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SCode:2211HR • Prices subject to change without notice.Visit SummitRacing.com for current pricing. Typographical, description, or photography errors are subject to correction.Some parts are not legalfor usein Californiaor other stateswith similarlaws/regulations. Please check your state and/orlocal laws/regulations.©2022 AUTOSALES, INC Orderby10 PM EST:In-Stock Parts Shipped That Day! 1.800.230.3030 • Int'l:1.330.630.0230 UNBEATABLE SERVICE, TECH ADVICE, SATISFACTION, AND SELECTION. THE BRAND YOU TRUST. Summit Racing™ Spline Lug Nut Wheel Installation Kits Strength and Great Looks Combined as low as $24.99 kit SUM Spline Conical Summit Drag-ThrustRacing™Wheels Classic 5-Hole Styling as low as $138.99 each SUM Drag Thrust Airframed Fender Braces for 1967-69 Camaro and Firebird Dress up Your Engine Bay as low as $230.00 pair BIR Airframed DHC™ 175 Cylinder Heads for Small Chevy Vintage Look, Modern Power as low as $764.99 assembled, each TFS DHC 175 BBQ Engine Grill Satisfy High-Horsepower Hunger HRH-GHH350EG $769.99 each HRH V8 Engine C10 Grille Inserts The Look of a 1967-68 Chevy Front-End as low as $844.99 each HOT C10 Main Grille Each Pro-Series Sport Low Back Seats Drive in Comfort as low as $1,129.99 pair TIP PRO Low Back Seat Hot Rod and Classic Car Motor Oil High Levels of ZDDP for Max Protection as low as $11.99 each LUC Hot Rod HP-Series Main Bearing Sets Better Oiling at Higher RPMs as low as $54.99 set of 5 KGB HP Bearing 5 PRO20 Helmets Lightweight Clarity as low as $269.95 each VMS PRO20 No Competition Street Series Disc Brake Kits More Stopping Power as low as $796.00 kit TSB Competition Street Disc Quick Time Pro D.O.T. Tires Traction at the Track as low as $260.90 each HOO D.O.T. Quick Powered by Enthusiasts!
Q ON THE COVER: Iconic scene and scenery from Power Tour. Photo by Wes Allison 54 Generation Z The History of the Covette Z06 Package 62 The Long Goodbye Drag Testing the 2021 Dodge Super Stock 72 Ambition Realized Stanley Chavik Is Living the American Dream 80 Free At Last 1967 Camaro Barn Find From the Lone Star State 04 Starting Line with John McGann 08 HOT ROD Archives 20, 40, and 60 Years Ago 10 Where It All Began All Hail the King 12 Power Tour 2022 High Octane and Sweet Tea 28 Power Tour Long Haulers Some Who Made the Trip From Start To Finish 34 Hellephant Hellucination Ralph Gilles and SpeedKore Build a Next-gen Mopar 44 TimeSuperchargedMachine This 1969 Camaro Z/28 Graced the Cover of HOT ROD 43 Years Ago 84 Thunder Mountain 2022 Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-high Nationals 90 How High Is Too High Is Running a Higher-lift Cam Worth the Risks? 94 Super Makeover Craig Wright Shows How To Rebuild a Super T-10 102 Corner-phobia Cure Simple Coilover Upgrade for GM A-bodies 108 Primer Time The Differences Between Paint & Primer Spray Guns 114 Modest Mouse Build a Small-block Chevy for Less Than $3,600 122 Salvage to Salvation CarCraftVideoRescues a Junkyard ’67 Mustang 130 Finish Line with Tony Thacker The 999/Coupe Roadster Contents 1122 HOTROD.COM/2022/NOVEMBER 3 34 448410
❱Greetings from Nashville, Tennessee, a place that seems close to becoming my second home. We are shooting more episodes of CarCraftVideoand I’m on a marathon three-week session on the road helping make that happen. Things were going great until I smashed my finger while installing a flywheel on the back of the 351 Windsor we’re installing in our 1967 Mustang coupe. I’ll spare you pictures of the damage. Watch the episode, though (they run on Motor Trend’s YouTube Channel). We didn’t catch the act as it happened, thankfully, but if you see me wearing rubber gloves, that’s an attempt to hide my purple and bandaged ring finger. Normally I don’t wear gloves while working on a car unless it’s around really hot things. Thankfully, I’ve never been seriously injured while working on a car, and my finger will be fine from this latest incident, but the experience does make one pause to consider your personal safety and respect for the car. That flywheel only fell an inch or two onto my finger but imagine it coming through the floor of the car, spinning at 6,000 rpm. That happens, and people have been severely injured or killed from things like that. Of course, I’ve had my share of burns, scrapes, and cuts, but all of them have been minor. The worst thing I’ve experienced was metal shavings in the eye. That’s happened twice, and one required a trip to the hospital. I had been wearing safety glasses both times; it was just freakish bad luck the trajectory those things took to lodge themselves on my eyeball. What are you going to do? Cars are dangerous, yes, but life is dangerous. You do your best to protect yourself, but bad things will happen. No matter what, the benefits far
Respect the Car outweigh the risks by a huge margin. Flip to the Power Tour coverage in this issue and see for yourself. All the smiling faces tell the tale. Power Tour was five days of joy despite the heatwave that descended upon us this year, and I personally had a wonderful time. Trips like that can be stressful for us on staff. Stressful is an understatement, by the way. This year’s Power Tour was the complete opposite for me. We had a good plan in place and great people to execute it. Thanks to Wes Allison, Cy Soliman, Renz Dimaandal, Heidi Elzas, and Steven Rupp for the hard work and fun times. I haven’t laughed that much in years. I was sad to leave Atlanta on the last day, wishing we could extend the trip for another few days. That’s the effect cars have on us. Many people derive their livelihood from working on cars, many more derive a great sense of joy and pleasure from driving them. Cars take us to places we couldn’t normally see and connect us with people we wouldn’t normally meet. I am forever grateful for the journey.
By McGannJohn
@john.mcgann Editor-in-Chief Follow us @ hotrodmagazine STARTING LINE
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EDITORIAL Network Director Michael Galimi Editor-in-Chief John McGann Managing Editor Rusty Kurtz Features Editor Timothy Bernsau Technical Editor Johnny Hunkins Technical Editor Steven Rupp Staff Editor Jordon Scott Social Media Editor Cyril Soliman Video Producer Kale Eickhof HOT ROD Garage Hosts Lucky Costa Alex Taylor Tech Center Manager Calin Head Contributors Wes CamAllisonBentyGregCopeRenzDimaandalMarkEhlenHeidiElzasDrewHardinBarryKluczykJeffSmithTonyThackerWaltThurnWilliamWalkerLynWoodward ART DIRECTION & DESIGN Design Director Markas Platt ON THE WEB MotorTrendOnDemand.comMotorTrend.com/HotRod ADVERTISING Sales Director Michael Essex 863.860.6023 WEST & SOUTHWEST Los Angeles: 831 S. Douglas St., El Segundo, CA 90245 Cody Busch; 657.294.6509 AD MOTORTRENDYvetteCOORDINATORFrostGROUP President/General Manager Alex Wellen Group SVP, Sales Eric Schwab Head of Editorial Edward Loh @EdLoh VP, Ad Operations Pauline Atwood VP, Digital Media Jason Rice VP, Sales Auto Aftermarket Matt Boice SVP, Marketing Ryan Payne SVP, Content Strategy Aftermarket David Freiburger VP, Finance/Controller Shilpa Joshi VP, Social Media & Content Monetization Megan Neal VP, MarketingExperiential&Events Karen Brown (Echavarria) Director, Publishing Systems Matthew Paige Copyright 2022 by Motor Trend Group, LLC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PRINTED IN THE USA The HOT ROD trademark is a registered trademark of Motor Trend Group, LLC. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES Email hotrodmagazine@emailcustomerservice.com, call 800/800-4681 or write to: Hot Rod, P.O. Box 37199, Boone, IA 50037 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 HOT ROD; P.O. Box 37199; Boone, IA 50037. Occasionally our subscriber list is made available to reputable firms offering goods and services we believe would be of interest to our readers. If you prefer to be excluded, please send your current address label and a note requesting to be excluded from these promotions to Motor Trend Group, LLC; 831 S. Douglas St.; El Segundo, CA 90245; Attn: Privacy Coordinator ADVERTISING INFORMATION Please call HOT ROD Advertising Department at 949.705.3191. Related publications: Four Wheeler and MotorTrend Back issues: To order back issues email us at: backissues@motortrend.com. In your email please include: publication name, month/year, and quantity along with your phone number. Do not include payment information in your email. Any submissions or contributions from readers shall be subject to and governed by MotorTrend Group, LLC User Content Submission Terms and Conditions, which are posted at http://www.motortrendgroup.com/submissions. Official Tire & Wheel Supplier of
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WHEREITALLBEGAN 2002 1982 1962 8 HOTROD.COM/2022/NOVEMBER/
“We tell you every trick in the book” promised the “More Power from Any Engine” cover blurb, supported by a story by Steve Magnante and David Freiburger that offered “brand-indifferent techniques you can do.” You can, that is, if you’re a machinist or engine builder, as these tips and tricks were machine-shop oriented. On the cover was of the new Chevy ZL1 crate engine, which Marlan Davis examined in fine detail. GM dyno tested the new mill with Hooker Chevelle headers and 93-octane fuel and saw 510.3 net hp at 5,750 rpm and 492.9 net lb-ft of peak torque at 4,250. Another noteworthy engine in the issue was the new, third-generation 5.7-liter Hemi, which cutaway artist David Kimble rendered in his visually exacting style. The issue also offered coverage of Rod&Custommagazine’s 10th Americruise and provided a look at the state of land speed racing as seen by SCTA President Roy Creel. “Save the Salt” was a rallying cry then, as now; but concerns about the sport dying seem to have abated since then as younger rodders make the pilgrimage to Bonneville in larger numbers today. The “Free Poster Inside” featured Bob Giesbrecht’s Hugger Orange ’69 Camaro, a car that Freiburger said represented an evolution of Pro Street. Gone were the “garish” graphics, “poke to heaven” blower and “coilovers cranked to kill.” In their place was monochrome paint, a fuel-injected 502 and Air Ride Technologies air bags. “Does Pro Street live?” Freiburger asked. “You betcha.” Years Ago
This issue was groundbreaking, not for its cruising coverage or the “Kaleido Kuda” Pro Street ’72 ’Cuda in Jim Brown’s cover photo, but for the primered ’32 Tudor parked behind it. The Pete Eastwood and Rick Barakat sedan was ground zero for the primer/patina hot rod movement, inspiring Gray Baskerville to coin the term “rusto rod.” Rodding trends in the 1980s were outlandish and in-your-face; certainly, more cars looked like the ’Cuda than the down-and-dirty Deuce. But the Eastwood/Barakat car was outlandish in its own right, hearkening back to rodding’s roots. It was a “pile,” said Baskerville, that started with a rusty $300 body. But when it was done, it could click off mid-11-second e.t.’s thanks to a “bucks-down” small-block that could “set off Cal Tech’s seismograph.” The “Lo-Buck ‘Hi-Energy’ Engines” in the skyline blurb were a new concept from Racing Head Service: blueprinted small-blocks fitted with a choice of RHS’s High Energy camshafts. HOT ROD dyno tested an engine with the 268 cam and found the results “almost too good to be true: 350 hp from an 8.5:1 engine that costs less than $1,500 to buy and is more fuel efficient than a stocker.” Other tech stories in the issue included tips on engine-compartment detailing and a Rancho Camaro suspension kit that “bridges the gap between racing and stock suspensions.”
November 2002: 100 pages, $3.99
ArchivesRODHOT THEHOTRODARCHIVES 20 Years Ago
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60 Years Ago November 1962: 118 pages, 50 cents For the issue’s cover, Photo Editor Eric Rickman captured Don Prudhomme in the cockpit of Tommy Greer and Keith Black’s fuel dragster. At just 20 years of age, Prudhomme was on the cusp of a remarkable career, aided by a car that has since been called the winningest Top Fueler ever. According to the NHRA, the Greer-Black-Prudhomme dragster earned a win-loss record of 230-7 in ’63 and ’64. Inside the magazine the car got a single-page story—a vertical photo with Prudhomme, Evans, and bathing beauties Dee LaMarr (Miss South Gate) and Jo Krygowski (Miss Photogenic). Elsewhere, the issue was jammed with racing coverage, including the 8th NHRA U.S. Nationals and a brief synopsis of the class winners and record setters from the 14th Bonneville Nationals. As best as we can determine, the NHRA Nats coverage included the first photo of Don Garlits to appear in HOT ROD, shown falling to Jack Chrisman in the Top Eliminator final. Garlits didn’t leave Indy empty handed; he drove Connie Kalitta’s dragster to 180.36 mph, earning the HOT ROD Magazine Top Speed of the Meet trophy. Excellent conditions at Bonneville saw 32 national records set, including the first ever for a jet car. Art Arfons’ Green Monster, the only jet to run that year, set the bar at 330.013 mph.
November 1982: 112 pages, $1.75
Coverage of the NHRA U.S. Nationals at Indy noted Gary Beck’s 5.48-second run in Top Fuel, Don Prudhomme’s 5.73-second national Funny Car record, and more.
When Chevrolet® debuted the Corvette® in June of 1953, the American public was in awe... finally a true challenger to the European roadster. From the moment it first rolled off the assembly line, this car was destined to become a classic. Since then, the Corvette® has established itself as the world’s longest running passenger car in continuous production. With its streamlined look and powerful performance, it’s no wonder that the Corvette® is considered America’s sports car! Now, you can pay tribute to the Corvette® and gear up in style, with a new custom jewelry exclusive—the“Corvette“Corvette®: An American Legend” Men’s Bracelet—available—available only from The Bradford Exchange.
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The bold bracelet takes its cue from the Corvette® with features inspired by the car’s design. It’s superbly hand-crafted in braided genuine leather, like the luxurious appointments in the car’s interior. At the center, a gleaming cylinder in piston-pounding tough solid stainless steel showcases an iconic Corvette® logo from its earlier years, as well as the famous Chevy racing checkerboard pattern. The reverse side of the cylinder is permanently etched with the Corvette® motto: “Corvette“Corvette®: AN AMERICAN LEGEND””. The cylinder is framed on both side by two stainless steel beads with sculpted car tire tread designs. Sized at 8½" to fit most wrists, the bracelet closes with a unique stainless steel magnetic clasp, making it easy to put on or take off. EXCEPTIONAL VALUE; SATISFACTION GUARANTEED
QPetty and his crew pose for HOTROD’s April 1975 cover. It would turn out to be another championship season for Petty, his sixth of seven.
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QRiverside’s 180-degree Turn 9 was tricky, and it sent Petty into the wall.
QPetty’s pit crew worked wonders with a giant roll of racer tape and some bungee cords to get Number 43 back on the track. Above right: Yes, there is daylight under the right front tire as Petty hustles his battered Dodge to his eventual Seventh Place finish.
