Innehållsförteckning för November 1986 från Hot Rod

Chevrolet Considers Nitrous Option What is the cheapest, easiest-to-install item one could use to boost horsepower? A nitrous oxide system, of course! And believe it or not, Chevrolet has seen the light with a decision to experiment with the laughing gas. Rather than plumb a complicated turbo setup, or tool up to manufacture superchargers, Chevrolet has begun to look into the advantages of nitrous as an inexpensive alternative to pressurizing the induction tract. One of the first engineering vehicles currently used as a nitrous testbed is shown here. This Monte Carlo SS is fitted with a typical 125-hp Nitrous Oxide Systems (NOS) nitrous plate kit capable of bumping the 305-cid engine’s output from 180 to 305 horsepower. This results in a 70-percent gain in power at the touch of a…

Listening to the sound system in Alan Peraishi’s ’68 Mustang notch-back is something like taking a full pass in Reher-Morrison’s Camaro. Peraishi’s Mustang boasts more wattage than some big-city FM radio stations—a staggering 1900 watts of power. The sound virtually explodes out of 14 drivers skillfully shoehorned into the Mustang interior. Four 4-channel amplifiers, a labyrinthian crossover system, and a state-of-the-art pre-amp and head unit puts this system at the radical fringe of autosound. Everything in this huge system designed by Autometics of Gardena, California, has a purpose. The 1900 watts comes courtesy of four Rockford-Fosgate MOSFET amplifiers, two of which put out a whopping 650 watts apiece, the other two rated at a mere 300 watts. Built into the amplifiers are individual electronic crossover units which direct the signal…

I knew a hot rodder was going to figure this out sooner or later. Ever since Chevrolet introduced their slick-looking, state-of-the-art, efficient Tuned Port Injection, we have been searching for a way to adapt it to other cars. We knew it could, and would, be done somehow. But we’re still thoroughly amazed at the simplicity and effectiveness of the TPI installation that John Boveia figured out for his 350 Chevy-powered ’32 Ford coupe. Everybody said it couldn’t be done—but he did it. It works. We rode in it. John has over 3500 miles on the unit, drives it to work (at Russell Chevrolet in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he’s been Service Manager for 25 years), and has taken it on several long-distance trips to rod runs. In fact, John removed…

The future is electronics. Even in the hot rod field where brute horsepower rules, electronics will have more of a roll in systems management than we ever thought possible. And believe it or not, electronics will favor the hot rodder through the ability to create a totally integrated vehicle. This future rod will provide superior handling, a comfortable ride, incredible braking, and an engine with adjustable horse-(power peaks for optimum driveability. While future-tech electronics will meet with some opposition in the beginning (some people still don’t accept electronic fuel-injection), most people will eventually realize the potential benefits of digitized circuitry. Those individuals who elect to adapt first (achievers) will obviously have a substantial jump on the procrastinators. You’ll be able to spot achievers by the machines they build. These machines,…

You’ve just finished that “ground-up” on your ’60s pride-and-joy— new engine, trans, and rearend; tricked-out suspension with aftermarket handling goodies; the latest high-tech wheels shod with “gatorback” radial tires. Yes, everything about your ride has been updated and modernized … everything, that is, except that old grandma power steering box, which is still slow as molasses in January and has about as much real-world “feel” as a zoned-out New York crack junkie. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be that way. You too can have a GM power steering system that’s faster than a speeding locomotive and able to slide around corners in a single turn. The secret? Treat your old box to 1986’s fountain of youth—a dose of Formula Z28, and it’ll IROC around the clock! The doctor who writes…

You can tell Charles Marine’s ’59 Corvette is bad just by looking at it. The wide stance and the blower jutting up abruptly from the hoodline indicate this early ’Vette is ready for action. Its aggressive, “raked” posture is highlighted by the deep black paint job. The engine compartment really “pops” because it’s plumbed with steel braided hoses and lots of chrome to offset the black lacquer. If anything in the engine bay isn’t chromed, it’s polished-like the two Holley 750 carbs sitting atop the 6-71 GMC blower. The blower feeds a 4-bolt main 350 via a Weiand intake manifold. Polished steel pink rods connect the forged TRW pistons which create an 8:1 compression ratio. The 350 really flies because Charles himself ported and polished a set of L-82 heads…

