brakes and a 9-inch Ford rearend), is powered by 302 inches of 73 Ford, rides on a set of ’53 Buick Skylark wires and Michelin…

Performance Test You know the old line: ’TH stick a ’twenny’ on the dash an’ you try to grab it off.’’ Sure thing, you think to yourself. Big talk…. Then, once in a while the guy backs it up, and you find yourself getting verti-go from the g’s, wondering if your neck’s up for this kind of strain. Such is the case with Larry Morris’ 1966 427 Fairlane GT. It’s one of about 60 that were actually built in that year as a “street package’’ for the drag racers in Ford’s buying public. The combination was an effort by Ford to not only offer a tricked-out, big-inch package derived from existing hardware, but to counter the performance onslaught from GM and Chrysler, who offered intermediate cars with heavy metal drivetrains.…

Performance Test The “coldest December in history” was still several weeks in the future when I alighted in Detroit, but it was mighty cold compared to sunny Orlando, Florida, where I had been just a few short hours earlier wrapping up the Bo Laws 9:1 engine story. There were even patches of this strange white stuff scattered-about here and there on the ground. What was I doing here, instead of on a plane headed back to equally sunny (and warm) California? It seems that there was this white ’84, Pontiac Trans Am H.O. built to HOT ROD’S specifications that needed ferrying out to the West Coast. “Would you mind taking time out of your busy schedule to handle this, Marian?” boss Leonard Emanuelson inquired. “Well, I suppose I could squeeze…

Header Hint Painting a set of headers without smearing the paint is a frustrating task, but it goes really easy if you simply bolt the collector flange to your engine stand. Then you can turn and lock the headers in any position while you’re painting them. Richard Green Savanna, Illinois Trick Solution When you want to get all the contents from an aerosol can, but can’t because you can’t hold the can upright try this trick. I took a piece of 14-gauge wire, 12 to 14 inches long, and pulled out the copper strands. Then I inserted the tube that came with the can into the hollow wire tubing. This extended nozzle allowed me to reach any spot while still holding the can upright. Jim Thime Gresham, Oregon Terminal Tip…

Frequent HOT ROD Magazine contributor Rick Voegelin, a consummate Camarophile whose heart is shaped like a bow tie and who is really secret agent Z28, considers GM’s F-bodied answer to the Mustang “America’s favorite performance car.” As far as I’m concerned, the Camaro should be. Let’s face it, the Camaro was developed by the same people who brought you the Corvette … in other words, the disciples of Zora Arkus-Duntov. Zora, in the early ’50s, figured out that the fastest way to a hot rodder’s wallet was through factory-furnished performance parts. And that same philosophy found a home in the Camaro as well. From its inception in 1967, the Camaro could be purchased as a low-maintenance, high-mileage “eco-six,” or as an “ego-eight’’ with enough thunder under the hood to delight…

Unconventional. That’s the word for these guys. They could collectively take a Radio Flyer Wagon and make it fast enough to set records. The early rides included a Modified Eliminator Chevy-powered Maverick that stormed the field in the ’74 Winternationals, and the D/MP Corvette that ran so hard most of the cars they beat were converted to F/MP to avoid staging next to the 287-inch bomber from Arlington, Texas. They have found there is no substitute for hard work … not cubic dollars, not a miracle. The combination is hard to beat. Lee Shepherd’s head porting expertise and telepathic driving skills, David Reher’s and Buddy Morrison’s mechanical talents, and lots of road work have qualified them to be where they are in Pro Stock racing—the top of the pyramid. A…

The International Race of Champions is without question the most unique concept in the history of auto racing. It was originally conceived in 1973 by former pro football player Les Richter, Hollywood promoter Michael Phelps, and racing great Roger Penske. The concept embodied the true essence of championship auto racing—the best drivers from all forms of automotive competition racing against one another in identically prepared race cars for the championship of the world. With equal performance from each car, the only determining factor in the series would be the absolute skill and racing prowess of the competing drivers. Moreover, the series was carefully tailored for maximum television coverage. Each race lasted less than an hour and was broadcast live in what amounted to auto racing’s first and only made-for-TV mini-series.…

Last month HOT ROD Magazine presented its annual “Street Rod of the Year"; now it’s time to put the Street Machines in the proverbial barrel and start shooting (well, selecting) these golden got’chas. The real problem with HOT ROD’S Hit Parade was that there were so few misses in ’83 that it took the combined inputs of editor “loquacious” Lenny Emanuelson, senior editor Pat “the slat” Ganahl, our laid-back technical editor Marian “the mover” Davis, multi-faceted feature editor Kevin Boales, and yours truly, the world’s oldest teenager, to finally agree on this scintilating aggregation of monstrous machines. Certainly good and bad, we think you’ll agree that this was a bumper-to-bumper crop of incredible hulks. Rick Dyer, 1959 Corvette (October ’83) What made Bearing Burners’ president Dick Dyer’s brandywine-and-pearl-colored ’59 Corvette…

As technology roars and motorcycles race to incorporate its gadgetry every few months, one thing stays P the same. One thing maintains a magical appeal in spite of microprocessors, 10-second quarter-miles, and digital fuel injection. That is the V-twin. Not just the Vee shape—which is sometimes encumbered with four cylinders, liquid cooling, and other superfluous excess—but the genuine God-fearing American concept of an air-cooled Vee twin. Simple. Symmetrical. Stylish. Torquey on the low end. Rumbling and earthy to the ear. All Harley-Davidsons are V-twins. Look at one. Listen to one. Of course you want it. But price and other factors may dissuade you. That’s why these two Yamaha Viragos are strong sellers. You get the feel and appeal of a real V-twin for far less cost and none of the…