The cover of the April 1975 issue of HOT ROD featured Petty, his brother Maurice, and cousin Dale Inman with Petty’s STP-liveried Dodge Charger, all posing in front of a Carolina tobacco barn with a dog and some chickens. Inside was a sevenpage tribute to The King, his family, and his cars. As luck would have it, the issue was in production right around the time of the Winston Western 500, and with the race taking place in Southern California, it made sense to dispatch photographers to capture the start of what could be another championship season. The cover seemed to deliver on that promise, as above the posed shot was an action photo of Petty leading a pack of cars through the esses at Petty,Riverside.whoqualified Third, did take over the lead from Bobby Allison in the race’s early moments, though Allison took it back a few laps later and went on to win the race. On Lap 33, Petty’s Charger smacked the Turn 9 wall in front of shooter Jack Brady. The magazine ran a six-frame photo series of the wreck over a caption by the story’s author, Joe Whitlock. “It’s no secret that Richard’s least favorite on the NASCAR circuit is the first stop, at Riverside,” Whitlock wrote. “At this year’s race, the Dodge got loose in the last turn on the road course, went into the wall hard, and looked finished. But Richard limped it back to the pits, the crew taped the front end on, and he went on to finish Seventh. That’s what Richard Petty is made of.” Many of the other photos here are outtakes from the race showing the extent of the damage and the liberal use of racer tape by Petty’s pit crew. Petty did put this little fender-bender in his rearview on his way to a sixth NASCAR championship that year.
❱Richard Petty began the 1975 NASCAR racing season defending his 1974 Winston Cup championship. Richard Petty also started the 1975 season by hitting the wall at Riverside during the Winston WesternThat’s500.anincident he’d likely rather forget, but through an accident of timing, that brief brush with an immovable object was recorded and published in HOT ROD, where it lives forever in our photo archives and countless magazine collections.
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BY DREW HARDIN PHOTOGRAPHY JACK BRADY, LARRY GRIFFIN, MIKE PARRIS
ALL HAIL THE KING
HIGH OCTANE AND SWEET TEA
POWER TOUR
HOTROD.COM/2022/NOVEMBER 13 HEIDI ELZAS
If HOT ROD Power Tour 2022 was your first, then you know it can be summed up in one word beginning with the letter “H”. Hospitable. It gave a whole new understanding of the welcoming, friendly, southern lifestyle and a new appreciation for ice-cold sweet tea. Though if hot and humid came to your mind first, we would not blame you. This was a year that left you dripping every single day, whether your car was living the luxurious life of air conditioning or not. Despite high heat, the enthusiasm radiated among participants and spectators. In five days, thousands drove a variety of cars for nearly 1,000 miles on roads lined with towering greenery. Power Tour creates experiences that are often overlooked with our modern means of transportation. The current state of travel, whether it be for business or pleasure, can create a level of anxiety—the rush of getting from A to B. Power Tour has a way of disrupting that notion and forcing you on a trip worth slowing down for. Early in the morning on Day 1 the gates opened at Liberty Park in Memphis, and a continuous line of cars began to stream in. Soon, the venue was full of rumbling cars and chattering people, a soundtrack that didn’t fade until the final day. Anticipation filled the air, the crowd ready for the southern adventures to begin. Need to let your car rip a bit? The autocross course on location allowed for that energy to be released. Tires screeched on the starting line at the flicker of the green light. Other participants sought the shaded areas in between laps of the venue looking at the impressive collection of cars on display.
WES ALLISON, RENZ DIMAANDAL, HEIDI ELZAS, JOHN MCGANN
POWER TOUR 2022 M emphis calls itself the Home of the Blues, Soul, & Rock ’n’ Roll, so music history is rich and vibrant, and the place is filled with Elvis fans. It was no coincidence, then, that The Elvis Presley Automobile Museum at Graceland hosted our Platinum Club kick-off dinner. There, we marveled at Presley’s interesting and eclectic collection cars, including the famous pink Cadillac. Elsewhere in the city, historic Beale Street was closed off for a couple hours that evening for Power Tour participants to park beneath the hum and glow of the neon lights as the first day came to an end.
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POWER TOUR 2022 Driving into Day 2, Tennessee revealed more of its small-town charm. The community of Linden welcomed our group, with the chamber of commerce even hosting a Facebook livestream as the vast swath of cars rolled through their town. Children waved “REV IT UP” and “BURN OUT” signs on a stone corner of Main Street. Many participants catered to the excited kids, their gleeful shouts caused even the grumpiest of men to let amused side smirks form on their faces. While in Linden, we spoke to one participant jazzed that the Power Tour route went through town because it gave him an extra reason to visit with family that livesAroundthere.the bend and under the tunnel to Nashville Motor Speedway we went. The layout of this venue offered us the opportunity to see the sheer size of the event. In addition to the number of cars, it was impressive to see the variety of cars that blanketed the expanse of the speedway. No collection of pictures could prepare you for the number of cars that participated in Power Tour—it’s a car buffet, of sorts. With seemingly endless options too big to experience at once, we lapped the event space over and over, finding something new and exciting each time around.
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Over a short period of time, many miles ticked by on the good ol’ odometer. There was a section on Day 3 between Shelbyville and Belleville, Tennessee, we all swooned over. Void of any incorporated towns, this stretch of two-lane road was beautifully picturesque. Rolling hills were dotted with red barns in the distance as the road wound under a canopy of lush foliage. This was the time to turn the radio up a bit louder and let the road ahead guide your thoughts. Due to the nature of this segment of pavement, Power Tour participants were funneled into a caravan of friends as they navigated this epic scenery that continued until we reached our destination of the Hoover Met Complex just outside of Birmingham, Alabama. We’re not sure if it was the endorphins from the
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day’s drive or the forecast of thunderstorms approaching, but the light felt more golden in WhileHoover.the soul of Power Tour is about enjoying the ride, you must always be aware of the weather. Most of us left when the birds were just starting to chirp, trying to make each day’s journey while temperatures were still favorable for both drivers and their cars. Because these aren’t boring commuter cars, diligent maintenance is required to complete the journey. Keeping the car cool enough to make the drive each day can be one of the biggest factors in scheduling start times.
HOTROD.COM/2022/NOVEMBER 21 POWER TOUR 2022
POWER TOUR 2022 Riding along for an early morning shoot, we witnessed a small amount of the effort that goes into driving some of these cars. The PSI supercharger in Matthew Goins’ Camaro dominates his view to the right, requiring a passenger to serve as a second pair of eyes for the driver, displaying a kind of helpfulness that is crucial for a successful driving team. Our southernmost stop in Pensacola, Florida, was the spot many had been looking forward to visiting. There, we swapped ribbons of asphalt for Florida’s sandy beaches and cool waves before the final day’s drive to Atlanta. Name a better way to end a week of driving than to do more driving, but this time by doing laps on the Atlanta Motor Speedway. I hate to break it to you—it just is not possible. 22 HOTROD.COM/2022/NOVEMBER/
POWER TOUR 2022 On Day 5, cars and trucks staged three lanes wide on pit road waiting to drive a few laps around the track. You experience a mixture of nerves and adrenaline before starting into Turns 1 and 2, with a bank angle reaching 28 degrees. Once you realize the car is, in fact, not going to roll over, Turns 3 and 4 are plain fun. You don’t want it to end. Then the truth hits that this marks the official end of HOT ROD Power Tour 2022. HOT ROD Power Tour is more than a traveling car show that moves from town to town in railcar fashion. It is the excuse that any car enthusiast needs to not be stingy with the road time their car sees. Take the car out of the garage and just drive it. Drive the car, truck, or van that you love, or have a love-hate relationship with, and see the
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POWER TOUR 2022 country. Savor the experience. More than a few brave souls used the nearly 1,000 miles of pavement as an intense test of the capabilities of their newly-completed project with an all-or-nothing type attitude. Others have made this an annual family tradition in a car that has been passed down for generations, creating a priceless bond between family andNotmachine.asingle person on Power Tour needed to come on this sizzling journey, yet they chose to enthusiastically take part, enduring toasty temperatures and didn't allow fuel prices to be a deterrent. All found a unity in the love for cars and driving. We saw the camaraderie between strangers develop into real friendships, people keeping tabs on others, making sure they were hydrated in blazing heat and helping wrench as issues arose. Hospitality was in no shortage.
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Flavors of the South Good Home Cooking
Throughout the week, we remained on the lookout for local flavors to experience on our trip. Jumbo House was one of those restaurants that checked every box you could ever want on a road trip. Jumbo neon sign? Check. Carhop feel? Check. Dining room packed with happy customers and old-fashioned burgers and shakes? Check, check, check. Power Tour cars took over the lot, bringing that nostalgic, movie-like feel that fit perfectly with the aesthetics of the burger joint. We were not quite brave enough to try their Big Joe burger, which consisted of 24 ounces of beef and all the fixings, but it had us all curious. This is a noteworthy spot if ever in the Columbia, Tennessee area.
QJumbo House; Columbia, Tennessee
QDeep South BBQ and Soul Food; Blountsville, Alabama Stopping in Blountsville, Alabama, to catch the pick-ups and muscle cars rolling through the quaint town, we were stopped dead in our tracks with the smell of the smokey goodness of fresh barbecue, instantly reminding us that we hadn’t eaten lunch yet. Picnic-style outdoor seating gave us perfect views of the stream of cars passing by while witnessing the care that went into hardwood-smoked pulled pork and chicken quarters that were cooked to perfection. Only love could inspire one to cook over a hot smoker as temperatures continued to soar. The smoked meats paired perfectly with sides like turnip greens, coleslaw, Cajun corn, and of course macaroni and cheese. This will be one spot we will not forget.
QRock Salt Milk Bar; Senoia, Georgia Driving slightly off course on the way to Atlanta Speedway, we needed to incorporate ice cream into our diet after days of working in intense heat. The whimsical town of Senoia, Georgia, featured storefronts that managed to appear quaint and modernly chic at the same time. We sought out the ice cream parlor located in the back of a trendy coffee shop. With more than a dozen flavors to choose from, we zoned in on the Double Dark Chocolate. Nearly coal-black, it was too much of an oddity not to try. We also ordered a combination of Coffee Lovers and Brittle & Salt blended into a creamy malt. It was worth the trip. Priding themselves on using local ingredients, Rock Salt Milk Bar was a refreshing way to feel connected to the area.
Special Thanks: HOT ROD 2022 was presented by eBay Motors and Driven by Continental Tires. We’d like to thank them and our other key sponsors for helping make this event a raging success.
•Official Motorsports and Platinum Club Sponsor •Official Wiring Sponsor •Official Fuel Injection Sponsor •Official Oil Sponsor •Official Driving Experience Sponsor •Official Diesel Engine Sponsor •Official Drag Racing Sponsor •Official Calibration Sponsor •Official Piston Sponsor •Official Transmission Sponsor •Tour Bus Sponsor •Official Transport Sponsor
JOHN
CAMERA READY
Here are a few of the 2022 HOT PowerRODTour Long Haulers. Each year, we are amazed at the number of people who long-haul the Power Tour. Those are the people who make the entire journey from start to finish. It’s not cheap, and sometimes it can be a grind—traffic jams at the venues and inclement weather are two of the most common issues we deal with each year. Thankfully, there were no hurricanes or tornadoes this year (unlike in the past), and this year’s long-haul car count crested 5,000. We were impressed and deeply grateful for everyone who took the time to join us on the Power Tour, but a special thanks goes to the Long Haulers. Here, in no particular order, are some who opted to have their cars photographed by the tour bus on the way out of Atlanta Motor Speedway.
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PHOTOSAPORTMCGANNUSA
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SpeedKoreDesigniconRalphGillesmindmeldswithforanext-genMopar.
HELLEPHANTHELLUCINA
HOTROD.COM/2022/NOVEMBER 35 JOHNNY HUNKINS KAHN MEDIA HELLEPHANTCINATION!
H ELLEPHANT HALLUCINATION hen you’re the chief design officer of a world-wide car manufacturer, and that manufacturer happens to be Stellantis—the international umbrella containing the beloved Dodge brand—being a car guy brings with it a gravitas that is a magnitude greater than anything mere mortals can imagine. As much as we’d like to think we have influence over the world of hot rods, we’ll never actually make high-performance production cars leap off the page and onto dealership lots like Ralph Gilles does. It’s his world and we’re just lucky to live in it.
Ralph Gilles, like so many of us, grew up admiring Mopar’s muscle car performers and watching Dodge Chargers in movies like Bullittand TV shows like Dukes ofHazzard. The Dodge Charger, specifically the 1968 model, had captured Gilles’ imagination for decades, and when it came time to act on that infatuation there was only one car to consider—the Dodge Charger. It couldn’t be any ordinary Charger though; when your mind stretches to embrace so many design, history, engineering, and technical fields—to paraphrase Oliver Wendell Holmes—it never goes back to its original shape. Fortunately, Gilles found SpeedKore, a kindred spirit with a lust for Mopars.
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H ELLEPHANT HALLUCINATION
You’ve heard of Speedkore before. SpeedKore burst onto the hot rodding scene at the 2016 SEMA show with a jaw-dropping rendition of a 1970 Plymouth ’Cuda named Menace that was singled-out for its all carbon-fiber construction, a theme that the company has made into its central identity. In the years since, SpeedKore has debuted a string of carbon-fiber creations, most of them Mopars, and every single one of them jaw-droppingly gorgeous. This time around, SpeedKore would create Hellucination, a Dodge Charger with Mopar’s 1,000hp Hellephant reactor core as its motivation, hence its namesake. To call Hellucination a 1968 Dodge Charger, however, would be like calling Air Force One just another Boeing 747. Not a single bolt, nut, or body panel on Hellucination is from an actual 1968 Dodge—it just happens to have (almost) the same shape as one. SpeedKore specializes in reproducing body panels in carbon fiber; their ultra light weight, incredible strength, and high-tech appearance imparts almost magical properties to any car that uses them wholesale, as is the case in Hellucination. Carbon fiber also gives any car’s engine a whole lot less mass to haul around, and thankfully, this car’s engine is hardly ordinary, but more on that in a minute.
Of all the non-ordinary aspects of this 1968 Charger, it is the owner and pilot of the Hellucination that is likely to make you think you’re hallucinating as you pull astride the bespoke ground-based arrow. If you’ve ever lusted after the earthhugging lines of a late-model Chrysler 300—either the first version from 2005 to 2009, or the current version of 2011 to today—then you’ve admired the work of Gilles. (It’s a car your author liked so much; he bought one.) Of the 1968 Dodge Charger, Gilles says, “The ’68 Charger has been nothing short of a love affair my whole life! It has literally been imprinted in my mind since I was a child as the soul of Dodge, thanks in part to Hollywood, but also because of a still-to-this-day arresting design. I salute the designers of the day!”