We live in a day and age where form takes precedence over function in almost every respect. The pickup truck is an excellent example of a purpose-built vehicle designed to transport items from point A to point B. For some reason, however, many people started using pickups for regular weekly transportation as well as weekend recreation. It could have started as a functional need (i.e., transporting your ATV out to the desert), but now driving a pick-um-up seems to have caught on like some cult craze. The mini truck was a by-product of this craze—designed to be more maneuverable in traffic and less thirsty at the gas pump. Now local cruise spots all across the nation are filled with customized minis of every stance and color. While full-size pickups have…

BLOCK-OFF PARTY High-performance engines should receive fully filtered oil at all times. Unfortunately, most engines have a bypass valve that permits unfiltered oil to circulate through the block under high-demand conditions. A well-designed oil system utilizing a high-volume oil pump and large capacity oil filter(s) can dispense with the bypass and receive the benefits of fully filtered, clean oil. On Chevrolet V8 engines, the bypass is located within the oil filter adapter. Installation of a remote oil filter adapter without a bypass valve on these engines kills two birds with one stone. But not all adapters are created equal. One of the slickest we’ve seen is made by Traco Engineering Inc. (11928 W. Jefferson Blvd., Culver City, CA 90230, 213/398-3722). Manufactured from 356-T6 cast aluminum, the unique gray anodized adapter…

BMW, Take 2 BMW, a company whose engines have powered Formula 1, Motorcycle, and Rally champs (not to mention Yuppies nationwide) has not been having the greatest success with its IMSA GTP efforts. First one car was destroyed in a mysterious crash, and two others were seen burning to the ground. As if from a dime novel, there were no explanations why. Not to worry, fans of “The Ultimate Driving Machine.” The redesigned GTP Prototypes are back in the seriesafter the factory had withdrawn them following its succession of problems. And the new cars are already proving more competitive in their first few races than the Series One cars were in all their previous races combined. AlSO, BMW has withdrawn from Formula 1, so they can now focus their efforts…

Buddy Ingersoll’s much-maligned turbocharged BB/AT Regal was back in form again at the U.S. Nationals, running 7.52 at 187-plus-mph in Comp Eliminator qualifying. That pass would have qualified him sixth in the Pro Stock field, with only Glidden and WJ running faster speeds. A concerted lobbying effort by the Pro Stock Owners Association managed to keep Ingersoll out of Pro Stock competition, even though his combination has been accepted for Pro Stock in IHRA. Nevertheless, the jovial garage owner from Illinois continues to run typical Pro Stock times with a 268-inch turbochaged Buick V6 in his aging Regal. After encountering difficulty obtaining the large, single turbochargers he started with, Buddy switched to a twin turbo setup using commercially available turbochargers and off-the-shelf NAS-CAR-style coolers for intercoolers. Buddy says the fuel…

SHORT-BLOCK SHORTAGE In the August issue of HOT ROD there is reference made to a 400-cid engine for the F-car. The part number shown is 1400888. I tried to order this short-block from my GM dealer and they said it was incorrect. Please tell me what is the correct part number. James G. Bake Stamford, Connecticut We, too, had been told that Chevrolet had discontinued availability of the 400 short-block assembly between the time the article was written and published. However, Technical Editor Marian Davis, our Chevrolet parts source expert, assures us that the 400 short-block part number is still good, and he further ascertained that 40 new 400 short-blocks remain in inventory as of July 1986. To get one, your local Chevrolet parts manager will have to call his…

There is one single truth in car theft: If someone really wants your car, they’re going to get it, period. Car theft and vandalism have reached epidemic proportions in the last five years, particularly in urban areas. The reason is simple. It’s easy money. On the average, it takes less than 60 seconds for a thief to break in and drive your car away. Stealing a car stereo, the fad theft target of the Eighties, can take less than six seconds. There are Pro Funny Car drivers who’d like to be that quick. And the money to be made through the “fencing” of stolen cars and stereos is staggering. Your car is worth more in parts than as a whole. There is a multi-million-dollar cottage industry comprised of “chop shops”…

ON LINE Electronics are only now starting to permeate our industry, but already there have appeared race car computers, electronic suspensions, in-car navigation systems, portable clocks, computerized bolt gauges, accelerometers, and other neat gizmos. In the following pages we present a very brief overview of some of the neat gadgets currently revolutionizing our industry. Most of these devices have appeared only within the last three years; many are still fairly expensive. But if past advances are any guide, you can bet (1) the prices are bound to come down, and (2) in a few years “computer phobia” will be replaced by “how did I ever get along without it?” The only constant is the certainty of change. Favorable Reactions In drag racing, “reaction time” is the interval between when the…

