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HOLLEY’S LOW-BUCK SNIPER EFI TESTED ON THE DYNO! PG. 34 4

MASSIVE INTAKE SHOOTOUT

ON A 480-INCH RB ENGINE LOUD.FAST.REAL.

UM, 6.4 HEMI SWAP, T56 MAGN ATED SEATS! COILOVER CONVERSION…AND HE

SUBLIME 1969 CHARGER STREET MACHINE

MINDNG BLOWIN MOPAR BUILDS

MAY 2017

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E A NEW CHALLENGER! KE LIK NS LI RUNS R RU THIS 1971 DUSTER

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CONTENTS MAY 2017 ➔UP FRONT

04 SHOP TALK Scheduling schizophrenia.

08 ACTION! Highlights from the 2016 Mopar Nationals.

➔ON THE COVER

Ken Maisano’s Duster: A blend of modern and retro.

Photo by Wes Allison.

➔PROJECT CAR

48 THIS GUY’S GARAGE Sled Alley specializes in Pro Touring builds.

8

➔FEATURES

50 DREAMS OF OUR YOUTH Ken Maisano’s modern, Hemi-swapped 1971 Duster.

58 KRASS & BERNIE Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

62 SANITARY SLEEPER With 493 ci under the hood, this Coronet is ready for the street.

16

66 BLOCK PARTY Paul Block’s sublime 1969 Charger R/T.

➔HANDS ON

➔BACK OF BOOK

14 HORSEPOWER! 3,500hp, 540ci big-block Chevy.

70 WHERE’S THE FUN? Readers’ rides, some letters, a burnout, and broken parts!

16 AAR ’CUDA ROAD AMERICA TEST Sometimes you need a track day to figure out if your sway-bar mounts are strong enough.

74 REAR VIEW Bucket in a box.

62

24 INTAKE SHUFFLE

We test intake manifolds and carburetors on our 440 stroker in search of ultimate power.

34 WE TEST IT: HOLLEY’S SNIPER EFI

One of the newest, budget-friendly EFI units on the market.

42 ASK ANYTHING Talkin’ Slant Sixes and El Caminos.

24

64 MAY 2017 CARCRAFT.COM 3

SHOP TALK

SCHIZOPHRENIA

D

o you ever get that feeling like you’re constantly being pulled in different directions? That’s a rhetorical question, of course, because that’s the reality of our lives, thanks in part to automation, technology, and social media. Sometimes, you just have to hit pause for a day and take stock of things. There are a lot of moving parts to my job that require close attention.

If not, things easily fall through the cracks. It’s January as I write this, but I’m already planning articles, engine builds, and events as far into the future as August, and this is a look at some of the things I’m currently working on.

Car Craft is actively working on three project cars: the CC/Malibu, the Cutlass drag car, and Truck Norris. I recently had to replace a broken ball joint on the Malibu to get it ready for a road trip to Tucson, Arizona, for Roadkill’s Zip Tie drags. As soon as I finished the suspension work, the fuel pump failed. Of course, we were filming a segment for The Daily Fix for Motor Trend On Demand at the time, because things like that always happen at inopportune times. Fortunately, former Car Craft editor Doug Glad had a spare pump that plugged right in, and we made the trip to Tucson and back with no issues.

Truck Norris is running well, but occasionally has hot-start issues. I replaced the starter and did a voltage drop test on the battery cables to see if I need to upgrade from the 1-gauge battery cables that are on it now to 0 or even 2/0 cables. There are some other minor

4 CAR CRAFT MAY 2017

issues with the C10: I need to hook up the speedometer and fix some weird electrical issue with the gauge cluster that is making the turn-signal indicators light up with the headlights switched on. I also need to add a fuel gauge of some sort to the fuel cell. So far, I’ve been eyeballing the fuel level and filling up when it looks about half empty.

The Cutlass needs some more serious work. It was running about a second off its previous best time, and a leakdown test indicated a problem with cylinder No. 4. Upon removing the valve cover, I found a bent pushrod on the intake side, and as most of you know, bent pushrods are usually accompanied by bent valves. In the interim, I’ll drop in the SP383 crate engine Chevrolet Performance provided to us for testing and do a complete rebuild of the 350 currently in the car.

I’ll also fix the leaky axle seals and send the rear trailing arms to Southside Machine to be rebuilt.

In addition to the normal battery of engine builds and other tech articles we do, I’m covering the frame swap that HOT ROD Garage is currently filming for a series of upcoming episodes on YouTube. Tony and Lucky are dropping a 1965 F-100 body on a 2007 Crown Victoria frame. It’s an interesting swap that’s gaining popularity among the DIY crowd.

Lastly, I’m also in the process of planning my travel schedule for race

season, starting with Lights Out 8 at South Georgia Motorsports Park. Last year’s race was incredible, and I expect this year’s will be even better. I’m also planning something different for the Car Craft Anti Tour, our annual road trip with the readers for 2017. The plans will be announced soon, but as a teaser, drag racing will be back in the plans. The Car Craft Summer Nationals will be moving to a new home at Beech Bend Raceway Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky, this July. This is exciting because it will be the first time in as long as I can remember that the Nats will be held at a dragstrip. We’re currently in the middle of countless meetings and conference calls, brainstorming interesting things to do now that we have immediate access to a racetrack. This will be exciting.

With all these things going on, I still have to get a magazine out, get freelancers paid on time, plan upcoming issues, and still have time for friends and family. As frantic as things can feel some time, I’m still grateful to be doing something I love for a living.

—John McGann CarCraft@CarCraft.com Facebook.com/carcraftmag CarCraft.com Car Craft Mag 831 S. Douglas St. El Segundo, CA 90245

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CARCRAFT.COM EDITORIAL Network Content Director Douglas R. Glad Editor John McGann Managing Editor Phil McRae Contributors Wes Allison, Steve Brulé, Tommy Lee Byrd, Mark Ehlen, Andy Finkbeiner, Mike Galimi, Eric Geisert, Barry Kluczyk, Steve Magnante, Geoff Stunkard, Tori Tellem, George Trosley, Thomas Voehringer ART DIRECTION & DESIGN Creative Director Edwin Alpanian Art Director Roberta Conroy Assistant Art Director Jonathan Gray Assistant Art Director Steve Hernandez ON THE WEB CarCraft.com CircleTrack.com HotRod.com MoparMuscleMagazine.com SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES Email carcraft@emailcustomerservice.com, call 800/800-4681 (386/447-6385, international), or write to Car Craft, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235. Please include name, address, and phone number on any inquiries. For change of address, six weeks’ notice required. Send old as well as new address to Car Craft, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235.

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ADVERTISING INFORMATION Please call Car Craft Advertising Department at 310/531-9183. Related publications include Circle Track, Classic Trucks, Engine Masters, Hot Rod, Hot Rod Deluxe, Mopar Muscle, Muscle Car Review, and Street Rodder.

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By Geoff Stunkard / Photos: Geoff Stunkard

year in 2016 he Mopar Nationals was in its 36th near Hebron, y ewa Rac l Trai onal Nati filled and an amazing Ohio (outside of Columbus), with , and AMC iron. outh Plym ge, Dod sler, Chry of nt assortme at what is here f stuf llent exce There is always a ton of car nted orie slerconsidered the granddaddy of Chry

T

8 CAR CRAFT MAY 2017

n at the factory shows, ranging from the roaring actio , plus showstrip drag the to lay disp Ride ll Dodge Thri and evening ugh thro ch sear to fields and swap meets locales. Even we by near in d nize orga ities activ cruising t overview of our highdid not see it all, but here is a shor lights from the event.

COOLEST RESTORED MOPAR:

RGER R/T THE LAST HEMI CHAHem documented as the last i was 1971, and this car was fully

The final year for the 426 fenders. Built to order Kong installed between the front Hemi Charger R/T to get ol’ King yl Winchnewsky was Darr by d 42,000-mile car now owne take the for a West Virginia dealer, the Andrew White. While it did not ts’ spor Auto Apex by s spec restored to exacting historic importance. r shee for lades acco our wins top judged prize, it

MOPAR: COOLEST ORIGINAL RUNNING

MISSILE 1973 MOTOWN/MOPAR1973 for its first pass on Mopar Missile came to the line

When the Ben Donhoff–owned lie-bar-slapping launch that the late Don Carlton with a whee Friday, it paid great homage to in the day. Powered back lar popu so was why Pro Stock t’s the actual car brought back memories of just te—i tribu a not is this i, Pro Stock Hem the highlight of by a correct-vintage-appearance was ry histo from ent mom high-standing Craft website.

Carlton piloted back then. The Car the on is pass this of And the video your author’s entire weekend!

STUNNING MOST VISUALLY E: IN STREET MACH

CK DUSTER CUSTOM SMALL-BLOwas the result of many man-hours

This dressed-to-kill Duster custom touches than you can

by Ross Gordon, featuring more effective metallic hues with very but le imagine. From the subt anodized parts, to a FASTnying mpa acco blended graphics and own proportions that was unkn of e engin injected modern Mopar gem was surrounded this ion, miss trans k backed by a multi-stic tent near the main ed host HDKthe in by people all weekend staging lanes.

ON-STUNNING” MOST VISUALLY “NRE INE: YET STUNNING ST ET MACH

SILE GHOSTED MOPAR MIS ct very clean 1974 Hemi Duster proje

Denny Laube created this pavement rippled if need be, but that looks like it could get the e , nearly reflective ghosted whit faint the the neatest detail was of the vintage some g udin (incl hics grap -car “Mopar Missile” race l-silver paint under clearcoat. You sponsor logos) laid onto the pear walked by, but the effect had you as pse glim would catch just a and the hot 426 Hemi under hat, it—t at look nd many taking a seco the hood.

MAY 2017 CARCRAFT.COM 9

THE 2016 MOPAR NATIONALS

MOST IMPRESSIVE LEGAL DRAG CAR RESTORATION:

MOST IMPRESSIVE ILLEGAL DRAG CAR RESTORATION:

1967 SILVER BULLET GTX

MR. 5&50 1965 A990 PLYMOUTH The Poliwiks, Alex and parents Toli and Ellen, run Midwest Supercars Inc. and own the original 1965 A990 Jack Werst “Mr. 5 & 50” Plymouth drag car. The late Mr. Werst was a noted Chrysler/ Plymouth warranty specialist out of Philadelphia, who drag raced on the weekends with some help from Ma Mopar. The freshly restored car’s repainted lettering was well done and looked very close to the original, and we thought those cool display carb covers were out to win your over.

Longtime collector Harold Sullivan was on hand with the notorious “Silver Bullet,” a 1967 Plymouth GTX that many veteran Car Craft readers will fondly remember. Operating out of Ted Spehar’s garage off of Woodward Avenue, the Bullet was considered the big-dollar superstar of the Detroit street scene in the 1960s.

