Innehållsförteckning för May 1992 från Hot Rod

The configuration of ’the Pomona dragstrip had remained nearly static since the first strip of asphalt was put down on the old Los Angeles County Fairgrounds’ parking lot 41 years ago. Now it’s called the Fairplex, and the original pump house and pump house bump were removed and new concrete barriers were installed. Last year the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) added 200 feet to the now 300-foot launching pad, and bam-oh, leave–oh—15 Top Fuel qualifying runs in the fours! The ’92 Winternats also marked new national track records in Top Fuel (4.893), Funny Car (5.190), and Pro Stock (7.196 at 192.76 mph). Even though such names as Shirley Muldowney, Lori Johns, Frank Bradley, and Dick LaHaie were not there, the 5.08 bump spot in Top Fuel made it the…

Our continuing quest to bring you the latest legal performance equipment continues with a number of new components from two major manufacturers. New from BBK are its ¾-inch equallength, shorty headers designed for ’86-’92 5.0L Mustangs, Capris, and Lincoln LSCs. These high-quality 14-gauge direct boltons (E.O. D-245) have die-stamped flanges and return between 12 and 22 healthy horsepower. Meanwhile, Edel-brock has introduced a new tubular exhaust system that is legal in all 50 states. Designed for a wide range of cars, including Chevy trucks, Camaros, Firebirds, El Caminos, Monte Carlos, and others, these top-level systems offer noticeable improvements within the confines of required emissions equipment. Contact: BBK Performance Parts, 2451 Pomona Rincon Rd., Corona, CA 91720, (714) 735-8880 or Edelbrock Corporation, 2700 California St.,Torrance, CA 90503,(310) 781-2222.…

In the nasty ’90s, power rules the street. Pretty cars are great but they have to move and move quick. If your, car doesn’t A=F/M leave hard and pull strong on the top end, you're history, pal. The days of powder-puff posers are over. We probably don’t have to tell you that there are some excruciatingly powerful cars prowling Main Street these days. Big-cube small-blocks, nitrous, EFI, roller cams, and aftermarket heads have thoroughly revolutionized the street scene. Not that each individual component creates a major thrust forward in street performance. Rather, it is the combination of the systems approach: blending all these power-making components into an ungodly powerful engine Inches3 x N2O = lbs. -ft. and then stuffing it into a tuned chassis that can turn force into acceleration.…

Max Carter’s outrageous machine is a killer in street clothing. The reason it’s so darn quick is because it’s a fairly light package (2900 pounds dry) with a two-stage, nitrous-assisted 557ci Rat motor. Says Carter, “I wanted to build the biggest motor I could without having to fill the block. That way the - water jackets could be used to cool the motor instead of stabilizing the block so I could still drive it on the street.” This is what he stuffed into his iron block: a steel billet crank with Bill Miller aluminum rods (.400 inch longer than standard) that were machined to yield a 4.375 stroke in the 4.5-inch bore with Venolia 13:1 forged pistons. Carter uses aluminum rods because he says they are easier on the bearings…

The Chevrolet Bel Air has taken on many forms since its introduction in 1950, yet few have enjoyed the success of the ’62 409 bubbletop. Campaigned by drag racing greats such as Hayden Proffitt, Dave Strickler, “Dyno” Don Nicholson, and Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins, these limited-production factory flyers put fear into the hearts of fellow drag racers, and may have ignited a fire that has burned between Detroit’s Big Three ever since. This particular Bel Air, which is owned by Memphis, Tennessee’s George Poteet, was raced hard and it looked like it, until Jerry Kyle of Shannon, Mississippi, restored the chassis and drivetrain and repainted the body. The 409hp 409 motor retained its original aluminum, twin four-barrel intake manifold and 11:1 pistons, in addition to being fitted with a Zll camshaft.…

Although Ed Iskenderian was credited with introducing the first racing-type T-shirt to the land speed fraternity at the salt flats, and Von Dutch spurred the air-brush thing, Ed “Big Daddy” Roth and his monster shirts turned the basic mufti of the '50s teenagers into a unique form of hot rodding self-expression. Here we present two hot rod icons, the lovely Linda Vaughn and Roth's “Rat Fink” T-shirt, as they lead us into an overview of what's way “cooler-full” in hot shirts. ANDY’S TEE SHIRTS 1960 Arnold Industrial P1.Concord, CA 94520(510) 825-8911 Although Andy and Sue Brizio don’t sell their 60 different Greg Tedder-designed motorsport “teeze” directly to the general public, these shirts can be found at various rod runs, race tracks, and in JCPenney department stores located throughout the country.…