The Pro Street formula seems relatively simple on the surface: you put a hot motor in a light-weight, streetable chassis with monster rear tires and dress it up to look like your average Pro Stocker. Any Super Gas car and a lot of bracket racing cars would qualify if they ran street rubber. But along the way, Pro Street science escalated into a sort of auto-motive arms race with car builders trying every trick in the book to outclass their competitors. A lot of Pro Street cars are built as full-on show cars that are meant to be driven and displayed only at major national events like the Hot Rod Super Nationals. There’s nothing wrong with that, but as we have seen before (“Who’s Kidding Who?” HRM November ’85), Pro…

For all the skeptics who wouldn’t be caught dead in a boxy-looking Shelby GLHS, Chrysler has created the next step forward in affordable front-wheel-drive performance cars. Now there’s the 1987 Dodge Shadow and corresponding Direct Connection hardware for creating your own home-built musclecar. The Shadow and its sister car, the Plymouth Sundance, are available with non-intercooled Turbo I engines on the same platform as the Daytona. Offered with a heavy-duty 5-speed manual transmission or a 3-speed automatic, they provide the basic platform for constructing a more visually pleasing replacement for the awesome, but aesthetically awkward GLHS. Direct Connection engineers were given the opportunity to sort out a total performance package for the new Shadow long before the car was introduced. Consequently the hardware they developed was groomed for the car…

On July 12, 1986, more than 10,000 racing fans were as-tounded when the most spectacular drive up Pikes Peak in history was turned in by three-tirne Indy 500 winner Bobby Unser, Sr. Unser, driving a 1986 four-wheel-drive Audi Sport Quattro, shattered Michelle Mouton’s 1985 overall course record, in the same car, by some 16 seconds and firmly established the Open Rally 4WD cars’ supremacy over the traditionally faster Open Wheel Champ cars. Unser’s 11:09.22 overall course and Open Rally record was one of three division records to be rewritten on this day. A fast track saw Woodland Park, Colorado, native Leonard Vahsholtz’ ’86 T-Bird ease by defending champion Roger Mears’ ’86 Camaro, 12:15.49 to 12:16.71, for the Stock Car Division title and class record. John Crawford of Northville, Michigan, in…

We’re too close to cars. We love ’em with a passion. And we tend to view with disdain those dorks who think cars are (take your pick): a mother’s worry, the devil’s workshop, a payment pit, or a necessary evil. The farm folk in Southern Illinois were even more skeptical. For instance, The Southern Illinoisan—the local newspaper which serves the area in and around Du Quoin, the site of this year’s Street Machine Nationals—was filled with headlines that read, “Police Preparing For The Rush,” or “Former Street Machine Hosts Were Glad To See It Hit The Road,” or “Authorities Gearing Up For Problems.” It was as if the machiners were coming for their daughters… or worse. So what happened? Nothing! Absolutely nothing except that 2500-plus street machiners were treated to…

DRAG RACING Nov. 7-9—IHBA Coors Light World Finals, Firebird International Raceway, Phoenix, Arizona Nov. 8-9—IDBA World Finals, State Capitol Dragway, Baton Rouge, Louisiana Nov. 15-16—Dragbike! U.S.A. “National Finals,’’ Gainesville, Florida Nov. 22-23—IVWA 3rd Annual Thanksgiving Classic, Farmington Dragway, Winston-Salem, North Carolina Nov. 26-30—NHRA 14th Annual Snowbird Nationals, Bradenton, Florida DRY LAKES Nov. 9—Southern California Timing Association meets at El Mirage, California (SCTA sanctioned event), (619) 2680192 ROAD RACING Nov. 9—IMSA Camel GT Series, Southern California Grand Prix, Del Mar, San Diego, California Nov. 9—CART/PPG Indy Car World Series, Miami Indy Challenge 200, Tamiami Park, Miami, Florida Nov. 30—IMSA Eastern Airlines Finale, Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida OFF-ROAD RACING Nov. 8-10-SCORE/HDRA Baja 1000, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico CIRCLE TRACK RACING Nov. 2—NASCAR Winston Cup Series, Atlanta Journal 500, Atlanta, Georgia…