As for the Hemi powerplant, it’s an all-aluminum 426 cubic-inch Hellephant Hemi with 1,000 horsepower, reborn in dry-sump form for max lateral handling. We’ve been searching for these rare crate engines (only 100 were ever produced) since its debut at the 2018 SEMA Show. Built under a top secret contract with Mopar at BES Racing Engines of Guilford, Indiana, by the same crew that won the 2014 Amsoil Engine Masters Challenge (with a Gen III Hemi, no less), the Hellephant is acknowledged as the grandaddy of all crate engines, and nothing less than the best would make any sense for such a conspicuous car as the Hellucination. With this kind of power beneath the hood, your transitory view of Hellucination’s front end exists solely at the discretion of its pilot.
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We are only about 98 percent sure that when the 1968 Dodge Charger Super Charger concept car took to the stage at the 2018 SEMA show in Las Vegas as the “container” that debuted the Hellephant crate engine, Ralph Gilles and the SpeedKore crew were not only in the house but were super impressed with its beauty. Seeing as how SpeedKore’s own carbon-fiber “Evolution” 1970 Dodge Charger had debuted elsewhere in the Las Vegas Convention Center only hours earlier, the wheels hardly needed any impetus to be set in motion for Hellucination. With Super Charger and Evolution both in their quiver, it was only a matter of time before Gilles and SpeedKore would produce the next logical step in the evolution of the 1968 Dodge Charger form. “The car is as visceral to drive as it is to look at it,” says an enthusiastic Gilles. “It has deliciously precise steering and an abundance of lateral grip that allowed me to put it through its paces with a few laps on a closed track.” If Hellucination was strictly a lightweight box for a 1,000hp engine, there would still be plenty to say, but the sum of its suspension, brakes, and rolling stock make it the kind of car best shown off in motion—and in front of the kind of folks who can truly appreciate it.
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When you’ve got the firepower to build most parts from scratch, it’s rare that off-theshelf performance parts would get the nod without getting at least some modification. To that end, SpeedKore tapped Detroit Speed (DSE) for its GM-based SLA front suspension, a GM-cum-Mopar trick DSE perfected back in 2015. SpeedKore followed this up with a custom four-link rear suspension with diagonal stabilizer link, then set the whole thing on a custom set of 19- and 20-inch HRE wheels designed to look like the Western turbine wheels on the 1969 Dodge Charger immortalized on TV’s Dukesof Hazzard.(Western Turbine wheels ironically, were never offered as original equipment on a Dodge, but as factory equipment on Buick’s infamous intercooled, turbocharged, and fuel-injected G-body Grand Nationals, Turbo Ts, and T-Types.)
When you’re trying to tame a 1,000hp devil like the Hellephant, these are the kind of beefcake parts that must go in, otherwise your dream machine can turn into a nightmare in a split second. Here, we might normally regale you with lists of mailorder parts, but suffice it to say that everything in sight is custom, right down to the carbon-fiber floor pans and carbon-fiber wheel tubs. There’s not a stitch of OE sheetmetal in Hellucination; this is a liquid-slick symphony in carbon fiber that must be seen to be believed. “Believe it or not,” says Gilles, “the idea of the project was to be understated. Hence the counter-intuitively quiet exhaust system and dark color scheme.” And yet, it may be hard to deny that Hellucination will struggle to blend in, as it is built entirely out of autoclaved and exposed carbon fiber. “We set out to honor the Charger’s timelessly beautiful lines in a way that only carbon fiber can,” says Gilles. If you’re lucky enough to see Hellucination out on the road, you’ll be drawn at first to its bellicose demeanor, but you’ll surely remember it for its perfection, detail, and finesse at even the smallest of scales.
H ELLEPHANT HALLUCINATION
“Believe it or not,” says
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Gilles understandably would want to hit Dodge’s SRT stockpile of high-powered weaponry, authorizing SpeedKore to integrate Redeye-spec Brembo brake hardware and an 8-speed 8HP TorqueFlite automatic, which SpeedKore reminds us is actually subcontracted for Stellantis by German driveline manufacturer ZF.
Gilles, “the idea of the project was to be understated.
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44 HOTROD.COM/2022/NOVEMBER/ SUPERCHAR TIMEMA Les Sutak’s supercharged 1969 Camaro Z/28 appeared on the cover of HOT ROD 43 years ago. It remains a street machine time capsule today.
CHARGED MACHINE
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BARRY KLUCZYK
ore than three years ago, while straining to absorb the Detroit area’s mammoth Woodward Dream Cruise, we spied something familiar: a blown 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 with a serious ’70s rake and multicolor graphics that were as period-correct as a satin baseball jacket with a fondue stain on the sleeve. There was a time, of course, when a 6-71 GMC blower poking through the hood of a first-gen Camaro was as common as today’s LS swaps, but this one stood out for more than its classic street-machine stance. It’s because we’d seen it before.
We saw it in November 1979, to be exact. That was the issue of HOT ROD on which it graced the cover. It looked identical, four decades later, to the vision Tim Marshall and the godfather Gray Baskerville shot at the Car Craft Street Machine Nationals that year. When we say it looked identical, we mean identical, right down to the same Dyers Street Charger supercharger, widened rear Cragars, psychedelic stripes, and homemade slapper bars. The Camaro’s owner was identical, too: Les Sutak, from Kingsville, Ontario. That was around 2019, and we made plans to follow up with him and his time-capsule street machine. A few months later, the pandemic hit, and the border to Canada closed. Les lives a few miles south of Windsor, Ontario, so crossing over with our cameras was essentially impossible. That changed in mid-2022 and when the border opened, so we hustled across the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit to catch up with Les and his supercharged time machine. The car is a true X11-code Z/28 that he bought in 1973 after lusting after it for months. In fact, Les was already driving another 327-powered ’69 Camaro, but this one stood out in his town. “The guy who owned it had Cherry Bomb mufflers on it, and the car already had the stance with the raked rear end and traction bars,” says Sutak. “Every day, it would drive past my house, and it sounded amazing. I had to have it.” After tracking down the owner, he worked out a trade for his 327 Camaro, plus another couple of hundred bucks. His dream ride, however, was something of a nightmare. “It was probably the worst automotive deal I ever made,” says Les. “The engine was toast— spun bearings and a cracked head, for starters. I had to tow it home.” That led to a series of seasonal engine swaps over the next couple of years, including a 327 with a Paxton supercharger, but always with the car’s original Muncie fourspeed and 4.10 gears. It was a daily driver for a couple of years, before being shifted into secondary-car mode, driven to the local A&W restaurant and other cruise spots and larger shows.
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HOTROD.COM/2022/NOVEMBER 47 “Every day, it would drive past my house, and it sounded amazing. I had to have it.”
“Along with some other guys in our car club, we drove it to the NSRA Street Machine Nationals, in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1975,” recalls Les. “With no overdrive and 4.10 gears, I didn’t think we’d ever get there.”
It was around 1978 that Les got serious about building up the car. It needed new sheetmetal and paint, despite being less than 10 years old. The first attempt at a respray was junk, he says, including the multicolor stripes he envisioned. “The guy didn’t use real candy paint,” he says. “It was, like, just thinned-out regular paint that ended up looking absolutely awful.” An acquaintance from a sister club in Detroit then recommended a young man from the Motor City, who was still in high school studying art, but was already known to be pretty handy with a spray gun. “It became his summer project, and I believe he used the money to buy a camera,” says Les. “He did a really nice job.” In fact, it’s the paintjob, including the graphics, that the car still wears today. Yes, some of the lacquer has cracked and faded over the years, particularly in the stripes, but the finish has held up remarkably well. When it came time to redo the engine, the Paxton-blown 327 was jettisoned in favor of a freshly-built, 0.030-over 302 with a solid-lifter cam and the Street Charger. “Gary Dyer had the kit with the blower, and I believe the low-compression Venolia pistons, too” recalls Les. “I wasn’t entirely confident about getting it shipped to Canada, so after ordering the kit on the phone, I drove with a friend to Chicago to pick it up.” The blower case was unpolished at the time, but the engine ran well after Les got some help rejetting the twin Holley carbs topping it. He drove back later for a blower drive upgrade and had the case polished. With the shiny
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blower back atop the small-block, it was off to the 1979 Car Craft Street Machine Nationals in Indy. “Early arrivals got a chance to drive in groups around the Indy Speedway, which we did with the Camaro,” says Les. “I guess it was then that somebody from HOT ROD noticed the car. There were some photos taken of it on the track, and we were asked to meet early the next morning for the photos that ended up in the magazine and on the cover.” Les recalls the car was photographed from every conceivable angle, but there was no mention it would end up on the cover later that year, where it was part of a collage of modified muscle cars that included three other blown street machines: a secondgeneration Firebird, an Olds 442 convertible and a ’Cuda. The Olds, by the way, is still around and was restored to stock specs a few yearsTheago.car also shared the cover of HOT ROD’s special publication, ChevroletNo. 3. It was featured along with Scott Sullivan’s ground-breaking, supercharged Chevy II street machine and a mid-year Corvette wearing fat Centerlines and six taillights, which were derigueurfor the era.
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After the moment of magazine-cover-car stardom faded, Les continued to cruise the force-fed F-body, frequenting many events in Canada and the United States. While the car’s look remained unchanged, he made several mechanical upgrades attempting to enhance its drivability. What didn’t change was the car’s ’70s-chic stance, created with re-arched rear leaf springs rather than the more common longer spring shackles. While the Camaro already had the rake when Les purchased it, he worked to get the wheel and tire combination just right. That included having a pair of 8-inch-wide Cragar S/S wheels widened to 9.5 inches and wrapped with N50-15 rubber, a look the car continues to wear.
The car hasn’t driven much since the ’80s, but as Les started to drive the car more, he realized that a few more changes were needed. The engine had become worn out, so he it rebuilt with a 383 rotating assembly, a hydraulic roller cam, and a set of AFR heads. Externally, though, he kept all its vintage speed parts, including the same Dyers supercharger. In the process, he also swapped the transmission for a Tremec TKO 600 five-speed. Its Fifth gear ratio is 0.82:1, which brings the engine’s cruising rpm down to around 2,000 rpm at 60 mph. “The car drives really well, and it’s very streetable now,” says Les. “This new combination really woke it up, and with the 2.87 First gear in the Tremec, the car really takes off.”
TIME MACHINE 52 HOTROD.COM/2022/NOVEMBER/ The refreshed engine and new transmission are the only significant concessions made to a time-capsule street machine that blessedly remains a Kodachrome snapshot of its era. Seemingly within minutes of its cover appearance, nearly every 1969 Camaro in North America was tubbed— and those that weren’t all got mini-tubbed 30 years later when the Pro Touring movement took hold. This Camaro missed both trends, although Les admits he was tempted over the years to make more contemporary updates. Thankfully, he resisted, remaining content to cruise this period-perfect representation of the colorful and creative street machine era. As for those satin jackets and fondue parties. . .well, let’s just say some trends are better left in the past.
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With the advent of the totally redesigned 1963 Sting Ray, Zora’s team assembled a new performance option during the car’s development. It was called the Special Equipment Package and could be ordered with the dealer code Z06. It included a handful of standalone options, such as the 360hp fuel-injected L84 V8 engine, a 36.5-gallon fiberglass fuel tank, a four-speed close-ratio manual transmission, and a Positraction rearend. The L84 was nearly identical to the 340hp Carter AFB-equipped L76, but with the obvious distinction of having Rochester mechanical fuel injection, along with slightly different cast-iron exhaust manifolds. Both engines came equipped with the same camshaft and domed pistons to facilitate an 11.25:1 compression ratio that bumped the power rating up to 360 hp. The engine was dressed up with a pair of veined aluminum rocker covers. The top of the intake plenum on the fuel-injected engine matched the look of the rocker covers. Beyond the regular options, Z06 also included some very special components, most notably in the braking department. While power brakes and sintered metallic linings were available as separate options, the Z06 package featured oversized, finned steel brake drums with internal fans and a unique dual-circuit, vacuum-boosted master cylinder. In addition, “elephant ear” brake-cooling ducts directed under-car air to the front binders. The multi-segment brake shoes themselves were lined with a material known as Cerametalix, a different compound than was used with the regular sintered-lining option. Z06 buyers also found themselves in possession of unique, heavyduty shocks and firmer springs. While all 1963 Corvettes were equipped with a front antiroll bar, Z06s received a 20-percent larger bar that complemented the unequal length A-arms and coil springs on the front end. Between the suspension and brake upgrades, Chevrolet created a car that could compete with Europe’s best on the road courses, while the potent fuelie engine helped it reach into the 14s in the quarter-mile. It was originally priced as a $1,818.24 option and was only available on coupes. Later in the production cycle, Chevrolet removed the endurance-racing fuel tank as mandatory on the Z06 list (though kept it as a separate option), which knocked the option price down to $1,293.35. GM also made the Z06 available to convertible buyers, but only one of the 199 Z06s made for 1963 was a roadster. Ultimately, Chevrolet built just 78 Z06 coupes with the massive 36-gallon fuel tank. The Z06 was ready to race from the factory. This was confirmed when three of the first cars completed off the assembly line were driven from St. Louis to Mickey Thompson’s Los Angeles shop. The trip was used to break the new cars in. After some minimal race prep, four cars (a fourth one was trucked to L.A.) were entered in the October 14, 1962, Los Angeles Times Grand Prix at Riverside. Competition was fierce and the new Corvettes were untested, particularly against the new Cobra, which was 1,000 pounds lighter. The Cobras and most of the Corvettes suffered mechanical maladies, but Doug Hooper emerged victorious in a Z06, making the car a winner its first time out. Even though only 199 cars were built for 1963, these cars went on to accrue multiple racing victories.
There was a 38-year gap before the Z06 option was revived and offered again. This occurred with the 2001 model year release of the Z06, which was available only with a six-speed manual transmission. It was upgraded with a 385hp LS6 engine and sold as a complete car filled with the latest special performance options. The base Z06 was priced at $47,500 and 5,773 were purchased. This option was discontinued at the end of 2004 with the introduction of the redesigned C6. The Z06 reemerged in 2006, again with a six-speed manual as the only transmission option. It was powered by the 505hp 427ci LS7 engine and featured an all-aluminum frame. This new model was priced at $65,800 and 6,272 were sold. It continued to the end of C6 production in 2013. The C7 was introduced in 2014, and the Z06 version became available to customers the following year. This new model was available with manual or automatic transmission, and as a coupe or convertible. Its LT4 supercharged engine produced 650 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque. The Z06 coupe’s base price was $78,995 and the convertible cost $83,995. A total of 8,653 were sold in 2015 and the model continued to the end of C7 production in 2019. Zora Duntov’s dream Corvette became a reality when the midengine C8 was introduced in 2020. This radically different Corvette design is now completing its third year of production. For 2023 the Z06 has returned as a shrieking 8,600-rpm banshee of a normally aspirated supercar. Regular C8 production began in early May, but due to supplier delays Z06 production is forecast to begin later in 2022. Those of us who have seen and heard this new offering can assure you it will be well worth the wait. Zora Arkus Duntov (1909-1996) joined General Motors May 1, 1953, and was a brash non-conforming executive. By 1956, he had transformed the original 1953 Motorama Corvette into a “real McCoy” sports car that was winning races and setting records. Zora always wanted to build a rear-engine Corvette, and the success of the C8 confirms his vision.