Featuring one of Spehar’s well-oiled Super Stock engines of dubious displacement and four mufflers to keep the noise down, the Bullet remains one of the true pioneers of the extreme, functional street-power movement.

BEST VINTAGE DISPLAY:

ARNIE & JOE’S MISSILE BASE Arnie Klann and Joe Pappas were on hand with the original “Motown Missiles”: the 1971 Pro Stocker, 1974 small-block development “wire car,” and the original transporter. Coupled with the running example noted above, it was a quite a gathering of the vintage cars assisted by Chrysler Engineering in the 1970s. Pappas was around back then to do construction on some of them and drove the old truck from Michigan just like the old days. The popular display was again in the HDK tent area, with the transporter parked nearby.

MOST TECHNICAL DRAG CAR:

NASTIESTSOUNDING DOOR CAR:

MOST QUICKLY DONE TRIBUTE DRAG CAR: SOX & MARTIN SSE ROAD RUNNER CLONE It took Minnesota brothers Jeff and Chris Skluzacek only a couple months to doll up this 1968 Plymouth to look like the old Sox & Martin Modified Production/AHRA SS/Experimental car. The real car was Hemi powered; the bros in turn installed an early B1 big-block and set it up in classic Krass & Bernie fashion for the streets of Ohio.

WHEATCRAFT GEN III INDY CYLINDER HEAD DRAGSTER Owner racer Chris Wheatcraft works closely with Indy Cylinder Head to have strong, reliable 21st-century power for his latemodel Hemi 8-second-or-better bracket dragster, seen here lettered for driver Ron Stayer Jr. They have a wild exhaust note and look solid on every lap, a testament to Indy’s ongoing evolution of parts for the modern-day packages. Gen III horsepower— it’s not just for door cars anymore.

10 CAR CRAFT MAY 2017

BOB GEORGE RACING BLOWN 1965 CORONET Sporting an injection top hat that might have come off of a Top Fuel car, this crazy exhibition Coronet from Bob George’s stables driven by Don Martin bellowed with powerful horsepower, made copious amount of smoke on its burnouts, and then blasted down the track to thrill the fans.

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THE 2016 MOPAR NATIONALS S HOTTEST LATE-MODEL DYNO MACHINE:

HOTTEST MUSCLE-ERA DYNO MACHINE:

TRUNKETT’S TURBO DUSTER, 1,200+ HP MR. NORM’S “SUPER CAT” BY PERFORMANCE WEST, 1,000+ HP Larry Wiener and the Performance West Group had the car they call the “Super Cat” on hand. This is a Mr. Norm’s Supercar Club special that pushed out somewhere in excess of 1,000 hp before its ground tremors actually sent the dyno operator’s tent skyward.

Yes, you can buy one just like it, and it is less expensive than that Road Runner.

Sister magazine Mopar Muscle again teamed up with the event to present its 2016 dyno challenge, and when the big wheels stopped turning, it was Rick Trunkett and his 1972 Duster taking the accolades of King Mopar. Running an R-series NASCAR engine with turbocharging, the Plymouth that hit 1,100 hp last year here reportedly pushed the hard numbers into the 1,200-plus zone, then came out to make a couple of screaming, tire-spinning passes on the track. Hard numbers on the dyno runs will be in Mopar Muscle.

HONORABLE MENTION WISHFUL THINKING CAR CORRAL MACHINE:

BEST MOVE TO PREVENT STREET RACING

THAT’LL BE $165,000, PAL! While we know a 1969 Hemi Road Runner is no longer considered “cheap wheels,” when we saw the asking price on this trailer-top example was a fat $165K, we began to wonder if it had come in from Colorado with one too many hot brownies!

Yep, even after every county cop in the surrounding counties came in to help direct traffic on Saturday night, it was an act of God that kept the peace.

12 CAR CRAFT MAY 2017

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HORSEPOWER! 3,500HP, 540CI BIG-BLOCK CHEVY Jeff Lutz / Callery, PA The undisputed street-car champion of the world is Jeff Lutz, driving his 1969 Camaro, nicknamed “Mad Max,” to the overall victory during Hot Rod’s Drag Week, presented by Gear Vendors. He took the Unlimited class win with a record average of 6.1918 and currently holds the quickest timeslip ever for a street-legal vehicle: 5.852 at 250.27 mph. The powerplant employed to achieve those exceptional performances is “nothing special,” as he puts it mildly. It is a combination of experience and a great-working chassis that have helped Lutz climb to the pinnacle of street-car drag racing.

Mad Max, affectionately named after his beloved Great Dane Max, was a Pro Mod race car he drove to a NMCA Pro Modified championship in 2013. A year later, it shed its class designation, was painted matte black, and converted to street duty (electrical charging system, Optic Armor windows, cooling system, and so on). The duality of being a street car capable of 5-second elapsed times has forced Lutz to make some concessions. Converting the car from one trim to the next is a lengthy process, and Lutz has learned valuable engine modifications for the 540ci big-block to survive the onslaught of power and road miles. The car tips the scales at 2,650 pounds in race trim with driver.

The Pennsylvania chassis builder’s story doesn’t end with the Unlimited category or Street Outlaws show appearances. The 2017 season will be interesting because the next challenge for the storied door-slammer driver is to tackle Radial vs. The World, teaming up with Hoosier Racing Tires to develop its new DR2 315/60R15 DOT radials. Given Lutz’s success in whatever discipline of door-slammer drag racing he has taken up, there is no doubt he will find a way to top the radial racing world as well.

By Mike Galimi / Photo: Mike Galimi

14 CAR CRAFT MAY 2017

CYLINDER HEADS/CAMSHAFT/ VALVETRAIN Topping the street engine is a pair of Profiler 12-degree Hitman cylinder heads. The spread-port-style heads are available in a number of configurations, but Lutz keeps them simple with Inconel valves and titanium hardware. The valvetrain was designed on Lutz’s extensive experience on what it takes to go in the 5s but also withstand more than 1,000 street miles. The camshaft is custom and was ground by Crower with undisclosed specs. A set of Jesel 1-inch lifters actuates T&D shaft rocker arms through a set of thick Trend pushrods. Lutz said the valvetrain setup is specific for Drag Week and refused to disclose what makes it survive.

INDUCTION Lutz fabricated the turbo system using Stainless Works piping and Race Parts Solutions V-band clamps. The pair of Precision Pro Mod Gen 2 88mm turbochargers hang off the custom headers that he built at his shop. The turbochargers breathe into a 5-inchdiameter Marcella throttle-body, which feeds a Hogan’s sheetmetal intake manifold.

DRIVETRAIN

FUEL SYSTEM/ENGINE MANAGEMENT

Harnessing that kind of horsepower requires the highest level of automatic transmission, and a Rossler TH400 (2.10:1 First-gear ratio) with a Gear Vendors overdrive back the twin-turbocharged powerplant. Sitting between the transmission and the engine is a Pro Torque EV1 torque converter that allows Lutz to spool easily on the starting line but also have minimal converter slippage on the top end. Lutz credits Boninfante with supplying the SFI-certified aluminum bellhousing for his Rossler transmission.

Supplying methanol for a 3,500hp engine is no small feat, and it all begins with an Aeromotive mechanical pump that is driven off the crankshaft. The pump feeds 16 Precision Turbo and Engine fuel injectors—eight are 550 lb-hr and the others check in at 220 lb-hr. Lutz manages the fuel and timing via a BigStuff3 engine-management system and MSD Grid ignition system. It affords him the ability to easily swap engine calibrations for street use, track action, or even streetrace tuneups when he runs the car during Street Outlaws filming. Lutz relies on 93-octane pump gas for the street portion of Drag Week. An MSD magneto provides an unrelenting source of spark energy to light off the methanol and compressed air mixture. Keeping it all charged up is the job of a Mechman Competition alternator and an XS Power lightweight battery.

SHORT-BLOCK Lutz starts with the now-defunct Trick Flow/Sonny’s aluminum engine block, which comes with a 10.2-inch deck height and a standard 4.84-inch bore space. A Scat billet steel crankshaft swings a set of eight GRP aluminum rods and custom-forged Ross pistons. Lutz was adamant about keeping the compression ratio a secret. A two-piece Moroso oil pan keeps the engine well lubricated with Royal Purple synthetic oil. Contrary to rumors, the engine displacement is just 540 ci—credit a couple of turbochargers for compensating for the smallish displacement when compared to other 5-second machines.

MAY 2017 CARCRAFT.COM 15

HANDS ON

AAR ’CUDA

ROAD AMERICA TEST

By Mark Ehlen / Photos: Mark Ehlen

16 CAR CRAFT MAY 2017

➔

As a production engineer for a major aircraft manufacturer, Bob (who asked we didn’t publish his last name) is one of those people who can take the big picture and break it down into lots of little tiny pieces in order to realize every last speck of performance possible from each one. But far from a stuffy nerd, Bob is also a motorhead who grew up with a preference for Mopars, starting with his dad’s 1967 four-speed 273 Dart convertible.

Like so many of us, money for adult toys can be tough to come by when the kids are still at home, but Bob found some relief racing 1:10-scale RC cars with his son, Alex. Turns out the kid had some talent, so soon they were racing competitively as a father/ son team.

Bob used his engineering acumen to improve the handling of the cars and, in the process, learned much about how to improve cornering performance. As much fun as he was having, though, RC

cars were only a temporary fix for Bob’s real passion to build a fullsize car for the track. Well, the kids grew up, cash loosened up, and Bob eventually went looking for his dream car, an AAR ’Cuda, which he found at a Mecum auction in January 2012. He actually found two of them, but just had to go with the numbers-matching one.

The car had been “restored,” purchased by a flipper and then sold at Mecum, but it wasn’t up to Bob’s standards of excellence, so off it went to

MAY 2017 CARCRAFT.COM 17

HANDS ON The 1.25 1.25-inch sway bar was performin i g very well until one side tore throu gh its lower control-arm mount at the beginning of the slalom testing.

There was no way anyone was going to give up the performance of that sway bar, so MCR reinforced the endlink mount on the lower control arm. The MCR reinforced sway-bar mount is on the right. Considerable material was added to prevent any possible future failures.

18 CAR CRAFT MAY 2017

Muscle Car Restorations in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Bob had been following MCR through the features and tech articles he had seen in the various magazines for the last decade, so there was no question about who was going to do his AAR. The goal was a perfect restoration with modifications that could test the limits of what the stock suspension could do, but could also be undone so as to not ruin the car’s originality.

Short-track, non-competitive autocross events yield a good compromise of fun, expense, and risk over highspeed long-track racing and allows the car to be kept more original. The first tests were conducted at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.