Pick the item that doesn’t fit the set: A) Ronald Reagan, B) three-piece suits, C) Lincoln Towncars, D) right-wing philosophy, or E) street cam profiles. If you picked cam profiles, then you’re a rodder who needs to read this story. All the items listed have a common thread: conservatism. While cam selection isn’t usually associated with quadra-door road pillows or pinstriped business attire, it should be approached with less flamboyance than rodders generally display. We’re not suggesting that three pages can tell you everything about the ideal cam for your application, but we’ll give you the information required to make the right decision. THE SEARCH FOR CAM-A-LOT Before you buy a cam, you must first determine the intended use: street legal, street/strip, or race only. Once you’ve figured that out,…

Exponential Growth The Cole family of Mount Vernon, Illinois, chose to Pro Street their EXP because, well, it’s different. Ray, Kim, and their kids, like to say their car is “EXPerimentol” and “EXPIosive,” to which we’d like to add “EXPressive.” Ray built the chassis at home with 15.8-inch tubing. He designed the chassis to increase the wheelbase six inches for a total of 100 inches; the extra length was required to stretch the front fenders. Ray used ’76 Mustang II components, Stan’s Struts, and Art Morrison variable rate springs to build the EXP’s front suspension and steering. He also built the four-link rear suspension with Competition Engineering springs and shocks. After Jack Hays of Irvington, Illinois, painted the EXP paradise blue, Ray set the EXPeriment down on a big ’n’…

Two of hot rodding’s heavyweights have once again joined forces to create one of the wildest rides of 1992. The skilled craftsmen at Hot Rods By Boyd are shaping this highly exotic rendition of the classic Chevrolet for Mr. Gasket’s Joe Hrudka. Based on a ’57 two-door body, its original design cues will be given a ’90s update by Thom Taylor who will refine certain aspects and exaggerate others. The front bumpers will be thinned out, and the rear bumper will be replaced with a rolled pan. Boyd plans to dramatically channel this rascal and pitch the rear fins slightly, raising the rear and dropping the front to smooth the transition to the doors and front fenders. A custom chassis will carry a ’92 Chevy LT1 350 and a 700-R4…

Every year during the Oakland Roadster Show, Gary “Goodguy” Meadors and some of his like-minded friends stage a roast, honoring some poor soul or souls who have surrendered to the addictive drug called hot rodding. Gray Baskerville (your o’l dad) and Andy Brizio (the svelte sultan of hot rod T-shirts) were selected as this year’s sacrificial hams. After a couple of hours of being marinated in adult beverages and fed copious amounts of flesh and fowl, both the world’s oldest teenager and motorsport’s T-shirt king were placed on the grille and given the third degree. We survived, which should come as no surprise, seeing as both of us own and drive “roasters.”…

One of the most advanced yet realistic designs to ever come from the General Motors design studios carries a Monte Carlo nameplate. Designed to meet the needs of buyers who are currently buying imports, it incorporates a number of advanced elements that will give it a competitive edge. Standard equipment includes antilock brakes, variable effort steering, electronic muffler noise cancellation, 18-inch wheels, keyless entry, a clam shell hood like that found on late-model Corvettes, and glass that reflects the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Based on the Chevy Lumina, it is currently powered by a 200hp 3.4L dual overhead cam, multipoint fuel-injected, 60-degree V6 with a four-speed automatic transaxle. But you can bet the gearheads on the design team have considered the low-slung 300hp LT-1 350 as a possible option, if not…

We’ve seen 10-second small-blocks, and we’ve seen 15-second blown big-blocks. While these are the extremes, it goes to show that there’s no accounting for the number of methods for going fast. Or for going slow, for that matter. It’s just that the fast rodders have the skill (or luck) that lets them combine the three basic ingredients for speed: power, weight, and mechanical advantage. (Mechanical advantage is gear ratios in the transmission and rearend combined with the stall speed and torque multiplication in the torque converter.) But even the right combination will still be useless without traction. The goal is to assemble this complex matrix of performance aspects to achieve the fastest e.t. plotted over a distance of 1320 feet. This story gives you the basics of the power, parts,…