Zora and his team built this 1957 Corvette SS to compete in international sports car racing. It debuted at the 1957 12 Hours of Sebring but was withdrawn after 23 laps for suspension failure. It never raced again after GM signed an AMA racing ban in June 1957 that forbade corporations from participating in automobile racing.
GM designer Bill Mitchell bought the SS test-mule chassis for $1 and had his styling team, including Peter Brock (pictured), develop this stunning Sting Ray body to cover the former SS chassis. Because the company was not racing, Mitchell built the car in a rented garage
As the new Sting Ray was being readied for production, Zora prepared four Z06 Corvette coupes to compete against Ford’s new 2,019-pound Shelby Cobra at Riverside Raceway in California. Four Z06s were driven from the St. Louis plant to Riverside to compete against the Ford. This Z06 was the first built and was driven by Dave McDonald at the Riverside race. It retired after leading when it lost a wheel bearing. Doug Hooper won the race in another Z06. The Cobra was 1,200 pounds lighter than the Corvette and powered by a 260 hp, 260ci Ford engine. In early 1963, the Cobras underwent a rapid development program. These three team cars were well prepared and driven by the top drivers of the era. The Corvette Z06 was struggling to beat them.
This was one of a pair of Z06 Corvettes ordered by Grady David of Gulf Oil. It was filled with racing options not available to the public. It won multiple races against the Cobras and was driven by Dr. Dick Thompson and Don Yenko.
Unlike race cars today, the Gulf #1 Z06 had a showroom-stock interior. Note the lack of window regulators; side windows were held in place with Velcro strips. Reducing weight continued to be a goal with Z06 competitors.
FriedmanDave
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GENERATION Z near the company’s Tech Center. He hired Dr. Dick Thompson to race the car in 1960 and won the SCCA C-Modified championship with it. Because of the corporate racing ban, Zora and his team were forbidden to work on it. Mitchell’s Sting Ray race car was a hit with the public. His design was translated into a record-breaking production car named Sting Ray, of which 21,513 were sold. Zora convinced Chevrolet Chief Engineer Ed Cole to let his team build a “Special Performance Equipment” option named “Z06” for amateur racers. This example looks like a standard 1963 Corvette Sting Ray, but it is one of 199 built with the Z06 option.
FriedmanDave
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QThis is Grand Sport #004, owned by the Revs Institute in Naples, Florida. Five Grand Sports were built, and three attended the Nassau Speed Week in November 1963. The 2,000-pound, 377ci, 485hp, lightweight Corvettes stomped Shelby’s Cobras during the weekend event. Corvette team engineers (including Zora) took vacations to support the Grand Sport team. All five Grand Sport cars remain in private collections.
Every Z06 was equipped with this L84 fuel-injected engine. It produced 360 hp from 327 ci, and after proper race-tuning, power levels increased well above this number. The Z06 option was discontinued at the end of 1963 but continued to be improved through racing. Zora was concerned about how the Z06 was struggling to beat the Cobras, so his team began building a 2,000-pound Cobra-beater called the Grand Sport.
GENERATION Z After a long hiatus, the Z06 returned to the Corvette lineup in 2001. It mimicked the lightweight design of the 1999/2000 fixedroof, all powered by a 385hp LS6 engine.
The Z06 was a perfect race car for drivers campaigning on a lower budget in a series like the now defunct SCCA SpeedVision GT series.
Below: Amateur racers successfully raced the Z06 for many years in the SCCA T-1 category. John Heinricy, shown here, won five T-1 championships driving Phoenix-prepared C5 Z06 Corvettes.
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In December 2005, GM authorized Callaway Competition in Leingarten, Germany, to build and race a Z06.R GT3 Corvette. A total of six cars were built to compete in the new FIA GT3 International Racing series.
GLPK racing in Holland purchased this ex-Pratt & Miller C5-R and successfully raced it in Europe.
QIn 2005, the Bowling wasthebeganassemblyGreenplantbuildingC6Z06.Itpoweredby a 505hp 427ci LS7 engine and was not offered with an transmission.automatic
QThe first Z06.R debuted at the FIA Annual Conference in Monaco, and at the Paul England.atseason’sracingTeamsracetrackRicardinFrance.beganthematthefirstraceSilverstone, The crowd was very excited to learn about the lightweight and powerful new Z06. Chief Engineer Hill provided a detailed analysis of what steps were taken to reduce weight without compromising strength.
QAt the BirthdayNCMBash in April 2005, Chief Engineer David Hill introduced one of the first 2006 Z06 coupes built. A spirited battle between the Mercedes Gullwing GT3 coupe and Callaway Competitions Z06 GT3.R saw the ADAC Drivers Championship being awarded to Daniel Keilwitz and Diego Alessi. In all, Callaway Competitions C6 Z06.R GT3’s won three driver championships, multiple team championships, and many overall victories. The heart of the Z06 beat strong in this amazing GT3 Corvette.
Pratt & Miller’s C6-R race car was closely patterned after the production street car. C6 chassis #001 is shown sweeping through Sebring’s Turn 10 on its way to a class victory at the 2005 12-Hour Enduro.
Above: In 1997, GM contracted the Pratt & Miller racing organization to develop a factory-based GT racing program around the C5 Corvette. By 2001, the program matured and was highlighted by winning the GTS class and finishing 8th overall. Many lessons learned from this program were incorporated into the development of the next-generation Z06.
The Pratt & Miller C8.R has been racing successfully since 2020 in the GTLM category. For 2022, the GTLM class was abolished and replaced with GTD Pro/Am. This C8.R competes in the GTD Pro class.
After 60 years, the Z06 legacy continues to thrive with the latest version of this world-beating car, the 2023 C8 Z06.
Once again, Pratt & Miller closely patterned their GTLM race car after the street car. The storied team won multiple races and championships with this C7.R race car. Below: Callaway Competition built this ultra-high-tech C7 GT3 Corvette, which was used by Jules Gounon to win the ADAC GT Masters Championship in 2017.
QThis Pratt & Miller C7.R is now being raced by a private collector and continues its winning ways.
QA startling new redesign of fordesignLT4650hp2015.offor2013,Corvette,seventh-generationtheunveiledinpavedthewayanotherrebirththeZ06optioninPackedwithasuperchargedengine,thisnewraisedthebartheZ06option.
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QNow we begin a new Z06 era with the introduction of the 2023 LT6-powered C8. The new car is powered by a high-revving, flat plane crank, normally aspirated 5.5-liter V8 with an 8,600 rpm redline and an output of 670 hp. The C8.Rs utilize a gray and yellow livery that helps identify the team cars during competition. A GT3 version of this car will become available to private teams in time for the 2024 racing season.
GLPK campaigned two Pratt & Miller C6.R former factory race cars. They won the 24 Hours of Spa twice and competed in the FIA GT1 World Championship series and were always a threat for overall victory.
QAll the world’s best sports cars competed against Jules and his Corvette, but to no avail. Race after race, the Corvette continued to accumulate enough championship points to secure the driver and team championships. Callaway Competition stopped competing at the end of the 2021 season.
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he 2021 Dodge SRT Super Stock Challenger is a bucket-list car. Its 807 hp supercharged, intercooled 6.2-liter Hemi—like the 2018 Dodge Demon’s 840hp unit—was deemed so powerful none of these benchmark cars were ever put into the press fleet. In most hands, it would’ve been the equivalent of giving a box of shotgun shells and a hammer to a 13-year-old and not expecting anything bad to happen. Then the pandemic hit, and any thoughts of promoting these uber-muscle cars through press programs or test loaners was put on ice. We’re finally testing a 2021 Super Stock in 2022. That’s not a typo, and we’re not complaining. SUPER STOCK DRAG TEST
THE LONG
2021 DODGE
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HOTROD.COM/2022/NOVEMBER 63 GOODBYE If the ICE age is ending, the longstartsgoodbyenow.
QDODGE SRT SUPER STOCK CHALLENGER: NOT A MIRAGE
The mission for me and my cohort now is simply to live fully in the moment.
Fans of Dodge’s latest performance offering have spent the past couple of years figuring out if the Super Stock really exists beyond mystical appearances on the internet, and whether they could afford the payment on one. The $83K cost of entry for a base-model Super Stock (our tester topped $97K) might seem high, but considering the totality of the Super Stock’s capabilities, it’s a performance bargain. As the owner of an “ordinary” narrow-body 2017 Hellcat with 707 hp, I was excited to get the call, mainly because it had all the appeal of a weeklong driver’s vacation. It made me seriously wonder if it was Dodge’s latest attempt to get me to call my banker (again!). Putting around in the Dodge SRT Super Stock for a few days would be fun, but this kind of bucket-list car called for something special. We contacted Radford Racing School in Phoenix to attend their drag racing class, which features the 2018 Dodge Demon, giving us the full-immersion SRT treatment with the Demon, a car against which the Dodge SRT Super Stock is often compared. We’d be able to drive them both down the quarter-mile at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Phoenix, the first time a head-to-head media comparison of the two would ever be made. We could unpack some of the engineering nuances of each and put an end to speculation. Best of all, the drive to Phoenix would give us long-needed seat time in the Super Stock. It would prove to be, perhaps not so surprisingly, an emotional experience.
THE LONG GOODBYE In the full gallop toward Dodge’s 2024 EV engineering freeze, some gracious soul in Auburn Hills thought it would be nice to stamp out one of these devils for the press fleet before pure internal combustion engines (ICE) are stamped out by the Feds. This is that car. Love it or hate it, the reality of a world without new gasoline-powered Hemi V8s is imminent. While the end of the ICE road seems far off (2035 or thereabouts), it will be here soon enough. With that background, the unscripted appearance of the Super Stock in the press fleet was a welcome reprieve.
QIS THE DODGE SRT SUPER STOCK THE END OF THE LINE? As one who was too young to take part in the original muscle car revolution of the 1960s and early ’70s, I’ve spent a 30-year career being a cheerleader for modern electronic fuel-injected performance, chasing Detroit’s rear-drive V8 machinery with a vengeance. A million other people like me did the same. Eventually, performance woke up in the late 1980s, got stronger in the 1990s, and eclipsed the old benchmarks in the new millennium. Meanwhile, the efficiency, safety, and fuel economy of domestic performance cars soared. In 2018, domestic muscle car performance hit its peak with the 840hp Dodge SRT Demon, but kept us in the fray until today with the similar, but slightly less potent, 807hp Dodge SRT Super Stock. Fast-forward to the present. The Super Stock thrums down the I-10 in stupendous 113-degree heat. I’m cocooned in air-conditioned comfort, watching sun-drenched hills dotted with cacti march by sluggishly at 90 mph. Hard as it is to wrap my mind around it, I’m driving a car that is as quick in the quarter-mile as Sox and Martin’s 1970 Plymouth Hemi ’Cuda Pro Stock race car and doing it at 17 mpg in sybaritic comfort. It occurs to me that this could be the last time I ever get to drive a new car like this. I weigh the chances in my head that this could be the final drive, but the exercise is academic—it doesn’t matter if there are five more cars in the short time remaining; they’ll all be gone from dealerships before the next whiz-bang iPhone comes out. The long goodbye that I’ve dreaded has begun.
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I’d written my first magazine story in 1991—a tech piece on how to improve the exhaust system of a 225hp 5.0 Mustang—an idea the Super Stock pretty much laughs at. Staring over the Super Stock’s voluptuous twin-bulge hood, I think things have come such a long way. We’ve championed countless domestic hot rods in thousands of stories, from Fox-body Mustangs and Turbo Buicks to fourth-generation GM F-bodies and LX-platform Hemi cars. The brand on the fender never made a difference but going as fast as possible for the least amount of cash did, and nothing has ever beaten a Detroit muscle car—at least for folks who think like me. In past years, there was always something better and more badass just over the horizon—a GNX to the Grand National, a Turbo GTA to the Pontiac Trans Am, a Cobra to the Mustang GT, a Hellcat to the 392 Apache. With news that Ford and Chevy (but not Mopar) have dropped out of this year’s SEMA show (the hot rodder’s Mecca), it forces us to ponder, in theory at least, the existential survival of hot rodding.
QDRAG RACING THE 2018 DODGE SRT DEMON In everyday driving, the difference between the Demon and the Super Stock is vanishingly small, but get it on track and the difference is spectacular. Without even using the Demon’s launch control, trans brake, or skinny front-runner tires, we were able to click off a 9.72 at 130 mph in Radford’s 2018 Demon. (Dodge states the Demon’s official quarter-mile performance at 9.65/140 mph.) On the same track, on the same night, with the same footbrake driving technique, the Super Stock managed a best e.t. of 10.41 at 123 mph, also with the author driving. The two factors that made the most difference: the use of 100-octane fuel for 840 hp (versus the Super Stock’s 807 hp on a 91-octane tune) and the Demon’s active drag suspension.
QRADFORD RACING SCHOOL: DEMON CLASS TRAINING Before continuing, it’s worth pointing out that the instructors at the Radford Racing School have now had four years to drive, maintain, and otherwise learn how to run the Demon down the quarter-mile. They are the de facto experts on how to get the most out of a stock Dodge SRT Demon, and they’re exceptional at training even the most non-mechanical novice to extract a good performance from Dodge’s arsenal. (We’ll be giving you the lowdown on the Radford drag racing program in a later story.) What we learned at Radford and previous testing might sound contrary to SRT’s official company line, but for Demons, the features of the trans brake and launch control are largely ineffective. Without true slicks and an ideal track (no track is ideal in 113 degrees!) these features completely overwhelm the tire/track interface. In fact, we suggest doing the opposite in hot, humid, slick conditions: crank the air conditioning, heat-soak the engine, kill some of that torque, and load the trunk with whatever extra weight you can get away with to help plant the rear tires. Radford instructors Chuck Sundstrom and Josh Edwards wasted no time in drilling into us a simple, short list of instructions for the burnout and launch, the thrust of which was to instill a robot-like repetition. While this was relatively easy for the first-timers in the class, it was tough to break decades of bad habits formed through the trial and error of testing magazine cars. We had an ace in the hole by having Chuck and Josh to coax us, and it paid off handsomely with our top e.t. slips: 9.72/130 for the Demon and 10.41/123 for the Super Stock. Both performances came late in the evening after 11 pm when the air had cooled to around 95 degrees. Our only experience drag racing the SRT Dodge Demon was at Irwindale,
The Super Stock and the Demon look so similar in life and on paper that talking about their differences seems like splitting hairs, but that isn’t the case. First, some production stats. The Demon was limited to 3,300 examples for just a single model year (3,000 U.S., 300 for Canada) while Super Stock production was not (and still isn’t) capacity constrained. No matter, only 192 Super Stocks were built in 2020, the first year of its production, making it the rarer of the two. Our 2021 Super Stock is just one of 559 built last year, and it looks like about the same number will be built in 2022. Pundits who follow such stats say the Super Stock’s multiyear production will top out at less than the Demon’s one-year production run, potentially a good thing for Super Stock owners. These are some rare cars, and even though you can still order one new, the vultures are already circling; brand-new Super Stocks are selling at auction in the six-figure range. Such are the vagaries of supply-chain issues and dealer markups.