Three tests were planned: skidpad, slalom, and brake balance. The skidpad testing was done on a 60-foot-diameter circle in both directions. After a number of runs by both Bob and Alex, the best run of 0.897 g’s occurred with 32 psi in the front tires and 25 psi in the rear (cold) and with the rear sway bar adjusted to its shortest position, which achieved the goal of just a very slight amount of understeer. That’s more lateral g’s than a 2012 SRT8 and just short of a 2011 Cadillac CTS-V. Not bad at all!

Slalom testing started out well, but just a couple of runs in, that big front sway bar tore the endlink right out of its stock lower control-arm mount.

MCR has since beefed up those mounts and the car performed well on the autocross track at the Car Craft Summer Nationals.

Brake testing was designed to determine the front/rear bias with the goal of having the fronts lock up ever so slightly ahead of the rears. From about 60 mph, the car stopped arrow

straight, but even with full forward bias in the proportioning valve, the front wheels would not lock up. The solution is likely a switch to smallerdiameter rear-wheel cylinders, a change in the front pad material, and possibly a change in the master cylinder bore diameter.

To say that father and son are having a good time is a massive understatement. The RC stuff was fun, but being in the car is much better. And the disbelieving looks from the crowd that’s surprised that someone would thrash on a car that looks this good is great bonus. But aside from maybe running over a few cones and using up some rubber, they really aren’t hurting anything. Building some amazing family memories, though—priceless!

Since this was the largest sway bar available for a ’Cuda, Bob came up with an ingenious rear sway-bar adapter to make it adjustable. Effectively shortening the arm helped tighten up the rear to provide a more neutral feel.

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HANDS ON Both tire pressures and temps were recorded after each round of testing and were paired with that run’s recorded performance.

TECH NOTES Who: Bob, the government worker What: 1970 AAR ’Cuda Where: Seattle, WA Engine: The original numbers-matching 340 six-barrel was rebuilt with a bias toward improving low-end torque.

Compression is about 9.5:1. The Wheeler selected cam adds a bit of lift and tightens up the lobes some to maintain a strong idle and quick throttle response. A baffle was added to the oil pan as cheap insurance against a starved pick up in a tight turn. The original carbs were rebuilt, but Promax parts were used for their tuning abilities. A Chrysler Lean Burn distributor (no vacuum can), MAP sensor, and an MSD programmable ignition were used for the same reason. Ceramic-coated factory exhaust manifolds were used to maintain the stock look and reduce heat generation in the engine compartment.

Transmission and Rearend: The matching A-833 four-speed was rebuilt but not used in favor of a Passon A-855 five-speed. This thing is going to be

driven hard on the track, and the extra gear and tighter spacing will really help.

The original 83⁄4 3.91 rear was rebuilt with a Detroit Truetrac in place of the Chrysler Sure Grip.

Suspension: Like the rest of the car, all the original parts were restored and kept, but significant upgrades were added with a great deal of help from the guys at Firm Feel. Starting from the front, Firm Feel tubular upper control arms (more positive caster) were used with Raybestos/Spicer pro-grade rubber bushings. The lower arms received Firm Feel reinforcing plates. Firm Feel also provided a Fast Ratio idler arm, which was paired with the stock Fast Ratio pitman arm to improve steering Ackerman angle. Since available frame connectors will not fit between the side exhaust and the floor, MCR custombuilt 2x3⁄4-inch reinforced connectors that maintain ground clearance and

leave room for the side-exiting exhaust pipes. In addition to the frame connectors, MCR also installed the C channels under the rocker panels that were normally added by Chrysler to the convertible models. These further stiffen the body but are completely hidden. Firm Feel recommended the largest front sway bar possible, so the company sent a 1.25-inch solid bar that MCR attached using custom endlinks. MCR also blended in a horseshoe-shaped shock tower brace into the stock sheetmetal in preparation for the Bob-designed engine brace that would be fitted between the shock towers. Rear springs are stock AAR replacement Eaton Detroit Spring units. The rear sway bar is factory, but Bob designed an adjustable endlink mount that allows the arm length to be shortened or extended so the bar can be effectively tuned to the car. Finally, MCR measured the weight under each wheel and adjusted front ride height and shimmed the rear axle at the leaf springs to achieve the best corner weight balance possible.

Brakes/Wheels/Tires: Original wheels were restored with reproduction Polyglas tires for shows, but a set of Circle Racing 94 Series Billet Magnum 500s will carry Michelin Pilot Super Sport 235 and 265/40ZR18s for use on the track. Firm Feel friction material will transfer forward motion into heat against the stock drums and upgraded 11.75-inch rotors. An adjustable proportioning valve will keep the front and back working together.

The tow hook was not added because they expect to break it but because they intend to push it to the point where it could be possible.

Enough lateral g’s were generated to slosh gear oil out of the rear axle breather vent. MCR will install a remote breather tank.

20 CAR CRAFT MAY 2017

The interior is set up so that either the stock buckets can be used for daily cruising or the OMP racing bucket with a six-point harness can be swapped in for the track.

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HANDS ON The owner-designed engine brace is firmly mounted for race days, but easily unbolts (once the air cleaner is removed) to return to the stock look for shows.

Body: Despite the intent to drive his car in a “spirited fashion” and run it in autocross events up to five times a year, Bob requested that MCR not hold back on the resto in any way. The body is flawless AAR covered in FE5 Rallye red and black.

Interior: Also flawless black AAR, but with a twist. Before it goes to the track, the driver’s bucket makes way for an OMP racing seat and a Schroth sixpoint harness. Additional racing accessories added to the interior for race days include a Race Technology Video4 data-logging system, a Race Technology Dash3 in-car display, a GPS antenna (on the back window), and up to four video cameras that are synced with the Video4 data.

Things We Really Like: Preserving the original intent and look of the car by making mods that can be undone at any time while using it (more or less) for what it was designed for. And for not being afraid to find out what it is capable of at the track.

A high-precision GPS antenna provides instantaneous location data to the Video4 data logger for calculation into speed, lateral and longitudinal g-force, track map, and location.

The Video4 unit syncs the video images with the data, while the Dash3 provides both driver control of the Video4 and readouts of selected data.

➔SOURCES

Muscle Car Restorations; 715/834-2223; MuscleCarRestorations.com Firm Feel, Inc.; 800/347-6426; FirmFeel.com

22 CAR CRAFT MAY 2017

Does this look like a maximum brake application from about 50 mph?

Stable front to back as well as side to side.

HANDS ON

INTAKE SHUFFLE We Test Intake Manifolds and Carburetors on our 440 Stroker in Search of Ultimate Power

By Andy Finkbeiner / Photos: Andy Finkbeiner

➔

We recently spent a couple of days dyno-testing several different rocker-arm ratios on our 470-inch Mopar big-block. The good news was the engine made 700 hp on pump gas, but we were disappointed when the higher-ratio rocker arms didn’t generate any additional power. After reflecting on those test results, we got to thinking we needed to see what a bigger intake and carb combination would do on this engine.

We know this engine is right on the edge of sonic choke with 470 inches pulling through only 2.80 square inches of cross-section area in the heads, but

We spent a couple days on the dyno trying different intake manifolds and spacers to see what worked best with the new Trick Flow heads.

24 CAR CRAFT MAY 2017

we hoped the right intake manifold could extend the powerband a little more.

The Trick Flow intake we used for the rocker-arm tests was an excellent intake, but we had access to a professionally ported Dominator intake and a tunnel ram, so we scheduled some dyno time to see what would happen with those intakes. But before we swapped intakes, our first test was to use an adapter to put a Dominator carb on the Trick Flow intake to see if that worked. A Dominator carb usually makes more power due its superior venturi design, but that didn’t happen

this time. The big 4500 carb just wasn’t happy being restricted by the adapter, and peak power dropped from 700 to 680 hp.

With that done, we grabbed the wrenches and replaced the Trick Flow intake with a Mopar M1 4500 intake.

Most people are familiar with the M1 4150 intakes, but Mopar also sells a line of M1 intakes with large plenums and a Dominator bolt pattern. The M1 4500 is an excellent race intake on the smaller 383- to 400-inch engines, but it struggled to feed our 470-inch engine. Peak torque picked up a bit, but peak power was only 687 hp at 6,300 rpm.

1. The single four-barrel intakes include the Trick Flow 4150, a Mopar M1 4500 intake, and an M1 intake that was heavily ported by Wilson Manifolds.

1

2. Our Trick Flow intake had been sent to Hughes Engines for its deep port match. The Hughes porting work extends about 3 inches into the port and is an economical alternative to the full competition port work that Wilson did on our Mopar intake.

3. The Trick

2

Flow intake is a very nicelooking design with runners extending out in a U shape rather than an X shape. The U shape lines the runners up with the ports in the heads a little better than the older X design.

3

MAY 2017 CARCRAFT.COM 25

HANDS ON

4. Quick Fuel sent us a 1050-AN race carb for these tests, and it has worked perfectly.

The annular booster design seems to work very well with pump gas, especially when air temperature is on the cold side.

5. We are running the Harland Sharp 1.70/1.50 rocker arms from the previous article. All of the rocker arms tested the same, so we left the last ones tested on the engine. If we find more power elsewhere, we might revisit the rocker-arm ratio test again.

4

5

Next up was an identical Mopar M1 intake that had been sent to Wilson Manifolds for its full competition porting package. Wilson extensively modified this intake manifold by welding extra material to the outside of the

26 CAR CRAFT MAY 2017

runners and opening up the ports internally and adding taper to the runners.

Overall, the port work increased the volume by 10 percent and removed several pounds of chips. The engine really responded to the ported intake,

picking up 31 hp in back-to-back runs.

This power increase gave us a new peak of 718 hp at 6,500 rpm.

While we still had the Wilson intake on the engine, we took an opportunity to test a 1-inch open carburetor spacer

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ENGINE DETAILS • 1978 Chrysler 400 engine block with SCAT 470 inch stroker kit (Superlight forged crankshafts and I-beam rods) • Diamond Racing pistons • Milodon oil pan and windage tray • Trick Flow 240cc heads with K-Motion K-950 springs • Comp Cams 264/268 solid roller with HXL and HXX lobes • Jesel beltdrive and distributor • Machine work, engine assembly, and dyno testing was performed

by Gray’s Automotive in McMinnville, Oregon

6

6. Our first experiment was to add an adapter on the Trick Flow intake so we could bolt on our Dominator carb.

7. The Dominator carb wasn’t happy with this adapter. Power dropped 20 hp from our baseline with the Quick Fuel 1050.

7

28 CAR CRAFT MAY 2017

as well as a super-tall 3-inch open spacer. The 3-inch spacer created an interesting dip in the torque curve that we tried to cure with a shear plate.

Eventually, we gave up and went back to a 2-inch merge spacer, which worked the best. It is really hard to beat the simplicity of a merge spacer; they almost always seem to be the way to go with a four-barrel carb.