Milled in the U.S.A. “Hy Tek’’ has become so popular with today’s street rod set that those neat billet aluminum goodies are now being copied and/or duplicated by the bogus builders from the Far East. Therefore, our ol’ pal Squeege Jerger (Squeege’s Hot Rod Connection, Dept. HR-11, 5226 S. 40th St., Phoenix, AZ 85040, 800/345-0123 or 602/271-9000) is fighting back by introducing his latest line of billet aluminum, satin finished air cleaners, license plate frames, door and window handles, as well as his complete line of “’Not-so-Tek’ street rod parts and accessories. Diminutive Deuce Okay… so you want low-buck rods, you get low-buck rods … like Hagstrom’s latest offering in the form of a ’32 Ford roadster. Hagstrom’s “Boulevard Roadster” is 83 inches long, 44 inches wide, weighs 350 pounds,…

In 1985, Roush-built Mercury Capris virtually owned the SCCA Trans-Am series. For the ’86 season the team split, with some members forming “Protofab” and developing V8 and V6-powered Camaro Z28’s. The new Roush team not only moved on with new members and drivers, but with a new car as well. And a new approach. Switching from the V8 Capri to a 4-cylinder, intercooled. turbocharged Merkur XR4Ti, their new engine is a high-tech version of the one found in the street Merkur. Developed by Roush and Ford’s SVO program, the engine develops 490 hp at 8000 rpm. The car is built on a square tube-frame chassis of chromemoly steel. The roof and windshield remain stock, while the bodywork is Kevlar with honeycomb reinforcement. It’s molded to the same basic silhouette as…

Dart Machinery has just released their Buick version of the small-block Chevy aluminum cylinder head. Targeted chiefly at Buick-bodied NASCAR racers running Chevrolet-based small-block V8’s, the new cylinder head features most of the good points of the now-famous Buick Stage II V6 cylinder head, and may well find a new home on thousands of semiprofessional and amateur race cars. Major benefits are as follows: The valves are lined up almost on the centerline of the cylinder, placing them at the widest part of the bore for minimum shrouding. With a 2.100-inch intake valve and a 1.625-inch exhaust valve, the valves are equally unshrouded. The Buick head is a high-port design with a longer and higher 235cc port that is roughly the equivalent of a 210cc Chevrolet port. The difference is…

You finally got your hot rod completely detailed. After three years (read 165 weekends), you’ve managed to create a backyard dream that runs like a rocket, handles like an F-1 car, and looks like a stealth fighter; now if only it were invisible to radar! So what’s left—where is the final touch that punctuates M this Main Street masterpiece? Electronic Entertainment! That’s right, it’s time to chuck that old Muntz stereo-pak tape player. What was good enough for your ’56 Nomad just doesn’t cut it in today’s street racer. Things have been cooking in the car stereo world since the musclecar days. It’s no longer a question of four-track vs. eight-track, 5 watts vs. 12 watts, or which 6x9-inch speaker to choose, with or without the whizzer cone. Today’s questions…

The subject of electronics in hot rodding rivals politics and religion as topics to be avoided in polite company. Mention computers to a reactionary hot rodder and he’ll likely declare that silicon chips will be the death of car enthusiasts. Talk about electronic fuel-injection with a computer convert and he’ll rhapsodize about the coming digital revolution. Both camps could benefit from a healthy dose of reality. The advent of electronic engine controls is no more threatening to hot rodding’s survival than the invention of overhead valves. And despite the daydreams of some computer fanciers, there isn’t a program in the world that will make a stock Chevette run 9-second elapsed times. It’s time to examine a few myths about eletronic fuel-injection (EFI). First, electronic controls aren’t a curse that the…

Maximum speed, 55 mph. Most drivers don’t comply, and some states don’t even think it’s necessary in 1986. But like it or not, it’s the law. Your alternatives: drive at the national limit and get blown off the road, or go with the traffic flow and risk a citation. When the gendarmes are using radar to enforce the law, your best defensive weapon is a radar detector. Living in a democracy, you have a broad selection of anti-radar equipment: dash-mount units, remote detectors, mini-size marvels, and even contraband radar jammers. Choosing a detector from the vast number of units for sale is a bit like picking a car from a review of magazine road tests—the numbers don’t tell the whole story. Most important is how well the detector serves your…