QDODGE SRT SUPER STOCK VS. DEMON
Ever since Dodge introduced the Demon with an official NHRA-certified run of 9.65 at 140 mph, we’ve wanted to duplicate the effort. Back in June 2020 we said, “We know the Demon can do it, and when it does, we’ll be there.” At Radford, we finally got the chance, but it was an uphill battle. With the Go Mango Super Stock waiting in the wings until after official class time was over, we worked the school’s Redline Red Demon, trying to keep up with the other students’ times. After a disastrous 12.12 followed by a string of high 10s, and what we thought was an unrepeatable Hail Mary 10.20, we got an epiphany from instructor Josh Edwards in the burnout box, “If you can catch the wheelspin sooner, there’s another halfsecond in it.” Back to that in a moment. Both the Demon and the Super Stock are loaded with dragstrip tools in the form of hardware and software. In the case of the Super Stock, it’s the line-lock, launch control, power chiller, torque reserve, and race cooldown. For the Demon, add trans brake and active drag suspension to that list. Because this was an introductory course, only the line-lock and launch control were used. Moreover, due to the poor weather, our instructors abandoned the launch control early in the night when most students lit the tires like “Jungle” Jim Lieberman doing a half-track burnout. In case you’re wondering why we didn’t use the chiller, race cooldown, or trans brake features, the track simply wasn’t able to take the application of any more power on the starting line. More to the point, until it really happened, we thought a 9-second timeslip wasn’t in the cards. Instead of parking and chilling the SRT Demons in the pit area like dedicated drag racers, we students lined up on the return road, air-conditioning units blazing. For a split second, I felt sorry for those trapped outside in the monsoonal humidity and daydreamed of beer on ice. But first, some unfinished business. I pulled the heatsoaked Demon to the burnout box. Josh Edwards signaled me to roll down my window, laying on the sage advice, “Get your wheelspin under control ASAP.” But how?
QCHASING DODGE’S 9-SECOND DEMON RUN
California’s, 1⁄8-mile track in June 2020, where it put down a best of 6.71/105, which is roughly a 10.58 in the quarter-mile.
QSEARCHING FOR STARTING-LINE GRIP
The Launch Control feature on the Hellcat Redeye, Super Stock, and Demon models allows you to set the rev limiter at full throttle for launch: Once you’re pre-staged, put GOODBYE
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QUSING SRT’S LINE LOCK CONTROL I was guided into the water box by Edwards, who directed me to roll through the water and just past it to the dry edge. With the “Race Options” page open on the SRT dashboard, one must hit “Activate Line Lock Control” on the screen then push the brake pedal until at least 1,100 psi of brake pressure is indicated on the driver display. Push the “OK” button on the left side of the steering wheel and the front brakes will be locked, but not the rear brakes. Release the brake pedal and begin the burnout. Providing your left thumb is on the “OK” button, the front brakes will hold the car in place
QSPIN—AND WIN? All the tire smoke notwithstanding, the intriguing thing about the many wheel-blazing launches that Launch Control produced was that in a few cases students went quicker down the quarter-mile. When another student poked a different Demon into the 9.90s with an ugly tire-frying launch, we took notice. It wasn’t pretty, but since the wheelspin was just short of total annihilation, it resulted in a faster run. It was after this observation that Josh Edwards spoke those magic words to us in the water box, “Spin is good, but not too much.” Here’s how the Demon’s 9.72 run went down.
HOTROD.COM/2022/NOVEMBER 69 your foot on the brake, bump into the stage beams, activate launch control, and plant the accelerator pedal to the floor—nothing less than full down on the gas pedal will activate the launch control. (Doing that in any other car would be disastrous, making this a serious trust issue the first time you do it.) With the footbrake applied, the engine will immediately go to the pre-set rpm. When the ’tree comes down, take your foot off the brake and watch things get big in the windshield. The only “problem” with this is that the engine will go right to full throttle, which is not the modulated approach you need on a track with poor traction. If track conditions are sketchy, this will result in you doing a rolling burnout for the first 300 feet—exactly what caught the watchful eye of the Radford staff.
If you keep wheelspin from becoming incipient, the Demon’s (and the Super Stock’s) drag-specific traction-control program will be able to chase it in real time, but if you’re putting on a smoke show, the computer will throw its hands up in surrender. All these critical decisions of man and machine happen in the first two-and-a-half seconds of the run, after which the outcome has been decided and you can pretty much hold on for the ride. We got it just right before our time ran out and nabbed a 9.72/130 in the Demon for our efforts. But what about the Super Stock?
QHOT ROD’S FIRST 9-SECOND DEMON PASS After rolling to the staging beams, you’ll be greeted by the voice of Chuck Sundstrom through a walkie-talkie sitting in the center console. When you knock out the pre-stage bulb Chuck says, “OK, take a deep breath and look down-track. Both hands on the wheel. Make sure it’s clear. Relax.” When you’re ready to stage, keep pressing the brake pedal and push lightly on the throttle, sneaking the engine rpm up a hundred rpm at a time. Chuck coaxes you, “Higher. Higher. Just a little bit higher. Hold it there. Good.” Bump the car into the beam an inch at a time by repeatedly lifting ever so slightly off the brake as you keep the engine against the torque converter at around 1,200 rpm. The goal is to stage as shallowly as possible, affording the longest possible head start on the timers and the lowest possible e.t. When the stage light flickers, watch the third yellow light. When you see the third bulb’s filament begin to glow, lift the brake pedal, and unleash the hounds of hell. At this point the launch can go one of three ways: bog, blow the tires, or spin just the right amount. Ninety percent of the time, you’ll do one of the first two things, but get it right, and the gates of heaven await. When you release the brake and transition into the gas, the key is to always have forward motion of the throttle. This ensures weight is always being transferred to the rear tires. If you lift, the run is over, so it’s important that you don’t get too far over your skis by going flat-out on the gas too early. That said, your goal is to get to full throttle as quickly as you can.
QDRAG TESTING THE 2021 DODGE SRT SUPER STOCK
We noticed no difference in the way the Super Stock operated on the starting line compared with the Demon, noting the exception of the trans brake on the Demon, which we did not use. (Both cars have active suspensions with drag-specific tuning, but only the Demon’s hardware is drag specific.) All functions for the line-lock control and the launch control worked the same as the Demon’s, but after making a couple of runs in the Super Stock we got unsolicited comments from other Radford students that the exhaust note of the Super Stock was noticeably diminished compared to the Demon. We asked the Radford staff if the school’s Demons had been modified in any way (beyond the rollbar, harnesses, and decals) and the answer was no, so we can only acknowledge that there could be a slightly more restrictive exhaust system in the Super Stock. Our best run of the three passes we made in the Super Stock was a 10.41 at 123 mph, and this is significant in a couple of ways. First, we were able to run faster than Dodge’s official e.t. of 10.50 at 131 mph. If experience with official Dodge stats on the Hellcat and Demon is any indication, the GOODBYE
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while you do your burnout. Bring the engine rpm to between 3,000 and 4,000, keeping the rpm steady as the transmission shifts into Second, then Third gear. Engine rpm will want to drop with each gear change, so you’ve got to add more throttle to keep the rear wheels turning. After a slow two-count in Third gear, release the “OK” button and roll the car out of the burnout. (Too much burnout needlessly kills the tires and results in a slippery, oily tire.) Make sure to get off the throttle before the tires hook up, or you risk blowing the sprag out of the stator support in the torque converter. That ain’t cheap!
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In this author’s mind, the Super Stock is capable of a 9-second footbrake pass in stock trim using all the vehicle’s tools, such as the Race Cooldown and Chiller, but it would require an ideal environment in which to do it. Make no mistake, though—on the track, the Demon is a superior quarter-mile machine to the Super Stock, and the difference isn’t small, thanks to the Demon’s exclusive 100-octane race tune, trans brake, skinny front-runner tires, and active drag suspension hardware. On the street and at a roll, however, the Demon’s advantage evaporates to the slimmest of margins. Considering both vehicles are speed-limited to 168 mph due to the drag radials’ speed rating, it’s an academic advantage for most.
Super Stock figures are the result of factory testing in full production trim at the bleeding edge (ideal weather, ideal track conditions, experienced driver, lots of practice). That said, even though our 10.41 e.t. was quicker than Dodge’s e.t. (10.50) by .09 second, it was slower by 8 mph (123 vs. 131 mph). We had been off Dodge’s trap speed on the Demon by 10 mph (130 vs. 140), so the 8-mph drop in the Super Stock’s trap speed falls roughly in line with that. The point is heat kills power. Driving these cars in 95-degree heat at 5,000-foot density altitude compared to a cool winter’s day in Florida with mineshaft air (where Dodge performed its official testing) more than accounts for the drop in trap speed and observed power in both cars.
QDODGE SUPER STOCK VS. DODGE DEMON: THE WINNER IS . . .
QTHE LONG GOODBYE We’d just thrashed the two most powerful muscle cars Dodge has ever created on the quarter-mile in back-to-back testing. Now it was time for the bittersweet drive home. On a personal level, I’ve spent a career pushing Detroit for cars like this to become available to the public, and now that it’s a reality, it will be gone too soon. We give Dodge a ton of credit for riding it out to the end; it’s likely there will be a few more hot performers with Hemi power coming in the next 6 to 18 months, and the electrified muscle cars coming from Dodge will continue that trend. What’s hard to predict is whether performance fans can wrap their minds around electrification, its steep learning curve, and its alien sonic profile. Will we long for the Super Stock’s blower whine and snarling exhaust, or will we embrace hi-po EVs, relegating internal combustion to museums and car shows? Only time will tell. Until then, live the moment in a Dodge Super Stock.
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THE AMERICAN DREAM
hen I mentioned to Stanley Chavik we’d be taking pictures of him while he worked, he replied wryly in his thick Eastern European inflection, “Good, because I’m busy.” Stanley’s Thor-esque stature, his thick wavy hair, gnarled beard, and flames of ink shooting up his arms make him look like an extra from SonsofAnarchy. But his gap-toothed grin and smiling eyes reveal his true character. This is a man content.
AMBITION REALIZED CHAVIK IS LIVING
CUSTOM CAR BUILDER STANLEY
A 1950 DeSoto Diplomat Deluxe convertible coupe with a front spike, a toothy front fender, and wheel-hub weaponry lethal enough to make Ben Hur blanch hardly seems like the car to inspire a career. But the pale yellow rarity used in the Italian B-movie I predatoridiAtlantidewas the first hot rod Stanley ever saw. It was love.
HOTROD.COM/2022/NOVEMBER 73 Source Hot-Rod Chavik; 714.496.5019; hotrodchavik.com
or over a decade, Stanley fed his hot rod dreams ogling sheetmetal while surfing websites showcasing the work of hot rod gods Barris, Isky, Winfield, and Edelbrock. Stanley devoured Ron Covell videos on YouTube. In 2003, after years of Internet fantasizing, the then Stanislav opened Hot-Rod Chavik, a welding and fabrication shop in the industrial town of Zlín, Czechia, only a stone’s throw from the Slovakia border.
Stanley’s build ethos was simple then and remains as such, “I build everything myself.” But Czech regulations and restrictions choked Stanley’s creativity when it came to building, so his sites were set on coming to America. Instinctively, Stanley knew he’d need a calling card. Still in Zlín, Stanley acquired a derelict 1939 Buick that he transformed into the Shafer 8—an Indy racer replica akin to the cameraready creations of his Internet heroes. Everything on Stanley’s tribute to Phil Shafer, who built and raced at Indy in the 1930s, came from the mind and hands of this metalworking Dr. Frankenstein, from the body, with its classic boat-tailed torpedo shape, to the horse-collar grille. The Buick’s thundering straight 8, which Stanley rebuilt to the tune of 200 hp, got a custom intake that maintains four Stromberg 97 carbs which Stanley magically conjured into the Czech Republic thanks to more Internet magic. The Buick’s sound crescendos
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HOTROD.COM/2022/NOVEMBER 75 through a single period-correct manifold and out a custom exhaust. The sonic experience of the Shafer 8 starts well before an observer can ever feast their eyes. Finally, in 2017, Stanley and his growing family, which now included his petite dynamo of a wife, Daisy, and their son Stanley Jr., moved from the Czech Republic to a sunny suburb in Orange County, California, with not much more than their clothes, a U.S. E-2 visa for new businesses, and their show car. The Shafer 8 won plaques and awards at local car shows and turned heads enough at the 2020 Autorama to get them a win in their category. But the Chaviks don’t believe this car is a tough enough sell for what they do. “It’s not a car you normally see and usually is in its own class [at shows],” Daisy says. To suitably display their skills, they’ve set about building something everyone knows—a 1932 Ford. “If we bring something unique to it, then they’ll know the kind of work we do.” The goal? Win America’s Most Beautiful Roadster at the Grand National Roadster Show. Underneath the few body panels purchased with the original Ford frame, they reinforced the entire structure to accommodate a stronger suspension. The flathead was upgraded with Ardun heads and a blower and makes almost 400 hp. The Ardun’s four ports allowed Stanley to design a Lakester-pipe-styled exhaust that tucks inside the framerails that can be electronically opened to go out either the side or the rear. The five-speed transmission gets quick-change gears, and Stanley used hairpin axle brackets instead of radius rods. He moved
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the reservoir for the clutch and brake master cylinder directly under the pedals behind the firewall for a cleaner design. “It has lots of modifications,” Stanley says, looking for his next words as Daisy finishes his sentence in her more refined English, “but still looks period“Thiscorrect.”willbea raw race car, a wild guy, but functional in all its details: mechanically, the suspension, all usable at Bonneville or somewhere like it,” Stanley says. The Chaviks take nothing for granted and believe you don’t just get respect because you swoop in with something flashy. They’re out to earn it. If you look closely,
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you’ll see the word F-L-A-T H-E-A-D tattooed across Stanley’s meaty knuckles—yes, he’s that committed. The subdued 2,000-or-so square foot Hot-Rod Chavik shop smacks of Eastern European order, but their aspirations hang proudly on the wall in the form of an American flag stretched taut and at attention. While some would have you think the American dream isn’t alive and well, the Chavik’s know otherwise. “We couldn’t do things the way we wanted to in Czech Republic. So many restrictions. Here you can make the cars you want, and no one tells you no.”