The final round of testing was with a Mopar M1 tunnel-ram intake. Mopar stopped making these tunnel rams several years back; that’s too bad because they really worked well. We equipped ours with a pair of 500-cfm Edelbrock carbs and a set of velocity stacks. The dual Eddy carb setup worked fantastic, with a smooth idle and an excellent torque curve. This combination is probably the one to use for a hardcore street/strip car. The tunnel ram looks great and runs great. The long runners help out the torque curve down low, while the pair of carbs provides plenty of airflow at peak power.

Peak power with the tunnel ram was 713 hp, which was basically identical to the power made by the uber-expensive Dominator + Wilson intake combination. Our conclusion now is that the heads are near the limit of what they can flow, and moving to the next level of performance will require some port work. We’ve heard of some developments in this area, so hang on while we go check them out.

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HANDS ON

8 9

10 11

8. We are using a Holley Gen 3 Ultra Dominator carb (PN 80901).

This was originally a 950-cfm carb, but the skirted boosters have been replaced with non-skirted boosters so the flow is now 1,050 cfm.

9. A stock 950 Dominator uses skirted 12-hole boosters. We replaced the original boosters with these aftermarket, non-skirted, 20-hole boosters. The non-skirted design increases airflow and the smaller discharge holes help with fuel atomization.

10. Our solid valley plate design worked great. With this design, we can quickly swap intake manifolds and the intake gasket lines up perfectly with the ports.

11. The next intake tested was a Mopar M1 intake. The M1 is a single-plane design with a 4500 carb flange and a large plenum.

Power was down slightly from the Trick Flow intake, but torque was higher.

12. Next we tried the Mopar M1 intake that had been extensively ported by Wilson Manifolds. The Wilson intake looks stock, but the runners have been enlarged significantly by welding up the outside and grinding out the insides.

13. A look into the

12

13

plenum of the Wilson intake shows extensive enlarging of the port entries, as well as full polishing of all surfaces.

The porting work was worth 30 hp on this engine.

14. We tried several different spacers with the Wilson intake.

A simple 2-inch merge-type spacer shown here gave us excellent results.

30 CAR CRAFT MAY 2017

14

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HANDS ON

16

17

18 15 15. A tall tapered spacer was installed so we could use a Wilson shear plate.

16. The shear plate uses tapered extensions below each carb bore to direct the airflow into the intake manifold and to prevent reversion from flowing back into the carburetor. Shear plates are typically used on sheetmetal-type tunnel rams, but we decided to try it on this single-carb intake.

17. A view from below shows how the open spacer was machined away to provide clearance for the pressure-recovery rings around the bore extensions. Nobody sells spacers like this; you just have to have a machine shop make one for you.

18. For a final test, we dug up a Mopar M1 tunnel ram and outfitted it with a pair of 500cfm Edelbrock carbs. The tunnel ram dropped right in place and the port alignment was excellent with our Trick Flow heads.

19

19. We added a pair of velocity stacks and topped it off with air cleaners for the full Pro Street effect. This tunnel-ram combination ran great on the dyno. Two small carbs often work better than one big carb because there are twice as many jets and venturis to control the fuel.

32 CAR CRAFT MAY 2017

➔SOURCES

Gray’s Automotive; 503/620-4353; GraysEngines.com Hughes Engines; 309/745-9558; HughesEngines.com SCAT Crankshafts; 310/370-5501; SCATenterprises.com Trick Flow; 330/630-1555; TrickFlow.com Quick Fuel Technology; 270/793-0900; QuickFuelTechnology.com Wilson Manifolds; 954/771-6216; WilsonManifolds.com

Authorized Manufacturer of

Copyright 2016 © RESTOPARTS is a registered trademark of OPGI, all rights reserved, GM brands are all registered trademarks of General Motors Corp.

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HANDS ON

WE TEST IT: HOLLEY’S SNIPER EFI One of the Newest, Budget-Friendly EFI Units On the Market

By John McGann / Photos: Steve Brulé, Westech Performance

➔

The domestic aftermarket performance world has been buzzing with enthusiasm about the latest low-cost EFI systems, one of which is Holley’s new Sniper EFI. With a retail price of just less than $1,000, it offers a lot of content for not a lot of scratch. It’s a bolt-on replacement for a carburetor and the installation process is

34 CAR CRAFT MAY 2017

reportedly as easy as removing the carb, dropping on the throttle-body, and attaching a few wires. The unit comes with its own interface: an easy-to-use touchscreen that walks you through the setup process. From there, the ECM’s self-learning capabilities take over.

We wanted to see just how easy it is to install the kit, so we dropped it on a

Dodge 360 stroker built by Bob Mazzolini Racing, the Mopar Specialist out of Riverside, California. Always up for a good comparison test, we ran the engine with a carburetor first to establish a baseline, then swapped it for the EFI unit. To cut to the chase, yes, this is an easy swap, as Holley promised, and the performance was on par with the carburetor.

Our test subject was this potent 360 stroker built by Bob Mazzolini. Starting with a sonic-tested engine block, Mazzolini added a Scat Pro Series 4.00-inch stroke crankshaft, Scat 6.123-inch connecting rods, and forged JE pistons. The nearly 1⁄2-inch increase in stroke (from 3.58-inch stock) bumps the displacement up to 408, and the compression ratio was 10.0:1.

On top of the stout short-block, Mazzolini added Edelbock’s Performer RPM cylinder heads (PN 61775), which flow a reported 260 cfm of air through the intake at 0.600inch valve lift out of the box. These heads were ported by Modern Cylinder Head of Clinton, Michigan. The runners measure 176 cc (intake) and 75 cc (exhaust), and the combustion-chamber volume is 58 cc. They accept Chevrolet-style Harlan Sharp 1.6:1 roller rocker arms, which were paired with a set of Manton pushrods and a Comp solidroller camshaft. The heads were mated to Edelbrock’s Performer RPM intake manifold (PN 7577).

MAY 2017 CARCRAFT.COM 35

HANDS ON For our baseline test, we ran the engine with Westech’s tried-and-true Holley 750-cfm Ultra HP carburetor and MSD’s Pro Billet distributor.

We grabbed a set of Hooker 17⁄8-inch headers for this test. The large-diameter primary tubes match the greater airflow of the big-inch small-block. Note that we ran all the tests with intermediate pipes and mufflers to emulate the conditions this engine would see when installed in a car.

36 CAR CRAFT MAY 2017

HANDS ON

The engine fired immediately and only required a minimal amount of adjusting to get the right tune-up. The best power with a carburetor was 503 hp at 5,800 rpm and 499 lb-ft of torque at 4,400 rpm.

This is great power from a pretty basic combination.

Right: Next up was Holley’s Sniper EFI. Compact and simple, most of the components needed to make an engine run are incorporated within the throttle-body housing. The kit comes with the TBI unit, touchscreen controller, water temperature sensor, a wideband oxygen sensor, and all the necessary wiring.

The Sniper EFI throttle-body drops in place of your carburetor.

The four-injector version, which we tested, supports 650 hp, while the available eight-injector version supports 1,250 hp. If you don’t like the shiny silver finish, the unit is also available in black or a zinc-phosphate finish.

Don’t be intimidated by wires! The Sniper EFI unit only requires four wiring connections: battery positive and negative; a key-on, 12-volt source; a crank signal; and an rpm signal. The harnesses are long enough to mount into nearly any vehicle—just wrap the excess and tuck the bundle away.

Several sensors are needed for an electronic fuel-injection system to work properly, and Holley’s engineers did a good job hiding many of them within the throttle-body. The ECM, manifold absolute pressure sensor, air inlet temperature sensor, and throttle position sensor are all located on or within the housing. A fuel pressure regulator is also incorporated at the fuel inlet. The MAP sensor is a 2-bar unit to support boosted applications, and the fuel pressure regulator is set to maintain 58 psi at the injectors

38 CAR CRAFT MAY 2017

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As mentioned, a wideband oxygen sensor is included in the kit. We mounted ours in a welded-in O2 sensor bung, but the kit includes a no-weld adaptor to make installation that much easier for the home user. Westech’s Steve Brulé stressed the importance of mounting the sensor as close as possible to the exhaust collector and with at least a foot of tubing behind it.

Otherwise, reversion at the exhaust outlet can cause erratic sensor readings.

ON THE DYNO All tests were run back to back on the same day. We used Rockett 91-octane gasoline and the engine was filled with Lucas break-in oil.

RPM 2,900 3,000 3,100 3,200 3,300 3,400 3,500 3,600 3,700 3,800 3,900 4,000 4,100 4,200 4,300 4,400 4,500 4,600 4,700 4,800 4,900 5,000 5,100 5,200 5,300 5,400 5,500 5,600 5,700 5,800 5,900 6,000 6,100 6,200

HOLLEY 750 ULTRA HP

HOLLEY SNIPER EFI

TORQUE

HP

TORQUE

HP

475 472 471 472 473 473 472 472 474 476 479 483 488 493 497 499 498 496 492 490 487 484 483 480 478 476 472 467 462 455 447 439 430 421

262 270 278 287 297 306 315 324 334 345 356 368 381 394 407 418 427 434 441 447 454 461 469 476 483 489 494 498 501 503 503 502 500 497

466 465 467 471 475 478 482 484 487 491 494 495 495 494 492 491 489 486 484 480 478 477 474 473 471 470 467 464 464 453 445 436 427 417

257 266 276 287 299 310 321 332 343 355 366 377 386 395 403 411 419 426 433 439 446 453 460 468 476 483 489 494 498 500 500 499 496 493

➔SOURCES

Bob Mazzolini Racing; 951/787-8783; BobMazzoliniRacing.com Comp Cams; 800/999-0853; CompCams.com Edelbrock; 800/416-8628; Edelbrock.com Holley Performance Products; 866/464-6553. Holley.com JE Pistons; 714/898-9764; JEpistons.com Lucas Oil Products; 800/342-0154; LucasOil.com MSD Performance; 888/258-3835; MSDperformance.com

40 CAR CRAFT MAY 2017

The included color touchscreen controller walks you through a simple setup menu, then the engine is ready to start on a basic fuel and timing map. From there, the ECM fine-tunes the settings as the engine runs, based on feedback from the wideband oxygen sensor.

The Sniper EFI unit will control your ignition system, with plug-ins available for HEI and most aftermarket distributors. You can also run it without ignition control. We were impressed with the ease of installation and how quickly the ECM set itself up to run our engine. Even better than that, it virtually matched the power curves of this engine as it ran with a carburetor. The EFI system really shines in torque production below peak, where it made 15 lb-ft more than the carburetor. Interestingly, the carburetor made nearly 9 more lb-ft of torque at peak, but those are the factors you have to weigh against the ease of tuning and cold-start issues when making your decision on whether to switch to EFI. Stay tuned for more budget EFI articles; we are covering the installation of a Sniper EFI system on a Dodge Dart and will fully document the steps needed to put it into a car.