While there are plenty of ways to go fast, the easiest method is with the stump-pulling torque of a big-block. And if you doubt this fact, just take a look at Bruce Somer’s ’69¼ Plymouth Road Runner. Stock in almost every respect, it runs consistent 13.20s at 110 mph. There are no traction bars or 90/10 shocks, not even a line-lock. And that’s on the same street tires you see here. The 440 six-barrel RB engine produces a bit more than its original rating of 390 horsepower at 4700 rpm and 490 lbs.-ft. of torque at 3200 rpm. While most of its original hardware is still in place, including three Holley two-barrels and an Edelbrock manifold, Somer made some changes. The stock factory camshaft was replaced with a Mopar Performance…

HINDSIGHT The proportions of Dennis’ Nova are so right, you’d think they came from a GM styling studio. But credit Dennis and his body man’s eye for the creation. This machine is finished in PPG Victoria Red paint and accented with just the right amount of brightwork. This sassy Streeter is very smooth indeed. INSIDE OUT Ken Barber of Dunlap, Illinois, stitched together a two-tone gray interior to complement the modern, VDO-equipped dash, ’80 Malibu seats, and high-end stereo. Subtle styling elements include the removal of the dash pad and heater switch panel, while a Camaro console and shifter complete the updated interior. POWER UP Dennis Quin’s B&M-blown, dual Holley-fed, 355 Chevy is equipped with a Cam Dynamics cam and valvetrain with TRW forged pistons at the small end of…

Power. All of us want it. Usually, the power we want will scare tires right off their rims, turn spider gears into helpless, beveled washers, and bring clutches to a smoky demise. That’s all hot rodders want out of life: the ability to produce more horsepower than we’ll ever be able to use. And that’s okay. Of course, for a few more bucks, we can upgrade the rest of the car to handle and transmit this huge amount of horsepower to the ground and really have something special. Given the opportunity, most of us would like to build and drive a street machine that can cruise with the best of the boulevard beaters and still completely kill any opponent in the stoplight Grand Prix. The question for most of us…

While some see the left coast as the home of hot rodding, those in the know will tell you differently. The fact is that first-rate hot rods are built from coast to coast, and each region approaches them from different angles. Posies in Hummelstown, Pennsylvania, has been building hot rods from the “right angle” for many years, and its latest creation is Linda Campanelli’s ’48 Anglia. Encompassing numerous modifications that could be referred to as mildly radical, this example of “Old English” must be seen to be believed. The chassis is based on a stock frame that was fully boxed and reinforced with custom crossmembers. A specially built independent front suspension combines a narrowed Pinto rack-and-pinion unit and coil springs, tubular upper and lower control arms, and JFZ brake rotors…

Since 1949, when Bill Neikamp’s “nosey” ’29 became the first America’s Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR), the famed Oakland Roadster Show has been dedicated to the love, appreciation, and preservation of the quintessential hot rod—the street roadster. Lately, however, the focus on true roadsters has begun to change. Customs, bikes, trucks, and Late-models are now more numerous than body styles that feature fully removable tops, bolt-on windshields, and no side windows. Maybe a combination of economics, lack of entrants, and spectator appeal has created this effect. But I hope in the future the Oakland Roadster Show returns to its roadster roots.…

With a surface speed between 195 and 200 mph and an air speed in excess of 220 mph, Unlimited hydroplane boats perform a dangerous balancing act between control and disaster. These machines literally fly at sea level, barely touching the surface of the water. The new Miss Budweiser pushes the envelope of these sophisticated racing craft as it offers improved performance and significantly enhanced stability, while reducing the chances of blow-over accidents. The craft, which was designed with the help of Cray supercomputers, is known as the Experimental Surface Effect Vehicle (XSEV). The XSEV design features a “drooped” forward wing that provides precise amounts of lift in a wide range of air speeds. The rear wing is designed to provide improved stability and control. Both wings are fitted with flaps…

If Henry Ford’s dictum of “winners are sellers” is true, then there must have been a lot of ’92 Ford Thunderbirds sold after the finish of the Daytona 500 Winston Cup race. The first four finishers—Davey Allison, first; Morgan Shepherd, second; Geoff Bodine, third; and Alan Kulwicki, fourth—all drove T-Birds. And if there hadn’t been a monster pileup, which was triggered by a three-abreast collision involving Ernie Irvan, Sterling Marlin, and Bill Elliott that eventually wiped out 11 cars, Ford dominance would have been even more pronounced. The apparent reason behind Ford’s increased competitiveness is improvements in internal and external air management, in other words better flowing cylinder heads and a more stable body shape. FoMoCo’s old slogan “Watch the Fords go by” could well be true for 1992.…

Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School has offered a curriculum of speed for six years, but 1992 marks the first year of on-board computers for evaluating students. The school has four new Murf McKinney-built Super Comp gas dragsters with larger radiators, alternators, twin batteries, and six-gallon gas tanks. Most importantly, they’re the first of the school’s diggers to be outfitted with Racepak computers. Hawley said, “Even as a professional driver, it was really a challenge to remember everything you did during a run. The Racepak computers are an excellent tool to further the education of the driver, so why shouldn’t a beginning racer have the same advantage?” The computers print out g-forces, shift points, shut-off points, and throttle position—students are often surprised to learn that they lifted the throttle at half…

You’ve entered a world neither of money nor practicality, but of speed. You’ve finally finished a bonafide max-boogie street car. And, by golly, you’re gonna drive that sucker. It’s a glorious day for a maiden voyage, so you’re only slightly miffed when the crest in your driveway claims the header collectors. Next you discover the need to goose it in neutral just to keep the engine running, but justify this irritation with the knowledge that it sounds pretty cool idling at 1800 rpm anyway. You hit the freeway and the engine seems to run pretty good near its 4500-rpm torque peak, which comes conveniently at 60 mph. Several miles later, you’re almost relieved when those billowing clouds are from the radiator rather than an engine engulfed in flames, and the…

You can find ultra-quick, bottle-fed street machines on just about any corner of Main Street, U.S.A., but an honest to goodness, naturally aspirated 11-second street-driven screamer is a horse of an interesting color. And this particular horse happens to be Lee Rutter’s Scarlet Red ’88 Mustang LX. Rutter is a Garnerville, New York, hot rodder who loves to bracket race his Mustang in several classes, including a street class that requires D.O.T. tires and mufflers. In addition to racing his pony on weekends, Rutter still drives his car to work, as well as making several 200-mile round trips to various track competitions. So what’s the secret behind the awesome performance of Lee Rutter’s Mustang? We have to say it’s his attention to detail, the selection of components, and tuning the…

Although he didn’t realize it at the time, Roger Burman recently completed a journey that began long ago. It was back in 1968 when this ’35 Ford’s previous owner completed his stint in the service and was headed home to Fort Dodge, Iowa. But somewhere along the way, things got too hot. The cylinder head cracked, the engine died, and the car was towed home. For the next 20 years, this Super Blue Ford occupied an old machine shed, awaiting its rendezvous with hot rod destiny. In 1988 Roger’s search for a ’35 three-window coupe nearly led him across the country, when a friend mentioned his discovery of a ’35 three-window in an old shed just 20 miles away from his own home in Fort Dodge. Within hours a deal…

This ’46 Ford’s soft-blue exterior is about as aggressive as grandma’s bonnet, but David and Sally Lewis of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, like it that way. All of the seams on this coupe were molded and the hood was reworked into the nose. The bumpers were narrowed and pulled in, and red slits replace that stock taillights. Other touches include frenched headlamps and shaved trim and handles for a truly slick look. Oklahoma’s own Wizard added a few peach pinstripes for the final touch. Within the safe confines of a six-point roll cage is a slick selection of peach cloth and sea-foam green vinyl sewn throughout the interior by Pluto Bob at Southeast Auto Trim. And the Lewis’ ride in comfort as the coupe sports modified Ford Probe seats. The new…

When I asked Gene Makrancy, the major domo of the Ranchero Club, to define a Ranchero, he replied, “Rancheros were pickup cars or topless wagons.” A. J. “Andy” Sorenson of the El Camino Club used the words “sedan pickup” to describe the GM hybrid that started life as a bolt-on kit for ’37-’39 business coupes and ended 20 years later as a fullblown competitor to Ford’s Ranchero. Interestingly enough, both sport trucks share a number of similarities. Both were based on station wagon foundations—the early Rancheros used two-door sedan front sheetmetal, station wagon doors, and portions of Rancho wagon, Del Rio, and Courier sheetmetal to form the back half of the hybrid. The same held true with the El Caminos. They employed the front portion of Chevy’s large station wagons—the…

While there are endless ways to spend money on your car, very few of them will give you as much return on your investment as braided stainless-steel fluid lines. Although rubber hoses are less expensive, even the best of them will need to be replaced; whereas braided lines offer a much longer life span. As a result, braided stainless lines give you peace of mind knowing you won’t be left high and dry. You can have a professional replace your rubber hoses with stainless lines, but the less expensive approach is to install them yourself. The procedure is easier than you might think, and with a tremendous selection of hose and fittings offered by Aeroquip, Earl’s Performance Products, Keith Black Systems, Russell Performance Products, and others, you’ll bring your engine…