The sonic experience of the Shafer 8 starts well before an observer can ever feast their eyes.
Wrenches each have their designated place hanging on the wall above the tool bench. Large machinery lives on wheels or moveable platforms so Stanley can arrange his space as needed. “We couldn’t bring tools over with us, so every penny we made we’d buy cheap tools from The Home Depot,” Daisy says. While Stanley brings the brawn to the operation, Daisy is the organizational brain—she also knows a thing or two about design and what customers want. “She does colors. If it’s up to me, I chose black.” Stanley’s comedic timing feels Hollywood ready. Their client list grows, and their weekend car show dance card remains so full we had to schedule our photo shoot a month in advance. Atop a lift sits a bare-metal 1963 Toyota FJ43, the body of which Stanley fabricated himself. The untrained eye might never notice the 7/8-inch shaved off the top to fix an ugly gap at its roofline. “To me this new proportion makes it look right,” Stanley says. Beneath the FJ resides a dragster that belongs to the 13-year-old daughter of a friend. They’re repairing the front end and truing the tube chassis pro bono. They remember the help they received and want to support the next generation of enthusiasts. Speaking of the next generation, Stanley Jr. takes an active role around the shop, though he admitted his current interests lean more toward driving simulators and drag racing.
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Stanley strokes his beard with his right hand, the faded Copperplate F-L-A-T on his knuckles flexing. “So that you’re here talking to me in my shop, this is my dream come true.”
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For Stanley, building and fabricating was a calling. To date, he’s made six cars from scratch, but like a poet always wordsmithing, Stanley never feels satisfied. “Always when I’m done, I know what I would do differently.”
The Chaviks recently completed restoration work on collector Filippo Sole’s Lancia Dilambda that drove across country unscathed until it reached Los Angeles and was promptly rear-ended. The Chaviks were commissioned to do the repairs before it headed to Pebble Beach for the posh Concours d’Elegance.
Before it’s finished, the ’32 Ford will get a chocolate brown interior and wear sky blue paint, just like the broad expanse over their nowbeloved Southern California home. “It’s a boy, handsome and manly, powerful but gentle. We call him ‘Blesser’.” Daisy describes the ’32 the way she might her husband. When I ask if he’s ready to embrace the electrification wave sweeping across the automotive industry, Stanley pauses, struggling to find an elegant or diplomatic way to share his dissention. His eyes scan the room, the English wheel, the metal hammers, rudimentary equipment bespoke automakers have used for over a century meticulously honing and shaping their art. “No,” is his simple answer. He just got here; Stanley isn’t ready to move on just yet. Other than winning AMBR, the Chavik’s remain focused on one thing, to become Americans. “I used to drive across the border into Germany to buy HOT ROD magazine. They didn’t sell in the Czech Republic. I couldn’t read English so I would just look at the photos.”
Cope already had a 1968 Camaro he had bought from the original owner back in 1992, but when he heard about this hidden-away 1967 Camaro, he didn’t hesitate to go check it out. The 1967 Camaro had been parked outside from 1974 to 2004 when it was acquired by the second owner in a trade for a diesel Mercedes. After that, it was stuffed into a barn.
FREEATLAST INHOLLIDAY
Another dusty gem is saved from wasting away in a barn. reg Cope of Holliday, Texas, has always been a big fan of classic American muscle, and he loves trying to find forgotten gems hidden around the state. Yeah, you would think all the really cool (code for: popular) cars have already been found and scooped up, but the truth is that there are still quite a few classics hidden in barns, buried in garages, or just languishing in fields. These “barn finds” are always cool and we love seeing the cars rescued so they can be put back on the road.
STEVEN RUPP GREG COPE
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FREE AT LAST At first, the ’67 appeared to be a big-block car, as it came with a properly date-coded 375 hp 396ci engine said to have been removed from the car, as well as a four-speed trans that was still installed. But Cope knows the drill, so he ran the VIN tag and found the Camaro came from the factory with a straight-six and a three-on-the-tree. It was still a good find, and the price was right, so he rescued the Camaro from barn jail and hauled it home to keep his 82
Given that the Camaro isn’t anything rare, the plan is to keep it stock-looking but give it an LS swap and overdrive trans, along with a Vintage Air kit to tame the Texas heat.
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1968 Camaro company. As it turns out, the ’67 and the ’68 were both sold new from the same Chevy dealership in Texas. Cope’s original plan was to clean up the ’67 and flip it for a quick profit, but his 13-year-old daughter, Kendall, said she would love it as her first car—nice to see he’s raising her right.
❱Adrenaline courses through your veins as the nitro cars pull past the water box, preparing for the first burnout on the Mountain at the 2022 Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway. Crew members focused on their jobs at hand, taking in every aspect of the car and the track. You catch a whiff of nitro, hinting at what’s to come. The sudden crack of the throttle and the deafening roar from the exhaust is followed by the immediate burn in your nose as the undeniable smell of nitro overwhelms your senses. The next thing you know, the first staging bulb is lit, leaving barely any time to brace for the rattling vibration of the race that is about to shock your body. Bulbs drop, and three feet of flames shoot up directly in front of you, then streak past with a fury not even noise-canceling headphones can deafen. In less than four seconds, the moment is over. Now hit repeat on that sensation each time Top Fuel or Funny Cars come to the line.
DRAGRACINGON THUNDERMOUNTAIN
HEIDI ELZAS
ONTHESCENE
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Bandimere Speedway, also affectionately known as Thunder Mountain, likes to throw a few curveballs for the race teams to navigate around. The most obvious and talked about oddity is that the elevation of the track is a bit more than 5,800 feet above sea level. The higher the altitude, the thinner the air, typically leading to slower track times. Additionally, warmer weather led to the track temps ranging from 117 degrees on the cool part of the track up to 137 degrees in the sun.
All four Pro Classes—Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle—had different strategies to combat the regular demands of competition and tackling Thunder Mountain’s air deficiency. This year, Leah Pruett, Robert Hight, Matt Hartford, and Matt Smith stood as winners on the podium in Denver proudly holding their Wallys. Smith even managed to overcome the thin air and heat to break the Mountain’s motorcycle speed record at 190 mph with his Pro Stock bike.
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Walking through the pits gave us the opportunity to see the physical work that goes into making one pass and on to the next. In many of the racers’ pits, communication is efficient and precise, with most of it appearing almost automated. Crew members know the hats they need to wear as the breakdown and rebuild process happens, handing specific tools to one another by a nonverbal glance. This action draws in the crowds, as intrigued spectators stand watching the nonstop motion hoping to snag selfies and autographs of their favorite racers. An added treat is watching the cars’ warm-up routines, which pushes the crowd back from the stinging blast, causing noses to tingle and tears of happiness to flow freely.
The stands at Bandimere offer views upon views. No seat leaves you unsatisfied—from attentively watching the races to roaming the crowd. Hiking up the steep grandstands can be an incredible workout. Remember to pace yourself while going up and down the stairs, as oxygen is already at a premium at this altitude. Many of the fans occupy seats they have religiously claimed for over 20 years, and most still wear the beloved vintage Funny Car T-shirts that appear to be equally as old. This is loyalty at its finest. Stands packed with enthusiastic fans are proof that drag racing is not only loved but is still relevant.
Maybe it’s because of the unique setting, or maybe it’s the stream of 11,000hp nitro cars roaring down the track, but a weekend at the Mile-High Nationals has a way of lighting the fire for drag racing. No matter the reason, the race reminded us of the importance of teamwork and how to be competitive here all moving parts need to be in sync. From here, the show moves to Sonoma, California, as the Camping World Drag Series continues.
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How High is Too High?
STEVEN RUPP STEVEN RUPP & COURTESY OF AHP
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01 A cam’s “lift” number represents how far the valve will open inside the cylinder. More intake lift means that more air and fuel can enter the cylinder (except with direct injection, where the intake valve brings only air to the party) and, theoretically, more power can be made. On the exhaust side, more lift means more of the spent gasses can be evacuated to make room for a fresh charge of air and fuel to enter the combustion chamber. Adding more lift sounds like a great idea, but there’s only so much room in your cylinder when the piston is at the top of its stroke. Given these tight quarters, piston-to-valve clearance must be carefully measured when moving into high-lift cams, since valves and pistons don’t enjoy a good game of tag.
Are the rewards of running a higher-lift cam worth the risks? We hit the dyno with AHP to find out!
Sources Air Flow Research; 877.892.8844; airflowresearch.com ARP (Automotive Racing Products); 800.826.3045; arp-bolts.com Comp Cams; 800.999.0853; www.compcams.com Edelbrock; 800.416.8628; edelbrock.com Holley/MSD; 270.781.9741; holley.com Scat; 310.370.5501; scatcrankshafts.com Summit Racing; 800.230.3030; summitracing.com
❱With engines, bigger is typically better. Well, sort of. Bigger generally means more power, but it can also mean more headaches. More boost will give you more power, but it will also require more octane, unless you want more detonation. More fuel will give you more power as long as you provide more air, and more nitrous will give you more torque, but also entails a lot more risk of things going sideways. The higher the performance, the higher the costs, and we’re not just talking about the monetary type. But what about more lift for your camshaft? If you’re a reader of the Internet, you see the idea of adding a “high-lift” cam to your engine mentioned all over the place. It’s talked about like it offers free power with no downside. To the average hot rodder, the difference between a 0.626-inch lift cam and a 0.686-inch lift cam seems pretty small, and on paper the 0.060-inch difference is a small number, but in terms of valvetrain movement, it’s a lot. To find out more, and test out the gains on a dyno, we got together with the folks over at American Heritage Performance (AHP) to see what benefits there were with a high-lift cam and if the juice is worth the squeeze for the average hot rodder.
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04 Yes. Are we done now? Well, it’s not quite that simple. As we stated before, more lift will typically make more power, but there are always a few caveats involved. Before we delve into those, let’s talk about this test. We were curious what increased lift would bring to the party, so we specified two nearly identical AHP custom camshafts made by Cam Motion. The cam on the left is 0.626-inch lift and the cam on the right is 0.686-inch lift. Everything else about the camshafts (duration, LSA, lobe type, and so on) is identical. This particular cam is called the “Priest” cam.
On the rebuild, we went with better springs and sacrificed a few hp by using steel retainers. We also set up an inspection interval.
Regular inspections of the valvetrain could have caught this before the failure, but because it’s just a street-car engine, it was easy to become complacent.
If not kept in check, monitored, and maintained regularly, this stress can cause catastrophic engine failures. Here you can see the results of running a high-lift cam in a 461-inch RHS LS engine. A titanium retainer failed and took the spring with it, or the spring let go and took out the retainer. Either way, it was only luck that kept the valve from dropping into the cylinder and turning the piston into race glitter.
03 Check out this image of an engine that wasn’t so lucky. A valvespring failure occurred, allowing the valve to drop down into the cylinder and make contact with the pistons, breaking off the face of the valve. This caused a complete, catastrophic engine failure.
05 Our dyno mule for this test will be this forged AHP 442-inch LS7 stroker.
06 An important factor in this test is ensuring we have a cylinder head that flows enough air at peak lift and does not run into a port stall situation.
07 Another factor to consider when running a high-lift cam is the hardware that goes into the cylinder head. You need light valves that won’t float or loft off the peak of the cam lobe at high rpm. AHP has the cure for this with their ultra-lightweight Ti Moly 2.250-inch intake valves and lightweight Ferrea Hollow stainless steel exhaust valves. The AHP heads were assembled 03 02 04 05 06 07
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02 Another factor with a high-lift cam is valvetrain longevity. A high-lift cam is going to put a lot more stress on valvetrain components like springs, rocker arms, pushrods, lifters, and even camshaft lobes.
The last thing you want to do is run a 0.650-inch or higher lift cam with a cylinder head that stalls out airflow-wise around 0.600-inch lift. To ensure that we have adequate airflow, we are running AHP’s Archangel LS7 cylinder head, which produces some big flow numbers (418 cfm) while keeping a smaller 275cc intake runner. The goal of the smaller runner is to keep the intake air velocity high, which translates to power throughout the entire rpm range, as opposed to a hogged-out port design with lazy low-speed air that only gains power in the top of the rpm cycle. These Archangel heads are the same heads used on the world’s fastest naturallyaspirated C6 Corvette Z06’s 427ci LS (with a stock bottom end), running 8.895s at 154 mph in the quarter-mile, so we know they flow more than enough air for our testing here today.
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09 For our testing, we wanted to make sure that we had enough airflow getting to the AHP cylinder heads, so they were topped off with an AHP ported MSD Atomic intake manifold and a Nick Williams 102mm throttle body. An engine with more airflow is going to benefit more from a higher lift camshaft, and if your engine is already gasping for air, then all the lift in the world isn’t going to solve your problem.
10 The test engine was readied on the AHP dyno and fitted with a Halltech 108 cold-air induction (CAI), which is very popular with the C6 Z06 crowd.
WRENCHIN’@RANDOM using PAC 1209x springs with lightweight titanium retainers which are spec’d specifically for this build.
The first tests will be with the 0.6826-inch high-lift camshaft installed.
08 Something else to think about when speccing your valvetrain is what rocker arms you want to use. For this test, we are running Yella Terra 1.8 ratio non-adjustable LS7 roller rockers. The roller tip helps to alleviate the heavy valve side-loading that the stock pad-style LS7 rocker arms cause. This heavy side-loading only gets worse as the lift increases. Roller-tip rocker arms do not have this problem since they “roll” over the valve tip rather than sliding across it like the stock rocker does. The only downside to a roller-tip rocker arm is the added weight over the nose of the rocker, but this can be alleviated with proper spring and valvetrain selection.
The idea is to keep a nice, light valvetrain that will spin up quickly and be rock-solid and stable well past peak power. If you’re running Ti retainers over tool steel, keep in mind that with a high-lift cam you’ll want to inspect them on a regular basis for cracks and fatigue. Like we said, everything comes with a cost.
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11 Here you can see the dyno graph from the high-lift cam test. A peak of 651 hp and 594 lb-ft are certainly healthy numbers. 09 11 12
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14 If you’re racing for money, clout, or any other goal that requires every bit of power you can get, then yes, a higher lift cam will be on your “must-have” list. But you’ll need to be prepared to do the maintenance required to ensure a long and happy engine life. After all, that’s why race cars have teams of people constantly going over the car and engine. Now, with that said, if you’re just a regular guy who wants to add some power and killer sound to his engine by adding an aftermarket camshaft, and you don’t need to push the geometry to get every possible bit of power out of your setup, then go with the lowerlift camshaft. You’ll save yourself the headaches of spring changes, valvetrain maintenance, and possible engine failures that can occur when you run a highlift camshaft and don’t do routine checks on your valvetrain, or just get unlucky. Will you really miss that 20 hp racing from stoplight to stoplight or car show to cruise night? Again, building a hot rod is all about balance and ending up with a fun and reliable ride that’s right for your intended usage.