Modern Cylinder Head; 586/468-7914; ModernCylinderHead.com Rockett Brand Racing Fuel; 800/345-0076; RockettBrand.com Scat Crankshafts; 310/370-5501; ScatCrankshafts.com Westech Performance Group; 951/685-4767; WestechPerformance.com

YOUR RIGHT TO RACE IS STILL IN DANGER

THE THREAT ISN’T OVER YET. Support the RPM Act and protect racing’s future.

www.SEMA.org/RPMAct

ASK ANYTHING

Back in 2001, I almost trashed a rare aluminum-block Hyper-Pak mill due to a new highvolume oil pump with a soft drive gear. Note how the teeth are rounded and worn. Slant Six guru Doug Dutra (dd@dutra.org) suggests having the gear hardness tested before use.

Google “Slant Six oil pump drive gear failure” for lots of helpful info.

SLANT SIX BONNEVILLE Robert Dally; via email: I run a 1966 Barracuda with a 170ci Slant Six at Bonneville [see Eric English’s online article on this car from November 10, 2015, at HOTROD.com]. The engine is naturally aspirated and makes about 250 hp while running at 6,500–7,000 rpm.

Unfortunately, at the 2016 Speed Week, I threw a rod early on, so I’m currently building a new—but still naturally aspirated—engine for Speed Week 2017.

My question involves the main bearings. We followed all the recommendations in the Mopar Performance Engine book except for running fully grooved upper and lower main bearings. I’ve asked around and get a mixed bag of responses. Some say it’s the right thing to do, others say it’s an outdated idea and will result in another disaster. With the next engine, should I go to fully grooved mains or steer clear of it?

Steve Magnante: Wow, a Slant Six question! With just less than 12,500,000 built between 1960 and 1991 (about 50,000 with die-cast aluminum blocks in 1961–1962), the math says there should be far more Slant Six questions—but no. The fact is, few people recognize the Slant Six as a performance engine. For that we can blame the cylinder head and the 225ci tall-deck version.

42 CAR CRAFT MAY 2017

First, some history: In early 1957, Chrysler launched the Valiant compact-car development program, which delivered the first Mopar A-body in 1960. The A-body would go on to form the basis of the Dart, Duster, Gen-I Barracuda, and even the 1968 Hemi A-body cars. Knowing the ancient 230inch, flathead six of the day would not match the Valiant’s modern needs, a simultaneous engine-replacement program was started in 1958. This gave us the Slant Six, also of 1960.

Because the Slant Six was initially envisioned to power the small Valiant, Chrysler engine designers settled on 170 ci. Remember, Ford’s Falcon was launched with a miniscule 144-inch six-popper and the air-cooled Chevy Corvair launched at 139 cubes in 1960, which bumped to 145 in 1961. Comparatively, the new 170-inch Slant Six for the new A-body Valiant (and Dodge Lancer for 1961) doesn’t seem so small. However, “mission creep” entered the picture, and during the engine’s development program in 1958, product planners also eyeballed the Slant Six for use in light pickups, vans, and larger Chrysler passenger cars. To get more torque for these heavier applications, a second version with an extra inch of stroke joined the 170 development program, and the

tall-deck, 225ci Slant Six was born.

The problem was this: When the stroke jumped from 3.125 to 4.125 inches (the bore remained at 3.40 inches for both engines), a matching cylinder head with proportionally larger ports and valves should have been devised. It didn’t happen, partly because of the sharing of the small 3.40-inch bore between both blocks to save money on pistons, boring machinery, and so on. Anything much larger than the 1.62/1.36-inch stock valve heads suffered from shrouding.

So the exact cylinder head was used on the 170 and 225 engines (as well as the 1970–1974 198-incher, a destroked 225 with the same 3.40-inch bore). As a result, the 225 Slant Six emerged with excellent low- and mid-range torque output, but with its 170-sized cylinder head, breathing efficiency was compromised. Coupled to the 225’s extreme over-square configuration, high-rpm efficiency suffered a bunch.

I’ve built several performance-oriented 225s, and they were all uncomfortable above 5,200 rpm. I never saw anything close to six grand—even with four-barrel carburetion. This is why inthe-know Slant Six builders and racers like Doug Dutra (and you) go with the 170, which is ideally matched to the head—and whose over-square bore and stroke ratio loved to rev. What the 170 lacks in torque, it makes up for with high-rpm horsepower potential.

As you’ve proved, 6,500 and even 7,000 rpm isn’t a fantasy with the sweetly over-square 170. Back in 1960, NASCAR invited Detroit’s new wave of so-called “compact” cars (Falcon, Corvair, Valiant, and Studebaker) to a minifeature race before the big Daytona 500 event. With only 170 strictly enforced cubes, Hyper-Pak–equipped Valiants blitzed the course at an average speed of 122.282 mph. That’s cranking for such a small six-banger in a car with the aerodynamics of a brick.

We suspect, however, you knew this, and that’s why you’re running a 170 instead of a 225 in your Bonneville fish. As for the bottom end, Chrysler chose to use only four main bearings in the Slant Six, at a time when seven was the going thing at Ford and GM. To make up for the reduced support and add overlap for stiffening, the Slant Six crank was given the same

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ASK ANYTHING Slant Sixes and Bonneville go back a long way. This 1962 Valiant was campaigned in C/Altered by SoCal chassis builder Tom Medlock in 1971 with a multi-Weber equipped Slant Six.

2.75-inch main bearing journal size as the Max Wedge and 426 Hemi. Better still, forged cranks were used through the 1976 model year. In the 225 version, the bottom end is extremely rugged. In the 170-incher, it is nearly indestructible.

Better still, the stock oil system is excellent. About the only enhancement comes from the usual streamlining of the block’s oil-passage entries with a hand grinder during preparation.

There’s also safety to be gained in “porting” the passages inside the oil-pump body to eliminate sharp edges that disturb oil flow. Here is where we get into the difference between what the engine experiences at Bonneville and any other type of non-marine, non-aviation, high-performance use. Nowhere but Bonneville (and similar closed-course speed trials like the Maxton Mile) does the engine run at wide-open throttle for so many minutes. The demands on the oiling system here are unique in the world of motorsports.

Your reference to the Mopar Performance Engine book’s suggestion of using fully grooved main bearing inserts is valid. Why did you deviate? Remember this, stock semi-grooved main bearings (grooves in block, not caps) are “timed” to open the pressurized oil-flow circuit to the rod bearings during only half of each revolution.

By switching to fully grooved inserts (grooves in block and caps) the oil flow to the rods is continuous. You say you had a rod failure with your previous semigrooved setup? The root cause is likely right here. Of course, the fully grooved mains represent a greater “leak” in the system, so expect low-rpm oil-pressure gauge readings to be spooky—like 5 psi at a traffic light with heat soaked oil. This is why street and strip engine builds shun the fully grooved approach. But your Bonneville-bound Fish needs them.

Be careful of the urge to simply “throw more oil at it” with a highvolume oil pump. Mopar Performance used to sell HV pumps (PN 4286740), but along with everything else related to the Slant Six, it’s discontinued these

days. In fact, the stock oil pump delivers enough oil, so long as internal rotor/body clearances are not worn enough to reduce pumping efficiency. Yes, you can insert a 0.040-inch flat washer behind the pressure-relief spring (or hunt down a discontinued MP extra-stiff spring, PN 2406677) to gain 5 to 8 psi. But beware any new high-volume oil pump. Back around the year 2000, Slant Six racers using high-volume oil pumps began to have failures of the small 11⁄8-inch-diameter oil-pump drive gear. Driven by spiral teeth cut into the camshaft, the teeth of the pump drive gear wore away very quickly. I experienced this failure myself one morning on the crowded Los Angeles 405 freeway commuting into my job at Hot Rod in my aluminum-block Hyper-Pak 1962 Valiant. One moment I glanced down at the oil-pressure gauge and all was well. A few minutes later, the needle was on zero.

To make a long story short, a run of improperly heat-treated drive gears somehow entered the supply chain and caused numerous failures. I was lucky.

Sure I had to call a tow, but I caught it in time before it seized. Did you inspect your 170’s oil-pump drive gear after the failure? Had it stripped?

Another oil-pump concern is the fact early blocks like your 170 had a six-bolt oil-pump mounting face and require a matching six-bolt oil-pump case.

Later, the pump body and block mating face were changed to five-bolt configuration. While a newer five-bolt pump will bolt to an earlier six-bolt block, a small gap will result, which allows the pump to suck air into the pump and oil circuit. Not a good thing.

Since you’re playing in the rare air of Bonneville, I’ll guess you haven’t made this “rookie” mistake—have you? It’d cause bearing failure and the subsequent disaster you described.

In conclusion, get back to fully grooved main bearing inserts and avoid new, unproven oilpump drive gears. And while your naturally aspirated Slant

ASK ANYTHING Six efforts are noble, check the internet for videos showing turbocharged Slant Six street cars that run easy 11s.

These guys throw snails on used 225s and say they never even pull the oil pan!

A SWANK EL CAMINO FOR DALLAS Dallas Swank; via CarCraft.com: I have a 1987 Chevy El Camino with

76,245 original miles. I have been toying with ideas for a light restomod of the vehicle. What do you think is the best path: go with a crate motor or hop up the original 305? I also want to replace the original auto transmission with one with an overdrive—what would you suggest?

Steve Magnante: You’re holding the keys to—and fate of—a pretty rare machine in your mitts. Like the

Camaro, the first El Camino (1959) found Chevrolet trailing Ford’s 1957 Ranchero into a new market segment a full two years after the Blue Oval created it (in the U.S., anyway; cargo-bedequipped Chevy/Holden passenger-car hybrids were produced in Oz from 1935–1952). Oddly, like the Camaro, which was discontinued during poor market conditions (2003–2009), the El Camino also disappeared for a spell from 1960–1963. Meanwhile over at Ford, Mustang—and Ranchero— output never faltered.

However, Chevrolet enjoyed the last laugh when Ford discontinued the Ranchero after 1979. Running scared amid an industry-wide downsizing craze, Ford chose not to offer a Fox-based version of the Ranchero (though custom jobs were created by hot rodders). In dropping the Ranchero, Dearborn peeved a large number of urban—and real—cowboys who sought comfort at GM dealerships where demand resulted in continued El Camino output for nearly another decade.

Your clean, unmolested ’87 is one of 13,743 built, and while that doesn’t put it in the same league as ZL1 Camaros, L88 Corvettes, or even 1970–1971 SS454 Monte Carlos, the fact most that Elcos were worked hard sets any clean survivor aside for special consideration. If you’ve got a totally preserved time capsule, why not let it be? Then again, this is Car Craft, so that’s not the popular answer.