SELL—1970 factory original Hemi Cuda. 32,000 miles. Excellent condition. Orange with black interior. Automatic, Dana 60. Consider trade (or sale) for 35-foot, fifth wheel travel trailer. Monty, P.O. Box 1304, Hamilton, MT 59840. SELL-HOT ROD 1958-1972, $5 each; 1973-present, $3 each, $2 postage. Other titles available. Road tests located. $1 for giant list and research details. D. Fisher, P.O. 170243, Arlington, TX 76016. SELL—Rare 1970 Torino Cobra 429. Factory options: Ford four-wheel independent racing suspension, Shaker hoodscoop, 4.30 gears, trunk spoiler, C6, console, buckets, 60,000 miles, good condition. $12,000. Negotiable. Reg L. Rayner, 106 Magee Cr., Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada S4R 6K5. (306) 543-7434. SELL—1975 Camaro. Featured Paint & Bodywork, Camaro, HOT ROD. Scorpion Can Am kit, 350, Holley, Hooker, Jacobs, Moroso, T/A interior. Pearl white, black, murano with candy stripes.…

You’re looking at the business end of an IROC, Z28—a magnum load of small-block-powered Camaro guaranteed to make your day. Indeed, IROC Camaros are coming at you on the track, on TV, and in the show room. They’re lean and mean and built for fast company. Twelve of the world’s greatest race drivers will pilot the race cars, and later this year Camaro-loving street machmers will be driving factory-built replicas. Factory reps are keeping a lid ’ on the street version due in September, but HOT ROD’S got the lowdown on a special run of 20 Camaros—420 hp, tube chassis cruise missiles for the In ternational Race of Champions. They are the IROC Z28s—Camaros built for the combat zone. When the International Race of Champions roars through Turn 1 and…

The main thing that separates hot street cars from race cars is mufflers. Heck, you’ve got blowers, injectors, roller cams, ported heads, and anything else you can name on street cars these days. ’’Joe Street” can tell you anything you want to know about those parts, too—lift, duration, blower overdrive, port flow … just ask him. But ask him about his mufflers, and the conversation stops. He doesn’t know. More important, he doesn’t stop to realize that everything else he does to cram more fuel and air into the engine is futile if this larger mass has no way out. HOT ROD figured that it’s time for hot rodders to know more about a muffler than whether it is round or oval. A muffler is an important piece of equipment…

You’ve seen the bumper stickers that say ’’It’s Okay Not to Drink.” In the rod and custom world per-haps we should have a similar slogan—’’It’s Okay Not to Go Fast.” These days fast cars are going awfully fast; going really fast costs plenty of money; and governmental regulations are making engine modifications more and more illegal. So lots of rodders are beginning to look for alternatives. Back in the early days, when rodders and ustomizers had hardly anything in common, such as respect for each other, the rodders (who built go jobs) had a favorite invective for the customizers (who built show jobs): “If it don’t go, chrome it.’’ In other words, only speed equipment, and nothing else, belonged on a true hot rod. Today, fortunately, rodders and even racers…

Street rodding has finally come full circle. It all started back in the ’50s, when street rods were nothing more than street racers. Then the musclecars took over, until their demise in the ’70s. About that time street rodding revived and started marching in many different directions—resto rod, repro rod, quasi-hot rod, and high-tech. Now old hotties like Don Dunham’s San Jose, California-based ex-Brasher and Cummins AA/GS are becoming “reconstruction rods’’ and are regaining their rightful place in the sport. Don’s old warrior happens to be a 2020-pound ’33 Model 77 Willys powered by a 6-71 blown, 440-inch, ’58 Chrysler hemi. It runs 9.20 @148 mph. Its custom-constructed chassis (stretched out over a 98-inch wheelbase) employs a mild steel frame, 4-point roll cage, early Olds rearend, Koni shocks, ’40 Willys…

Shaker Chaser I am the owner of a ’72 Firebird. How do I fit a ½-inch nitrous oxide plate under a 4-barrel Holley with the factory Shaker hood? Simon M. Bula Edison, New Jersey What better place to find a better Shaker scoop than in “Shakey Town?” H-O Racing Specialties, Inc. (P.O. Box 429, Hawthorne, CA 90250, 213/973-7078), offers scoops that bolt easily to the stock Trans Am hood; they allow more clearance for aftermarket intakes, carbs, and nitrous oxide systems (although the solenoids may still need to be remotely mounted). Order part No. FG-91 for ’70-’76 ’birds; FG-93 fits ’77-’81, except Turbo TAs. Every Inch Counts I am planning to build a small-block Chevy for street use in a late-’70s Nova. I want to build the engine with race-quality…

Tool Crib This month we’re going to feature a service rather than a tool you can stash in your toolbox. Comp-U-Oil will analyze your used engine oil and help you spot trouble developing in your engine as it happens. Things they can identify include bearing wear, ring and/or valve problems, fuel dilution, head gasket leaks, and more. They send you an analysis sheet with all the results of the tests they perform on the sample. The service is fast and reasonably priced. For more information, contact Comp-U-Oil, 6325 Crest Green Rd., Birmingham, AL 35212, (205) 591-0842.…