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12 And here are the results of the lower-lift cam dyno test. A big goal was to keep all the parameters of the testing (water temp, engine temp, AFR, etc.) as close as possible to each other. We want to measure the delta between the two camshafts, not changes in engine oil temp, coolant temp, or even room temp. The lower-lift cam made 631 hp and 585 lb-ft of torque.
13 The real story can be seen once the two dyno graphs are overlaid. Our high-lift cam produced 20 more hp and 9 more lb-ft of torque than our identical low-lift version of the same camshaft. Comparing the data, we noticed that the camshafts are almost identical in horsepower and torque until right around 4,200 rpm, where we start to see the lines separate. Both camshafts have the same power curve but slightly different peak rpm numbers for both hp and torque. Our low-lift cam made peak torque at 5,100 rpm and peak power at 6,200 rpm, and our highlift version of the same cam made peak torque at 5,200 rpm and peak power at 6,300 rpm. The slight increase in volume supplied by the higher-lift cam let it carry the power just a bit longer in the pull.
Super Makeover
Source Wright Connection Speed & Gear; 661.304.1967; wrightconnection.net
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If you are considering any form of the original BorgWarner T-10 series transmissions for your car, Craig recommends you exclusively purchase the seconddesign units. The reason? It is very difficult to get parts for earlier T-10 transmissions. BorgWarner, the legendary performance component builder, was the original creator of the T-10 transmission introduced in 1957. That first-design T-10 transmission was followed by an improved version in 1964-65. Then, the new Super T-10 arrived in 1966, and it ran through 1973, before the second design superseded it. BorgWarner’s transmission division was purchased by Doug Nash, which then began producing T-10s along with their own design Doug Nash fivespeed transmissions. Richmond Gear purchased rights to the T-10 from Doug Nash, and today Midwest Truck and Auto produce the parts for the second-design Super T-10 transmissions. The Super T-10 is a solid four-speed transmission with a wide array of gearing choices, but should be limited to applications where maximum torque is roughly 325 lb-ft. It should also be noted that the Super T-10 is less versatile then a Muncie in terms of shifter mounting locations. That means the Super T-10 is not a direct bolt-in for a Chevelle or most full-size GM vehicles, assuming you want the shifter to mount in the factory location. Craig has come up with cures for certain applications, so if you are faced with an issue, give him a call. A Muncie fourspeed is the transmission of choice for these cars. You should also consider a Muncie if your engine is making more torque than recommended for the T-10. This is not to malign the legendary Super T-10 four-speed—it is an affordable and versatile manual transmission that can deliver years of solid service. Follow along as we walk through the basics of revitalizing a second-design Super T-10 and troubleshoot areas that can help give your transmission the ultimate in durability.
CAM JOHNBENTYMCGANN
Four-speed expert Craig Wright demonstrates how to rebuild a BorgWarner Super T-10 manual transmission. ❱In terms of classic workhorse transmissions, the Super T-10 was one of the most common fourspeeds used in the muscle car era. They could be found in Corvettes, Camaros, and Firebirds over a 17-year run. A major step up from the standard T-10 that debuted back in 1957, Super T-10s featured a host of benefits over its predecessor, including a wider selection of gear ratios, and a widening of the gears, side to side, for better overall strength. The first-design Super T-10’s arrived in 1966, but it was the second design’s debut in 1974 that was a big step forward. While the first-design units had cast-iron cases, the second design (offered from 1974-1982) featured an aluminum case. The only exception to the rule was the Power Brute Super T-10 that was offered through speed shops. It had a nodular iron case along with a stronger high-nickel gearOurset.expert for this tour is Craig Wright of Wright Connection Speed & Gear in Bakersfield, California.
05 With the gear systems removed from the case, Craig inspected the internal components and case for damage and wear. These aluminum cases are very sturdy and usually unveil cracks or damage from the outside, but you never know if a hidden problem is lurking inside.
06 A critical technique you will need to master with most transmissions is the ability to install and remove snap rings. There are a variety of snap rings used in the Super T-10 that will require the correct type of snap-ring pliers to insert and remove.
04 With the cluster gear loose in the bottom of the case, you can slide the main shaft out through the back of the transmission.
02 Upon removing the side cover, the first step is to inspect the internal mechanisms within the case, looking for any broken parts or gear teeth sitting in the bottom of the case. It’s always good to assess the current state of your used transmission even if you are looking to replace most of the internals.
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01 The second-design Super T-10 arrived in 1974. It featured an all-aluminum case, which is perhaps the easiest way to differentiate it from earlier versions that used cast-iron cases. The second-design Super T-10 transmissions continued production through 1982. The tail housing design changed slightly that year before the Super T-10 was ultimately discontinued. When choosing a Super T-10, avoid the 1982 model for this reason.
03 To remove the cluster gear in the bottom of the transmission, first remove the tail housing from the transmission. Next, Craig used a brass punch to push out the countershaft pin from the front to the back of the case. Once the pin is out, the cluster gear will fall to the bottom of the case.
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12 Here’s a critical tech tip: If you want your transmission to run quietly, deburr the gears before installing them. Craig uses a Dremel tool to remove any flashing or edges that can be left during the machining of the gear set. The gear faces should be flat without any irregularities.
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07 As noted, the gears are stacked on the main shaft and locked in through a series of snap rings. The same holds true for the slider/synchro mechanisms that are attached in a similar manner.
10 After inspecting all the components that will be reused, Craig is ready to reassemble the transmission. It is crucial that the new parts are clean and without residue or other debris. This is also a good time for one more inspection to avoid installing any 11components.less-than-perfectThegeararrangement in our Super T-10 should be familiar to anyone who has rebuilt four-speed manual boxes in the past. In the foreground are (left to right) the Third, Second, and First gears. The back row shows (left to right) the Reverse gear idler, Fourth gear (attached to the input shaft), and the cluster gear.
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08 Craig measures the thickness of the snap rings and any landing area that will be receiving a snap ring before insertion. The snap ring must fit down into their assigned grooves to ensure that they locate the parts correctly. If the snap ring does not fit properly, damage, or at least improper operation, will certainly occur.
09 Of key importance to the operation of the transmission is making sure that the main shaft is within tolerance. Here Craig checked the shaft and found it to have 0.002 inch of runout—more than acceptable for our application. Craig recommends a maximum allowable runout of 0.004 inch.
13 Our Super T-10 uses the 2.88:1 First-gear ratio, which is great for street driving. Here Craig counts the teeth on the speed gears (First gear is far left) and the teeth on the cluster gear. The number 16 refers to the teeth on the front Reverse-idler gear.
14 This is what the surface of the gear looks like after the surface of the synchro has been twisted in place a few times. The synchro should contact the cone at all points, 360-degrees around. This ensures that the synchro will quickly and smoothly engage with the gear when the transmission is shifted.
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16 Its great to have a large supply of parts on hand when building a transmission. Craig not only stocks spare parts, but he keeps a wide array of different gear sets on the shelves to create just about any gear ratio desired.
17 Both the sliders (that engage the gears/synchro assembly) and the case need to be cleaned and deburred as well. As with any rebuild, removal of all old gasket material is critical, otherwise your transmission could leak when finished.
15 Here are the synchro rings on the gears prior to installation. These units are made from a soft brass, which allows for smooth engagement of each gear.
18 Craig also runs a tap through all the threads to make sure none of the blast/cleaning matter or previously applied thread locker are present.
21 A little tapping with a rubber mallet may be necessary to push these parts into the correct location. We are not hammering here, simply pushing the unit along. If the assembly locks up before it is in the correct position, check for burrs or other problems that may be stopping its 22progress.Thisis what the first step of the main shaft assembly looks like. Snap rings are used to hold things in position. 22
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WRENCHIN’@RANDOM
19 The synchronizer assembly includes the slider, hub, three struts, two springs, and the synchronizer cones.
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20 This is what the slider assembly looks like when complete. Note that the internal teeth shown on the inner edge of the outer hub engage with the teeth on the gears. These teeth must be in good shape and without any obvious damage or the transmission could encounter shifting issues. If your transmission slips out of gear, this could be the problem area.
24 Before the mid plate (that bolts to the back of the transmission) can be added to the main shaft, this bearing needs to be inserted and locked in place with a snap ring.
25 To reinforce just how critical snap ring fitment can be, Craig sands this snap ring with a belt sander. This makes certain that all surfaces are completely flush, eliminating the chance of the ring hanging up and not fitting into the groove properly.
23 Although not mandatory, the use of a press is an efficient way to position the synchronizer assembly that fits between the first and second gears.
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26 The mid plate is locked to the main shaft with our freshly deburred snap ring. 27 Now here’s a job requiring patience. Inside the cluster gear are four rows of needle bearings (shown scattered at left on table) that must be inserted into the gear. Craig uses thick bearing grease to help keep them in place and inserts a slightly undersized shaft into the center to keep the bearings lined up. There are two rows of needle bearings within the cluster gear on each side (four rows total). The shaft will be replaced by the full-size shaft that holds it in place in the case.
31 After placing the input shaft and Fourth gear assembly in place in the front of the case, the main shaft assembly is inserted through the back of the transmission until it connects with the back of the input shaft.
29 All gasket surfaces are treated to a light film of Gasgacinch. Here the gasket that connects the mid plate to the back of the transmission case is readied for installation.
30 As was the case with the cluster gear, a series of roller bearings are stuck to the inner recess of the input shaft before installation. Note that the synchro ring has also been put in position.
33 This image shows the main shaft being lubricated followed by the installation of the larger Reverse gear. The small gear below is the Reverse-idler gear and the blue gear is the speedometer drive gear.
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This affordable and versatile manual transmission can deliver years of solid service.
WRENCHIN’@RANDOM
32 Next, Craig installed the shift shafts in the side cover before installation. This requires alignment of a series of parts including a sleeve, spacer, spring, and two steel balls. These parts can be seen on the table to the right.
28 The cluster gear is gently lowered into place and the counter-shaft pin is pushed from the back of the case to the front. The undersized shaft used to keep the needle bearings in place is what you see exiting the front of the case.
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35 To lock the shaft in position, another snap ring is slid over the input shaft and then into position.
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39 This completed transmission sports a freshly reworked Hurst shifter linkage along with brandnew internals. Wright Connection Speed & Gear offers both transmission and shifter components for any Super T-10 transmission. 37 38 39
36 To seal the bolts used on the cover and front retainer cover, we used Permatex gasket maker. These bolts will be exposed to internal lubricant, so sealing them off will help stop leaks before they begin.
38 The number of rings on the input shaft will tell you exactly which transmission gearing it contains. Input shafts with four and five rings will denote a 2.88:1 First gear.
37 We filled our transmission with Sta-Lube 85W-90 GL4 lubricant before installing the side cover. Our transmission takes about 1.5 quarters to fill.
34 One trick we learned from Craig is to heat the front of the transmission case to help slide the front transmission bearing into place. Be sure not to overheat the case.
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Sources Aldan American; 310.834.7478; aldanamerican.com Performance Online; 888.973.5807; performanceonline.com
Muscle meets modern with this simple coilover upgrade kit for GM A-bodies.
CAM BENTY CURE FOR CORNER-PHOBIA
❱Cars have evolved greatly over the last 50-plus years, as any automotive historian will be quick to tell you. That doesn’t mean you can’t improve the power and drivability of your classic muscle car and retain its cool looks and collectability. This is especially true with aftermarket suspension upgrades that can dramatically improve the comfort and handling potential of your vehicle. To prove our point, we stopped off at Aldan American and set about installing their new coilover suspension kit. The results from that upgrade are nothing short of fantastic.
THE
Our 1969 big-block El Camino is classified as an A-Body in General Motors nomenclature and uses the same chassis design as similar year Chevelles, GTOs, Lemans, and other “sister-generation” vehicles. The kit used here fits 1968 to 1972 A-body cars (Aldan American also offers 1964 to 1967 A-Body kits) and bolts up while requiring no welding or cutting of the chassis. Their coilover kit replaces the factory springs and shocks and only took us about four hours to install. The Aldan American coilover shocks feature dual-adjustment capability, meaning you can set the rebound and compression rates for the front or rear coilover shocks independently, with the simple twist of a knob. That’s especially incredible news for all autocross competitors! Since the current suspension on our El Camino was 50-plus years new, it was a good time to freshen the rest of the suspension pieces. To the rescue were the folks at Performance Online who supplied new chassis pieces, including a specially designed coilover-ready A-arm kit integrating improved suspension geometry. POL also offers the necessary hardware, ball joints, sway bars, and Delrin bushings, just to hit the highlights. At the end of our effort, the suspension looked as good as it performed and was ready for a final tune-up on the local alignment rack. Another key cornering benefit with this kit is the ability to lower (or raise) the chassis, when required, by using the supplied Aldan American adjustment wrench. Lowering the ride height of the vehicle not only improves its cool cruising quotient but also lowers the vehicle’s roll center, helping it slip around corners that much better. As long as you have enough fender clearance to avoid tire impacts on bumps, you are good to go. With all the new pieces in place, our El Camino achieved the best of both worlds—cool looks and a suspension that was up to whatever cornering loads we were to throw its way. The winning combination of POL parts and Aldan American suspension gear is a smart and affordable way to love driving your classic muscle car even more.
Above: General Motor A-body vehicles are highly popular classic muscle cars that respond well to a wide array of upgrades. Aldan American’s coilover systems are the perfect solution to upgrade your car’s handling. As a test case, we selected this El Camino, but Chevelles and other A-body owners of the same era can reap similar Left:benefits.Our 1969 El Camino featured the advertised 396cid engine and “period correct” chrome Cragar wheels. We found out quickly that the original suspension was plenty tired from five decades of roadwork, making it the perfect candidate for our chassis makeover.