In my eyes, it’d be a cool car to transform into what the El Camino SS package should have been all along. Though ChooChoo Customs of Chattanooga, Tennessee, banged out several years’ worth of plastic-clad Super Sport editions, the work was purely cosmetic, thanks to federal restrictions on fun under the hood. I say pop a bone-stock L98 TPI 5.7 from a 1989 Camaro IROCZ in place of your 155hp 305 for a jump to 230 hp. Then go where CAFE kept GM from going with a five-speed stick poking between the IROC-sourced bucket seats and plant a J65 disc-brakeequipped G80 Positraction rear axle under the bed. Packed with 3.73 gears from a 1988 Monte Carlo SS, you’d have 0–60 in less

than 7 seconds and easy 14-second quarter-mile times.

I’d also add the functional, rear-facing Air Induction scoop from a 1980–1981 Z/28 or maybe blend a set of the functional vacuum-operated NACA hood duct scoops from a 1982– 1983 LU5 Cross-Fire Induction Z/28 into the hood, plumbed to feed the front-loading TPI throttle-body.

Top it all off with the 1982 Camaro Z/28’s Indy Pace Car blue-on-silver paint with colorhighlighted 16-inch IROC-Z rims, and you’d have a visual stunner that’d trick many people into thinking the 1980s were cooler than they were.

Alternatively, you could take advantage of the fact the El Camino shares its 117.1-inch wheelbase with the big 1⁄2-ton K10, shortbed 4x4 pickup truck.

Yep, you know where this is going, but you asked for ideas.

Get it so high a step ladder is needed to enter and exit, then ram a Vortec 8100 Rat/LS hybrid big-block under the hood.

The neighbors will talk. And speaking of wheelbases, my addiction to 1960s Match Bash exhibition door-slammers is well documented. Why not push the rear-axle centerline ahead so the wheel openings are an inch from the door cut lines? A prepped 9-inch and taller coil springs would merge easily into the stock G-body four-link architecture. Then trash the A-arm front suspension in favor of a live beam with parallel leaf springs. A Hilborn-injected 427, pushbutton 727 Torqueflite from any 1962–1965 318 Poly application (coupled by a Wil-Cao adapter kit) and fender wall headers would top it off. The bottom line is that you’ve got a fantastic “blank slate” on your hands—choose wisely.

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THIS GUY’S GARAGE MATT GURJACK / Clinton Township, MI After cutting his teeth at a body shop and other hot rod shops, fabricator Matt Gurjack established Sled Alley about eight years ago and hasn’t looked back. The Detroit-area shop quickly earned a reputation for turning out top-notch hot rods and has become a go-to source for Pro Touring conversions. That has been helped in no small part by high-profile clients such as Mark Stielow, who has relied on Gurjack to do most of the heavy cutting and welding on several of his past Camaro builds. In fact, Stielow’s latest project—a 1969 Camaro, naturally— was the reason for Car Craft’s recent visit. The lineup of other projects under construction was too interesting to pass up and deserved to be highlighted here. “Metal fab has always been my thing, and working for myself was the only way to build my cars and my customers’ cars the best way I knew how,” Gurjack says. “At the end of the day, it’s my reputation on the line, not someone else’s.” With a good reputation comes expansion, and Gurjack is finalizing plans to double the 4,000-square-foot floor space seen here, turning Sled Alley into more like Sled Boulevard.

By Barry Kluczyk / Photo: Barry Kluczyk

48 CAR CRAFT MAY 2017

This box hidden by the Talladega is Holley’s “G-Force One” 1987 Grand Prix, which was originally fitted with an LS9-blown 7.0L built by Brian Thomson, but will now—like the 1973 Camaro also in the shop—receive a naturally aspirated 442-cube LS7. It also has a Morrison chassis, Baer brakes, Forgeline wheels, and more.

Hold onto your Concours judging sheets, muscle-car purists, because this is an authentic, 1-of-754 1969 Ford Torino Talladega in for the Pro Touring treatment. It belongs to racer Tom Bailey, and when sparks quit flying, it will sit on a Roadster Shop chassis with custom mini-tubs created by Sled Alley. Even better, motivation will come from a twin-turbocharged Coyote 5.0L engine. We’ll be waiting at the door with our cameras when this one is finished.

Another customer’s 1969 Camaro will receive a Detroit Speed QUADRALink rear suspension and mini-tubs, but retains the original front subframe. The car will also receive Gen 5 Camaro brakes and Budnik wheels. Power will come from a heavily-breathed-on LS1.

The lone shoebox in the shop belongs to a customer who is also taking the Pro Touring route. Complete details are still to be worked out, but mini-tubs and a boosted LS engine of some sort are part of the overall plan.

Longtime California enthusiast and collector Charley Lillard sent this 1967 Camaro to Detroit for the full Pro Touring makeover. Detroit Speed front and rear suspension systems are going into it, along with an ABS system and the other requisite track-capable components, but as of our writing, the powertrain was still to be determined.

Rounding out the shop’s roster during our visit is Holley’s innovative “Corner Horse” 1966 Mustang fastback project, which began life as a Kentuckybased, six-cylinder car. It now boasts a Ford Racing Aluminator XS Coyote engine (with Holley fuel injection, of course), a D&D Performance-prepped T56 Magnum, Detroit Speed chassis parts, Holley’s EFIfriendly gauges, and an Ididit steering column.

Mark Stielow’s latest Pro Touring project is this 1969 Camaro that will be driven by a new supercharged LT4 engine, which is good for 650 hp and 650 lb-ft straight out of the crate. Unlike his previous builds, which featured mile-deep paint jobs, he’ll leave the patina of the original Fathom Green paint as it is. Stielow found the amazingly unmolested first-gen in Oregon, although its original 307 small-block was long gone.

Holley had the initial chassis work on this 1973 Camaro done at Detroit Speed, before sending it up to Sled Alley for completion. A T56 Magnum will back a 442-inch LS7 under the hood. Additional enhancements will include a Bosch ABS system and Forgeline wheels.

MAY 2017 CARCRAFT.COM 49

ster u D 1 7 9 1 apped w S i m e dern, H otos: Wes Allison o M s ’ o n h a cGann / P Ken Mais

By John M

50 CAR CRAFT MAY 2017

e car , saying th ith Angelo doesn’t matter w g in d ri of ip. It probarocket sh are felt like a rn Honda Accord is s, things we osiy b d e p a e wa d We are sh ur youth, both in p that a mo an that old Duster was e a o th , te in a lly g th re r to in fu c k d te re and s. Than bly fas n, the th expose n a limb he l impressions ative way e kind of thing e-eyed Ke g e id n w d e n a th e ’ll go out o r fu fo tiv t th gh I rism: youth usually no t of couch, new apho rn obsessions. Thou passed ou a beast. car stuff is s to the therapist’s k e c d a a eventually , Ken’s brother o u b d r s a n to d c a n e t y c a se n jo h t e f T create m a th ally evid rce o wner and tragic fact; anecdotal ead a sou iness. their lives, rly age. As the co-o vebut is inst have only it this statement as ing ture happ fu f o e y e is a m th e w r oti m tervie died at an Classics, an autom a, hopeful pro eir first cars or a ca n it up, I sub years of in one theme r e ft e a R es th K A d e M e C v In c S . ta lo Cos of MA Guys eviden y in life ars, the business in and owned sed to earl his brother’s car, out their c t majority of n o b o p a ti x e rs ra e to re n s e w re w o s vas built case, it wa e lines , Ken has ces in the , but California Maisano’s uth Duster. that surfa something along th er/ uscle cars courm r, ic e ss th o la ro th c is m b f fa s en r ly o e y e P s c ro 1 ld n n d “m 7 o r ta ze Te n 19 s o o e d a in ys er Scott t 13 wh first car” a n s m y rt ju lw o a m a at left s fr p I s a r a d w ss r n te w e e a s n Ke busin of: “It e Dust th ar the Du th d had one, e r s ild e It a u . th h b it ro rc c o to b u e gelo, p t in Detr aged him ression on him, th neighbor/ just like it.” ope, An r Penske Chevrole n tr io uilder p y e s b u s n r im g o a re n rc d p a a f such Roge wante ff an im a tired, c e path o tu g s th l in n o e o , o o b n 8 c f r, V o im a e h Instead that set love: 340 had all th hing to he it. quite touc ger would sh attird today. able teena smission, and a bra ories it’s actually many times I’ve hea erp m an w manual tr counted happy me matter ho se it’s something so on re oti au tude. Ken That’s bec a basic level, it’s a n te. at recia p p a d n a sonal, yet d understan we can all

I

MAY 2017 CARCRAFT.COM 51

DREAMS OF OUR YOUTH

Wisely, Ken heeded Scott’s advice and found this car on eBay about two years ago. Ken and his crew of technicians got busy with a complete disassembly and rotisserie restoration of the car. The car’s chassis was in good shape and only needed a bit of rust repair. Early on, Ken decided he wanted a modern drivetrain and suspension for his car, and he found just

52 CAR CRAFT MAY 2017

that in a 6.4 Hemi crate engine from Bouochillon Performance and a T56 Magnum from American Powertrain.

He and MASCAR fab guy Brett Maxwell seamlessly integrated the new Hemi, the long-and-wide transmission, and a coilover front and rear suspension into the classic look and shape of the Duster. Ken sprayed the paint himself, a custom mix of B5

Blue and nearly 2 gallons of clearcoat on top.

The result is a stellar example of what can happen when you pursue a lifelong passion. Ken says his Duster drives as smoothly as a Lexus, corners like a slot car, yet has the raw power to satisfy the 13-year-old in him who’s been hanging onto those memories all these years since.

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DREAMS OF OUR YOUTH

TECH NOTES Who: Ken Maisano What: 1971 Plymouth Duster Where: Costa Mesa, CA Engine: The Gen III Hemi under the hood is a 6.4L SRT8 crate engine from Bouchillon Performance Engineering.

Sold complete from intake to oil pan, it is ready to drop into the vehicle of your choice and happily make 470 hp all day long. Ken and crew accomplished the modern Hemi swap with one of Reilly Motorsports’ AlterKtion tubular front subframes. Configurable with the motor mounts of your choice (even Chevy LS engines—gasp!), the subframe eliminates the stock, heavy K-member and allows you to switch to a coilover frontsuspension design for superior handling and infinite ride-height adjustability.

Transmission: Influenced by the original three-speed manual in his brother’s Duster, Ken followed suit, but upped the ante by hooking up a Tremec T56 Magnum, which adds three more forward gears and offers

54 CAR CRAFT MAY 2017

significantly better strength and more precise feel than the old Mopar box did. American Powertrain supplied the transmission, hydraulic clutch conversion, and installation kit.