Baseball fans recognize Reggie Jackson as a power hitter. Hot rodders do too. And because the word “weak” is not in Reggie’s vocabulary, the idea of having a weak 6-cylinder in his pristine ’55 Chevy was out of the ballpark. A simple swap to amplify his power persona entailed switching the anorexic 6-cylinder for a healthy 450-hp 454. (This LS6 can be purchased directly from your Chevrolet dealer, PN 366250). Backed by a Doug Nash 5-speed and a Chevy 12-bolt rearend, Reggie’s early Chevy is also a true power hitter. Race-proven Danchuk motor mounts bolt to the frame and accept both Chevy small and big-blocks. The Danchuk kit allows a bolt-in swap using side mounts, with no firewall or radiator modifications necessary. Stock LS6 valve covers further eliminate the need…

We are in the era of the full-on car collectors. Reggie has his. Harrah had his. And Bob “ISCA” Larivee’s group has been known to come and go. But of all the “car-lectors” and “car-lections” in the wild world of wheels, few equal Brent and Terrie Hajek’s (pronounced “hike,” as in take a hike Chevy or Mopar lovers) assemblage of rare and valuable FoMoGoers. Every one of the Hajeks’ altered-wheelbase, semi-’glass or ’glass-bodied, 427 Ford-powered doorslammers is a factory-conceived, factory-built, factory-fielded “gennie,” and Brent Hajek has all the serial numbers, records, and paperwork to prove it. In other words, Hajek’s factory Fords are for real—not reproduction T-bolts, Comets, Mustangs, or Falcons. These are the same fantabulous FoMoCos campaigned by the likes (rhymes with Hajeks) of “Dyno” Don, “Gas” Ronda, Barry…

Mark Grimes, the articulate salesman from Omaha, Nebraska, is a restorer’s nightmare. Mark delights in taking a mint-original ’65 Malibu SS apart so he can “Build a very unique Pro Street car.” How unique? Well, anybody can restore a gennie, but it takes true grit to stick a tube chassis (by Jacobsen Racing) under a cream puff, then attach such nonstock components as a 9-inch Ford rearend, coil-over Carrera shocks, four-wheel disc brakes, and a totally handmade, fully independent front suspension to the frame. How about the fact that Mark made his own wheels (16x41/2 front, 16x16 rear) and surrounded them with Goodyear rubber? Grimes also had the “haul” to slip 427 inches of 6-71 stuffed Rat into the spot once occupied by anything from weak sixes to rare 396’s…

In the business of selling competition parts? Don’t be left out of HOT ROD’S new high-powered “Competition Shop’’ section specifically geared toward the serious racer. Unlike the Performance Shop section, this space is reserved for competition parts only! More than five million readers will see your ad each month. For complete information on placing a lowcost ad, contact the Petersen Publishing Company Automotive Performance Group sales office closest to you (see our masthead on page 6 for addresses and phone numbers).…

There’s a new open-wheel racing series taking place—a slightly unusual one, but maybe the one to watch. It’s the new Barber (as in Skip Barber Racing School) Saab Pro Series, and it just may prove to be a great jumping off point for Indy car hopefuls, like Robby Unser (another son to watch; his dad is three-time Indy winner Bobby Unser). The new cars, and the series, is the only one in the country, other than the CART circuit, for open-wheel, turbocharged racers. All cars are equally prepared to strict guidelines and are powered by Saab 16-valve, turbocharged, 4-cylinder engines (like those in the Saab 900 and 9000 series sedans).The cars are so equal that racing is truly a driver competition, not a dollar contest. Watch out!…

IGGEST V-6. Nobody but nobody sets up a 4X4 like Nissan. Consider the Hardbody SE 4X4-stock. The engine-biggest V-6 in any compact truck. A 3.0-liter, overhead cam, fuel-injected dynamo that delivers 140 horsepower. The tires-P235/75R15 steel-belted radials-biggest in the class. Biggest not big enough? Trick-out the SE with Nissan’s killer 31X10.5R15s mounted on huge alloy wheels. Either set of rubber gives this truck a look and stance so big, so aggressive, you'll swear it’s an aftermarket set-up. It’s not. It’s all Nissan. It’s only Nissan. If a 4X4 isn’t tough, what good is it? That’s why Nissan built this Hardbody 4X4 on a reinforced box-ladder steel chassis. With rugged high-ride independent front suspension and a clean underbody design-stock-for exceptionally high ground Clearance. Here’s Nissan’s longest, widest, most aerodynamic truck. Featuring…