Rearend: A tried-and-true Ford 9-inch rear hangs from an in-house, custombuilt four-link rear suspension. It houses 3.71:1 gears on an Eaton Detroit TrueTrac differential.

Exhaust: TTi makes the headers that easily clear the AlterKtion front end A-body chassis. They empty into a custom-built 21⁄2-inch stainless-steel exhaust system with Magnaflow mufflers.

Suspension: The front coilover conversion came from Reilly Motorsports and consists of Viking double-adjustable shocks. MASCAR built the rear suspension from scratch, hiding several of the pickup points in the rear subframe, so lots of stuff wouldn’t he hanging down under the rear of the car.

Double-adjustable Viking coilovers con-

trol the rear suspension as well.

Brakes: All the braking components came from Wilwood: 13-inch rotors are used both front and rear, with 6-piston calipers up front and 4-piston calipers on the back. Electronic power assist comes from ABS Power Brake. Its components are hidden in the driver-side fender.

Plumbing: The engine is kept cool by a custom radiator and fan assembly from Matteson. The gas tank is from Rick’s Tanks, and the fuel and brake

SERIES

DAY MODE

NIGHT MODE

•Set your own lighting colors for the face, needles and message center.

• Fully-programmable TFT display(s) for the information you need where you want it.

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56 CAR CRAFT MAY 2017

lines were all custom-bent in-house.

Wheels/Tires: Those are Series 55 wheels from Hot Rods By Boyd. Measuring 17x7 in the front and 18x10 in the rear, they’re shod with 225/50-17 and 285/40-18 Continental Extreme Contact tires.

Paint and Body: Here’s where you’d need to park a stock Duster next to Ken’s creation to fully appreciate all the work that was done to this car. The

firewall was made in-house as was the transmission tunnel. The guys also smoothed the inner fender aprons, built a custom gas door, and smoothed the cowl panel and front and rear bumpers. The chassis received a full sounddeadening treatment, and Ken sprayed the stunning-looking B5 Blue and clear topcoat.

Interior: More custom touches abound inside the car. Check out the

heated and air-conditioned seats from Degreez, which are wrapped in custom leather upholstery. The carpet came from a Mercedes-Benz, and the headliner material is the same as is used in Porsches. Speedhut designed custom gauges for the car to match the original fonts. The steering column is from ididit, and Vintage Air and Dakota Digital provided the A/C system and digital controller, respectively.

MAY 2017 CARCRAFT.COM 57

58 CAR CRAFT MAY 2017

MAY 2017 CARCRAFT.COM 59

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ing look easy—as here are certain cars that make winn it look so good or e mak to t effor of lot a take ’t didn if it e Coronet is one Dodg 1965 This er. make so much pow and a nicely disjob t pain k r-slic supe a to ks than , of those cars a show car like s look it e Whil . guised engine under the hood net is packing Coro this tles, whis and bells right the and has all has a pretty serious hisa secret under the hood and actually to Ringgold, Georgia, ngs belo car The . strip drag tory on the guy who learned the ar Mop ng resident Ken Meredith, a lifelo eth.

Kenn r, fathe his trade from

T

des, and he has ith Mopars for decades f ling with Ken has been fooli ive, a Sikkens mot Auto ’s Byrd for ager man store a day job as lies to local supp t pain g sellin paint supplier. When he’s not g on project cars. chin wren shop own his in he’s s, body shop t means that all of his His background in bodywork and pain a killer paint job, but to ed treat and d sage mas projects get this Coronet. Since on job t pain he didn’t stop with a slick strip, Ken wanted to drag the on life its of h muc t the car spen original 273ci car’s the than er give it a few more horsepow ide. prov d engine coul

od, With 493 CI Under the Ho et This Coronet Is Ready for the Stre

62 CAR CRAFT MAY 2017

Bigham, who has In 2005, Ken bought the car from L.C. alive. L.C. is the been has Ken as long as for been drag racing is a sportsman h whic e, brak master of a class known as Foot brake or any trans a allow n’t does that bracket-racing class won more L.C. said was It type of delay box or electronics. of his total ion fract a car— r icula part this than $40,000 with a radical had r neve car winnings in his ongoing career. The preserved well gly risin surp was it and n, engine or suspensio of racing s kend wee The . compared to most drag-racing cars net, and Coro this for t men treat ible poss action was the best

he s built. lid cars he’s Ken admits it was one of the most solid ar into someMop this mp reva to ing work s Ken spent year also looking e whil show thing that would stand out at a car tune. With andtestStrip Drag mist Opti erd at home at a Brain g ortin supp and hood a 493ci big-block Mopar under the rise a few surp will and n actio for y read is net parts, Ken’s Coro uretors are opened up. folks when those two four-barrel carb as a rolling memorial es serv and er sleep ary The car is a sanit eth, who were Kenn r, for Ken’s late brother, Rick, and fathe ar guy’s fire.

Mop this to fuel ng addi for both responsible

Byrd Tommy Lee Byrd / Photos: Tommy Lee

MAY 2017 CARCRAFT.COM 63

SANITARY SLEEPER

TECH NOTES Who: Ken Meredith What: 1965 Dodge Coronet 440 Where: Ringgold, GA Engine: The RB big-block started life as a 440, but now boasts 493 ci, thanks to the full treatment from Hensley Performance of Knoxville, TN. The displacement comes from the combination of 4.150-inch stroke and 4.350-inch bore, while compression is 11.0:1. Atop the block is a pair of Max Wedge Stage III cylinder heads, heavily reworked by Hensley Performance. An aggressive idle and crisp throttle response is a product of a Direct Connection 509 camshaft featuring 292 degrees of duration and 0.509-inch lift. Up top is an A&A Transmission cross-ram intake manifold, sporting a pair of Edelbrock 650-cfm carburetors. Mopar music is played by a set of TTI ceramic-coated headers, which lead to a 3-inch exhaust system, complete with Flowmaster mufflers. The healthy mill is dressed as a stock 426 wedge, but Hensley Performance “Ramcharger” decals on the valve covers spill the beans on this sneaky big-block. Although it hasn’t been turned loose on a dyno, Hensley feels the cross-ram-equipped Max Wedge setup is good for 600 hp.

Transmission: Backing the stroked big-block is a 727 TorqueFlite automatic, built by local drag racer Melvin

64 CAR CRAFT MAY 2017

Croft. Ken matched the camshaft powerband with a loose torque converter that stalls to 4,400 rpm before transferring the power. Ken still uses the stock column shifter to operate the three-speed automatic.

Rearend: Out back is a Dana 60 rear end built by Hudlow Axle and packed with a Sure Grip differential and 4.10:1 gears.

Suspension: Ken focused most of his effort on the killer engine, so the suspension, steering, and brakes got a basic rebuild. The only modification underneath is a pair of Super Stock leaf springs, which help plant the horsepower to the ground.

Wheels/Tires: The Coronet rolls on a bo that nostalgic tire and wheel comb Ken picked up from Coker Tire. The BFGoodrich Radial T/A tires are sized at 225/70R15 and 275/60R15 with 15x7- and 15x8-inch Rocket Fuel wheels.

Paint/Body: The paint and bodywork was a team effort, with help coming from Henry Johns and NuNu Lowry.

Ken was blown away with solid and straight panels, considering this car’s drag-racing history. He laid down a few coats of Sikkens basecoat/clearcoat Euro Jet Black paint after massaging the body to perfection.

Interior: Inside, it’s a pretty simple setup, with a bench seat, a big steering wheel, and lots of red material. Ken ordered new carpet and door panels from Legendary Interiors, while Kyle Wilson at Fully Loaded Interiors stitched new covers for the seats. The dash and trim is immaculate, another rarity for a former drag car. Ken restored the interior with all original components and put the same amount of effort into the trunk, with superb details throughout.

MAY 2017 CARCRAFT.COM 65

K C BLO harger R/T C 9 6 9 1 e m li b u S ’s Paul Blortc/ k rt nce, he Photos: Eric Geise after that experie

By Eric Geise

that special age amount of folks in here are a limited uscle cars, in the heyday of m into cars group who grew up en be ’s He e of them. and Paul Block is on he built his first car: a 1961 ven, when since the age of se but it plugged him s a plastic model, wa it , re Su . te et Corv ppening all around scene that was ha into the automotive him in the 1960s. in Upland, Califors in his 40s, living By the time he wa siness that bu g ccessful contractin ey to his pason nia, Paul had a su m d an e tim vote some aros: one m Ca allowed him to de 68 o customized 19 tw ilt bu he d an sion,

T

66 CAR CRAFT MAY 2017

nvertible. But r coupe and one co d looked for anothe ne with Chevys an do s ar op M ol ho -sc decided he wa s muscle car: an old quintessential 1960 -block. big a one at a swap equipped with it, he came across ve ha e uld wo k luc As On a trailer was th e makings of one. s wa it d an T, R/ meet, or at least th er a 1969 Dodge Charg color Paul frame and shell of act blime Green, the ex Su ed some loose parts already paint re we ere th gh ou Th e. rid his r fo ed were missing. Paul want , several other parts located in the trunk ured the hunt for parts has always fig was undeterred; he

Y T PAR n in building a car. been part of the fu s-era car nowadays working on a 1960 of e ag nt va ad e Th rmance and suspen ilize updated perfo Ron to ed rn tu is being able to ut ul Pa y ild, which is wh sion parts in the bu d in Ontario, Caliance Carb & Spee rm rfo Pe at with sorting out Blanchard lp he d mplete build an co e th do to ia, rn fo ion for Paul. r the Charger in the best combinat n was first used fo The split-grille desig h taillight, with some claiming it full-widt ks 1969, as was the ent—but it just loo car’s drag coeffici ht e lig th ad er he low n d de lpe hid he the hanism to operate cool, too. The mec

operation, and this ted to an electrical g covers was conver ed at Best Polishin lat triple-chrome-p re we rs pe m bu car’s ona, California.

60s car nowadays & Chrome in Pom age in building a 19 nt va ad dis ly on e Th rd to find, or very me parts are too ha , is the fact that so do it all over again to do. If Paul had u to yo t en jus , wh wn ive do ns ar expe r to te ught a complete ca that, the Charger he would have bo an th are there. Other on know all the parts and he’s planning as he’d hoped for, tly ac s, is ex ow kn ne yo er turned out ev as off of it, which, driving the wheels th a car like this! supposed to do wi e u’r yo at exactly wh

MAY 2017 CARCRAFT.COM 67

BLOCK PARTY

TECH NOTES Who: Paul Block What: 1969 Dodge Charger R/T Where: Upland, CA Long-Block: It’s hard to believe a straight-six was one of the engine options for 1969 Chargers, but rest assured, Paul wasn’t going in that direction. Instead, he went for a 1969 Dodge 440, bored 4.375 inches for 446 cubes by Brian Sloan and assembled with a stock polished and ground crank, JE pistons, H-beam rods from Scotts Rods, and a Comp Cams solid roller camshaft.

Fuel and Air: Dialed in with a 10.5:1 compression ratio, Edelbrock Victor heads were added that feature Comp Cams valves, springs, and rockers, all topped with Mopar valve covers. A Victor Jr. intake manifold supports a Performance Carb Stage 3 1050 Dominator carb that breathes through a R2C air cleaner. Exhaust runs through TTi headers and a pair of Black Widow mufflers.

Ignition and Electronics: In keeping

68 CAR CRAFT MAY 2017

with the near-factory theme, electronics were held to a minimum, save for the 100-amp alternator and MSD wires.

Transmission: Dave Waugh went through the A833 four-speed transmission, building it out to a heavy-duty Hemi spec with a McLeod flywheel and dual-disc clutch system, which attaches to a 4-inch aluminum driveshaft fitted with forged yokes by Inland Empire Driveline.

Chassis: Ron Blanchard at Performance Carb & Speed in Ontario, CA, approached the project from the ground up, adding torque boxes to the frame for structural stiffness.

Suspension: The front suspension comes in the form of a Magnum Force K-member clip outfitted with Viking double-adjustable coilover shocks and rack-and-pinion steering.

Rearend: Out back, a Moser Dana 60 (3.73:1) went in, equipped with Moser 35-spline axles and Caltracs traction bars.

Brakes: Wilwood disc brakes are used both fore and aft.

Wheels/Tires: Paul went old school with the wheel choice, acquiring polished 15-inch Centerlines wrapped in Mickey Thompson rubber (26x7.5015LT and 28x12.50-15LT).

Interior: The car was wired with a stock harness, which provides power to the rallye gauges as well as the Alpine-based stereo system. Art of Sound designed the sound system, which includes two 10-inch Rockford subwoofers in a custom box, plus two 5x7 Rockford Fosgate speakers under the rear deck. Twin Rockford amps were used, too, along with two tweets in the kickpanels, a 4-inch dash speaker, and two 5-inchers hidden in the cowl vent holes. And even with all this sound system, the interior still appears factory stock. Of course, the Grant walnut steering wheel, Hurst pistol-grip shifter, black loop carpet, and black vinyl material on the bucket seats (installed by Collins Upholstery) help seal the look.

Paint: Blanchard added the Glasstek hood customized by Pat’s Glass in Upland and adjusted the hoodscoop to the right height before the car was prepped by Mario’s Body Works, which also sprayed the ride with the PPG Sublime Green color, adding the rear stripe and custom R/T logo afterward.

Special Thanks: This Charger could not have turned out as well as it did without the help received by Ron Blanchard at Performance Carb & Speed.

MAY 2017 CARCRAFT.COM 69

WTF? (Where’s the Fun?) V8Z

FROM THE FIELD TO THE TAVERN Who: C. L. “Buckshot” Cake Where: Madera Ranchos, CA What: 1967 Dodge Dart Why: Buckshot somehow found this nearly perfect Dart sitting in a field. It was low mileage and had avoided the ravages of rust during its long slumber.

Buckshot plucked the stock 273 V8 and is in the process of dropping in a 440 snatched from a motorhome and rebuilt

by Dave’s Performance in Fresno, CA. A 727 TorqueFlite will back the tunnelrammed RB and a Ford 8.8-inch rear sits out back. Other upgrades include disc brakes, subframe connectors, and an aluminum radiator. He builds custom Harleys on the side, so he included a picture of Buckshot’s Tavern, where he works on the bikes.

70 CAR CRAFT MAY 2017

Who: Dan MacKean Where: Tucson, AZ What: 1971 Datsun 240Z Why: Dan writes, “As a longtime reader and subscriber, I was pleased to see that you are considering import cars with V8 engines. The feeling of a V8 in a 2,300pound car is hard to beat, and the engineering obstacles should keep the average reader interested.” He included pictures of his Datsun, which runs a stroker LS6 and T56 combination. It runs on E85 and makes 530 hp at the wheels, and Dan added that though it’s street legal, he mostly drives it at open track events.

V8 VEGA Who: Mark Knepprath Where: Kewaskum, WI What: 1972 Chevrolet Vega Why: Mark sent this picture of his son, Skyler, standing with his Vega. They dropped a 1968 327 with fuelie heads in place of the anemic four-cylinder engines that came in these things. Random trivia: The Vega was part of GM’s H-body platform, along with the Monza, Buick Skyhawk, and Oldsmobile Starfire.

NETWORK

IF IT ISN’T HERE, IT ISN’T HAPPENING

HOTROD.COM

WTF?

➔LETTERS

BLOWN-UP PARTS

PRO MOD PROBLEM I think the Pro Mod takeover article in the Feb. 2017 issue was really interesting. It looks like there are two sides to this: either Pro Mods should be allowed to compete in races like this, or they should not be allowed to enter. But I think there is a third side: let Pro Mods compete in no-prep races, but give them their own class. I say this because I think it’s cool to see Pro Mods run on the streets, but at the same time I want to see small-tire cars winning races. Either way, it will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

—Noah Kreutzwieser, Saskatoon, Canada

“This happened after 16 years of beating on the forged crankshaft in the 401 in my AMX. A couple years ago, I sent a picture of the ring-and-pinion I also grenaded.

My ZIP code is 80401—go figure.”

—Jeff Sackley, Golden, CO

G-BODY LOVE The Mar. 2017 issue with the two Cutlasses on the cover was a great issue. My 1981 Cutlass Calais was a T-Top with a stock aluminum hood and FE3 suspension—it was good handler, but that punky 260 [wasn’t good]. Two sets of rockers in 50,000 miles demanded an engine swap; I went bigger, of course, to a 350 from a ’71. Our engine rebuild used an aggressive Crower cam, Hedman headers, cleaned-up ports, and a threeangle valve job. The four-barrel carburetor from an 1980 Olds 350 had the right choke for the ’81 controls, and the only welding required was the bung for the oxygen sensor. Everything else was bolt up or simple. It wasn’t exactly a drag car, but it was strong on the street.

Four years of my son’s college commute wore it out, but the body/chassis was still pristine in spite of New England winters.

Credit goes to the galvanized lower body panels.

My little brother had a tire-smoking 1976 442 with the body rusting off the clapped-out suspension.

The next project was obvious, but life got in the way, and both cars went to auction. Maybe someone got both and built what I would have bought in the first place: a 455 G-body.

—Dave Rogers, via email

72 CAR CRAFT MAY 2017

➔SEND STUFF TO CAR CRAFT!

We need more pictures of Burnouts, please. While you’re at it, send any of your compliments, complaints, random musings, or pet pictures to us. Here’s how: email: CarCraft@carcraft.com online: CarCraft.com social media: Facebook.com/CarCraftMag mail: 831 S. Douglas St. El Segundo, CA 90245 don’t forget: Include your make/model of car and your city/state. disclaimer: If you can’t write a complete sentence, don’t worry, we will make your work comprehensible. That includes making up stuff we thought you meant.

BURNOUT!!

a) I took Meranda (a 1972 Mustang Cobr “Christmas day was perfect here, so transic mat auto , 302 ified mod a has She out and did a burnout for you guys. slip. It was built to cruise and go!” mission, and 3.25:1 gears with limited —Mike DiLonardo, Riviera Beach, MD

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BUCKET IN A BOX

CAR CRAFT (ISSN 0008-6010); May 2017, Vol. 65, No. 5. Copyright 2017 by TEN: The Enthusiast Network Magazines, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Published monthly by TEN: The Enthusiast Network, LLC, 261 Madison Avenue, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10016. Periodicals Postage Paid at New York, NY, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send all UAA to CFS. (See DMM 707.4.12.5); NON-POSTAL AND MILITARY FACILITIES: send address corrections to Car Craft, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235. Subscription rates for 1 year (12 issues): U.S., APO, FPO and U.S. Possessions $20.00. Canada $32.00. All other countries $44.00 (for surface mail postage). Payment in advance, U.S. funds only. For subscription inquiries please email carcraft@emailcustomerservice.com, call 800/800-7697 (386/447-6385, international), or write to Car Craft, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235. CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Six weeks’ notice is required to change a subscriber’s address. Please give both old and new addresses and label.

By Thomas Voehringer / Photo: Pat Brollier

One of the hottest crazes in cool transportation in the 1960s was the T roadster—as evidenced on the pages of numerous Petersen Publishing titles and TV shows. Seeing an eager market and business opportunity, Dragmaster Co., a race chassis and speed shop established by veteran drag racers Dode Martin and Jim Nelson (pictured, left and right), produced a road-going T-bucket tube-frame chassis kit called the Streetster. This came on the heels of their very successful Dragmaster dragster that was campaigned by Mickey Thompson, Jack Chrisman, Tom Hoover, Danny Ongais, and others. This photo is an outtake from the cover shoot for the July 1965 issue of Car Craft. Inside, the four-page feature story walked through the basic assembly, utilizing a fiberglass Kellison T roadster pickup body, a warmed-over Chevy small-block engine with three-speed synchro trans, Dragmaster-built chrome headers, and cheater slicks. Stock mechanical parts were incorporated as often as possible to keep cost down and maintenance easy. Dragmaster offered everything from kits to turnkey cars. The kit was sold less paint and upholstery, for $2,495, plus shipping.

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Complete Install Kits - starting at $ /kit FOR CAMARO, CHEVELLE, CHEVY C-10 TRUCK, NOVA,

+ 500 Series™ Power Steering Box PACK AGE ON THE M ARKE STAGE 4 Kit + CHEVY FULLSIZE & G-BODY 500 Series™ + Complete 13" Front Big Brake Kit 14:1 Sport Ratio LS ENGINE MOUNTS + Complete 12" Rear Big Brake Kit Power Steering Box fine tunes your engine + Chrome Master Cylinder PERFORMANCE $ placement for optimal clearance & fit.

TS starting at /kit Shown with & Proportioning Valve Combo UPGRADE KIAG $ E PolyPlus pads. starting at 99/kit + Totally Tubular™ STAGE 4 Kit + 400 Series™ ALL IN PACK Power Steering Box for Upper & Lower Control Arms ZE, FULLSI Nova & Mustang FOR CHEVY TRUCK,CHEVELLE, + Dual Adjustable Front NOVA, CAMARO, Coil-Over Conversion Kit G-BODY + Pro-Touring Front & Rear Sway Bars LIFETIME USA KITS ALSO + Complete Rear Suspension System WARRANTY AVAILABLE!

GET CONNECTED! #classicperform

866-593-2423 378 E. Orangethorpe Ave. | Placentia, CA 92870

714-522-2000 | Fax: 714-522-2500

Prices subject to change without notice. Please note that kits and prices may vary between certain applications.