HOTROD.COM/2022/NOVEMBER 103 01 This host of parts is a combination of Aldan American’s coilover kit and new suspension pieces from Performance Online. The coilovers are double adjustable allowing for tuning of both compression and rebound through two different control knobs. All the Performance Online parts are powdercoated to ensure they will retain their good looks for years to come. 02 In addition to all the previously mentioned suspension parts, most critical to ofclearancelimitimprovedlowerheightpliedspringwithshocks,preloadlinkpreviousspecially-jointedimagetheinbarsOnlineadjustmentoversteer/understeeristhePerformanceswaybarset.Thesehollowmeasure1.25inchesindiameterfrontand1inchintherear.Ofnote,classicendlinksshowninthiswerenotusedinfavorofthelinksshownintheimage.Thistypeofendwillallowforadjustmentofbarsidetoside.03WithAldanAmerican’scoiloveryoucansettherideheightasimpletwistofthebottommountcollarusingthesup-wrench.ByloweringtherideoftheElCamino,youcantherollcenterofthevehicleforcorneringability.Theonlyhereisyourtire/wheel/fenderandthatbigdipattheendyourdriveway!04Webeganbyremovingthecur-rentfrontswaybar,whichhadbeenenhancedwithpolyurethaneatsometimeinthepast.Thefactoryswaybarmountswerecushionedwithrubberinsulators.ThebarspringsfreeafterreleasingthefactoryendlinksattheA-armsandthesetwomountsthatattachthebartotheframe.05ThePerformanceOnlineA-armscomewithhigh-techDelrinbushingsthatshouldbelubricatedbeforeinstallation.WeuseEnergySuspen-sion’sspeciallyformulatedgreaseontheswaybarpolyurethanetopreventgallingthatcanoccur.06BecausewewereinstallingAl-danAmericancoilovers,weorderedupthePerformanceOnline(POL)A-armsthatfeatureimprovedsuspensiongeometryforthisap-plication.NotethedifferenceinthetwoA-arms:thefactoryunitontheleft,setupforconventionalshocks, and the special POL A-arm that is clearly designed for coilover shock 07mounting.ThePOL kit comes with all new hardware. We lubricated the sides of the Delrin bushing and slid them into the factory mounting locations. We added oversize washers on both sides of the mounting bolts to increase the area of contact and provide more support due to the age of the vehicle. There was no rust present, but you should inspect any chassis before making such an upgrade. 08 Of critical importance is making sure to torque all bolts in place. With the 1⁄2-inch diameter bolts used to mount the A-arms, we torqued the bolts to 75 ft-lbs. 01 0203 04 05 06 07 08
16 Slide the coil spring over the shock body with the smaller opening down toward the lower spring mount and directly on top of the thrust bearings.
12 A light tap with a hammer will help push the bar away from the bottom of the coilover. Be careful not to damage the coilover body. They are strong, but can be dented, which will hurt the operation and adjustability of the unit.
10 The Aldan American coilovers come with a set of optional thrust bearings that allow the coil spring to move on the shock. This bearing kit should also be lubricated with grease to help them move freely and avoid corrosion.
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14 Disassemble the top of the shock removing the top nuts, washer, and bushing, leaving the top cushion in place. This rod end will fit through the factory shock-mount hole in the upper A-arm.
09 Apply copper anti-seize to the threaded body of the Aldan American coilover to help the adjustment sleeve spin freely on the shock.
11 The Aldan American coilover shocks are set for use with the factory-style A-arms, but because we had the improved-design POL A-arms we had to remove the lower T-bar mount. First, we removed the C-clip to release the mount.
15 Place the greased thrust bearing set on the lower spring seat. The bearings need to sit flat and turn easily when twisted by hand.
13 Next, remove the adjustment knob from the top of the coilover shock. The knob unscrews by turning in a counterclockwise direction.
19 At first, the difference between the driverside and passenger-side A-arms may not be obvious, but here you can see the difference. Note the twist in the A-arm shape with a slightly straighter leading edge to the front of the vehicle. These A-arms are both for the passenger side, the factory unit on the right and the Performance Online unit on the left.
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23 Reinstall the spindle and attach the ball joints. To do so, you will need to compress the shock from below. Make sure the vehicle is supported properly and that the jack is compressing the shock as you go and not lifting the vehicle off the jacks.
22 Tighten the upper shock nut until the polyurethane bushing just starts to lightly bulge. Do not overtighten. A second jam nut will be installed and tightened against the first nut to lock it in place.
18 Included in the Performance Online package is a set of new ball joints. These ball joints attach into the upper A-arm with four bolts.
17 Disconnect the ball joints that hold the spindle unit to the A-arms and then tie up the brake caliper with a set of wire ties. The brake caliper should not be allowed to hang as it will place undue strain on the brake line if overextended. Now is also a good time to inspect the brake lines and pads for wear or leakage. If any damage is present, it’s time to replace them.
21 The Aldan American coilover shocks hang in this manner after the top shock bushings have been reinstalled. Note that the coilover’s lower compression adjustment knob must face out to be accessible after installation.
24 Twist the upper adjustment knob back in place by turning it counterclockwise until it stops, then lock it in place by tightening the set screw, shown here with the supplied wrench. Next, turn the knob clockwise to the “0” position and then ten clicks counterclockwise to achieve an initial rebound setting. There are 20 points of adjustment in the coilover shock.
20 We installed the new A-arm in the original factory location and torqued the mounting bolts to 55 lb-ft. Note that we replaced the same number of shims as used in the original A-arm alignment. The front end will have to be aligned on a professional rack after our installation. A proper front-end alignment is critical to getting the most from your suspension.
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28 Preload the sway bar end link by turning the threaded rod to take up any slack in the connection, then add some tension to the bar to finish the set up. This adjustment should be done with the vehicle safely on the ground and the car at standard ride height. Lock down the setting by turning the jam nut (pointer) up against the sleeve.29Moving to the rear suspension, install the shock mount in the rear axle housing after disconnecting the rear sway bar. The bolts required to install this mount are not accessible without removing the bar. 30 This bracket forms the upper attachment point for the Aldan American coilover shock. The bolts must go bottom-up to allow proper clearance around the top of the shock.
33 The bottom of the coilover mounts in this manner. As you have probably guessed by now, the bolt should be torqued to 75 lb-ft.
25 The lower end of the shock connects to the POL A-arm in this manner. Torque the lower mounting bolt to 75 lb-ft. Finally, turn the compression adjustment knob to “1” as a starting point. This completes the front coilover 26installation.Thenewsway bar mounts to the frame in the same way as the original factory bar. Lubricate the polyurethane with the supplied Energy Suspension grease and bolt them to the frame as per factory specs.
26 27 28 29 25 30 31 32 33
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31 As was the case with the front coilover, set the shock’s lower compression setting to “1” before installation. This knob must be facing the center of the car to be accessible after installation.
32 Note the positioning of the upper mount with the straight edge of the bracket against the inner chassis. The curved edge of the bracket must face outward.
27 These very cool mechanical end links connect the sway bar ends to the lower A-arms. This design is far more effective in transferring sway-bar leverage to the suspension than conventional end links.
Parts List using363534Installtherearswaybarboltstotheframeinthesamefashionastheoriginal.Newboltsaresuppliedforthisaswell.AldanAmericansuppliesthisadjustmentwrenchthatallowsyoutoadjustthelowerspringmountcollartoraiseorlowerthevehicle.It’sjustthatsimple.OurfreshlyupgradedElCaminohitthestreetthe“street”coiloveradjustmentsettings, coolreadyquicklyAldancompressionfendermakingheightneedsbutnotethattheyaretotallyadjustabletotheoftheowner.Wedroppedthesuspensionabout1inchasastartingpointaftercertainthatwehadplentyofroomforclearance,frontandback.Withbothandreboundadjustments,ournewAmerican-equippedElCaminocouldbetransformedfromstreetcruisertotrackwiththesimpletwistoftwoknobs.Howisthat? Alignment specs AldanAmerican PartNo. Front&reardouble-adjustablekit 300240 PerformanceOnline PartNo. Tubularfrontswaybarkit FSBK883H Rearswaybar RSBK939 UpperA-arms TCA-U6472 LowerA-arms TCA-L6472C Camber:Streetcruising: 1⁄4-degreenegative Caster:3.5-to5-degreespositive* 1⁄8 Caster:Camber:Track/Performance:-inchtotaltoe-in½-to1-degreenegative3.5-to5-degreespositive* 1⁄8-inchtotaltoein * As much as your vehicle application will allow. 34 35 36
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HOTROD.COM/2022/NOVEMBER 109 Sources Muscle Car Restorations; 715.834.2223; musclecarrestorations.com Sata (Dan-Am Company); 800.533.8016; satausa.com MARK EHLEN MARK EHLEN AND MUSCLE CAR RESTORATIONS
What are the differences between automotive paint and primer spray guns? The experts at Sata and Muscle Car Restorations tell us.
Primer Time
What must be understood is that, especially today, primer is not paint. Primer is the foundation, paint is the color, and they are not the same. According to representatives from Sata, one of today’s leading spray gun manufacturers, modern primer and paint products are more sophisticated than ever and require more precise mixing and application. One gun will not do everything.
Muscle Car Restorations in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, has been producing award-winning paintjobs for decades. Among their keys to success, MCR pays careful attention to new technologies and practices recommended by their spray gun manufacturer. MCR uses Sata guns exclusively, and a recent visit from Dan-Am’s Director of Sales and Marketing, Tony Larimer, was informative.
❱We all know that automotive paint and primer have changed a lot in the last couple decades with serious reductions in VOC-type solvents mandated by the EPA. This has caused improved paint gun functions and has led to guns being engineered for specific purposes, most notably one for primer and another for color and clearcoat. Professional shops have no problem with this, but too often do-it-yourselfers are resistant to purchasing two paint guns. Instead, many hobbyists just buy one spray gun thinking that changing the tips and needles is all that’s needed. Considering that a pro-quality paint gun can easily be north of $600, this is understandable.
The good news is that new paint guns must meet the EPA standard of a 65% transfer efficiency rate, which means that more product ends up on the panel. On top of that, a primer-specific gun is designed to minimize overspray and put even more product on the panel to reduce the amount of sanding needed, meaning less primer ends up on the floor in the form of sanding dust. Because of this, it’s likely that the cost of a specific gun for primer could be paid for by the savings from using less primer and the time saved because less sanding will be needed. Also, there will be less waste to have to dispose of. Because more primer ends up on the panel, there is less chance of sanding through and needing to prime the car again. Considering the overall cost of completing any project that involves paint, the purchase of a primer-specific gun is a small price to pay for what has the greatest impact to the look of your ride.
01 They might look the same but the engineering inside is quite different. On the left is the Satajet 100 B F high-volume low-pressure (HVLP) primer gun. On the right is their Satajet 1500 B reduced-pressure (RP) Solv gun for use with solvent-based color or clearcoats. Note the optional digital pressure gauges. By law, max input pressure for commercial paint guns is 26-29 psi.
03 Compliant RP guns operate at a bit higher pressure at the cap, typically around 18 to 20 psi reduced from the 29-psi inlet pressure. Their airflow patterns are optimized for lighter viscosity color products. Unlike primer guns, color guns must be designed to contend with paints that contain metallics and pearls in a way that avoids uneven patterns or blotchiness. Again, small droplets closely placed yield the smoothest coats and the best flow out of the gun.
04 A digital gauge on the back of the gun allows the painter to easily monitor the pressure during the application. Pressure changes can seriously affect the performance of the gun.
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02 As the HVLP designation implies, this primer gun flows a high volume of air, and therefore primer, at a low pressure. In this case, 10 psi or less at the cap. One of the main differences between primer and paint is that primer has a higher viscosity. This viscosity difference requires a different airflow pattern out of the cap to properly atomize it. When done properly, this leads to smoother coats and less waste. Think of it like an inkjet printer laying ink on paper. The smaller the droplets and the closer they can be laid down, the smaller the gaps that are between them. This results in smoother coverage with less product needed to achieve it.
02 01 04 03
05 More traditional gauges mounted in-line with the air supply are also perfectly acceptable.
06 While these air caps (primer HVLP cap on the left) may look very similar, the hole sizes, placement, and angles, as well as the air chambers under them, are very different and have specific purposes besides just the different flow rates designated by the 1.9 and 1.3 markings. In fact, Sata HVLP primer caps will not even fit on an RP color gun.
07 It is important to note that caps, nozzles, and needles are a matched set. The way the gun sprays will change as they wear, especially with metallic colors. They will have to be replaced as a set.
08 The differences between an HVLP primer gun (left) and an RP color gun are more than just the nozzle size. One is specifically engineered to spray primer products and the other basecoats and clears. Simply swapping nozzles, needles, and caps does not change one into the other. 08
07
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11 Here you can see a definite paints.entscreenworthspecific12versusplacementsbetweendifferencetheairholeofan“O”“I”nozzle.WhiletheseareSata-screens,itisnotingthatfiltersizeisalsodiffer-betweenprimersand12
10 Just when you are starting to warm up to the idea of a separate primer gun, look at these options. The black one is a compliant gun designed to spray high-build poly primers, texture coatings, or even bedliner materials. The silver Sataminijet 4400 has a smaller fan spray designed for shooting jambs or other small areas or small repairs. The gold one is Sata’s top of the line that has pattern options. It can spray a traditional “I” pattern with an ideal distance of 6 to 8 inches or an “O” pattern for closer in and faster painting.
10 09 There is a lot of engineering built into a pro-level paint gun. The red area indicates where the paint flows, the blue areas are airflow. Note that there are multiple air channels flowing through the cap. The placement, angle, and size of each nozzle are far from random. Minor changes have a dramatic effect on the way the paint or primer atomizes, fans out, and is deposited on the panel.
13 This is what a primer spray pattern is supposed to look like. Notice the wet center portion of the spray and the relatively narrow overspray band. Primer guns are designed to put maximum product on the panel. A wide overspray band is not needed as primer does not have the blending issues of the base color coats, especially since it is usually sanded once dry.
13 14 15
14 Color patterns, however, do require a broad overspray band around the wet center to ensure proper blending, especially across large panels and when metallics and pearls are in use.
15 Here’s a better look at the difference in spray patterns between a primer gun and a color gun. Ok, so the overspray band from the color gun is wider, but is that really that big of a deal? Yes, it is; but it’s not just the gun, it’s also the appropriate nozzle size for the materials that are to be sprayed. Sata’s Director of Marketing, Tony Larimar, strongly recommends that your local paint distributor help select the proper nozzle for the paint products being sprayed and that the local climate be considered as well. Temperature and humidity conditions are big factors in the success of any paint project.
Sources
We assemble a solid and reliable Chevy 350small-block for less than $3,600. ❱Most engine builds you see these days show you how to build a killer engine using very nice parts, but they often neglect to say how much all that great stuff will cost. While those builds certainly have their place, they overlook the guy who just needs a plain and simple small-block for a humble hot rod. Up until last year, the classic Goodwrench 350 two-piece rear main seal crate engine was the go-to choice for many hot rodders looking for a brand new small-block Chevy for a truck or mild hot rod. Those days are now over, as GM has dropped this engine from its inventory. A quick search of other low-cost 350 engines lead us to the conclusion that you might be better off to build one yourself. We decided to do exactly that with the intent to keep the cost low while still building a solid, reliable small-block. Cutting to the chase, we spent just slightly less than $3,600 on this build. That’s more than what GM used to sell the Goodwrench 350 for, but comparable to (or maybe a little less than) most mail-order crate 350s available these days. Williams Machine Shop; 641.534.3030; williamsmachineshop.com Summit Racing Equipment; 800.230.3030; summitracing.com
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JEFF SMITH Modest Mouse
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01
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We started with an engine that our friend Bill Irwin pulled. It’s a long-in-thetooth, one-piece rear main seal 350 from a 1990 Chevy Suburban. This is a great engine to start with because it can be easily converted to run either a flat tappet camshaft or a factory-style hydraulic roller cam. Plus, the one-piece rear main seal and one-piece pan gasket helps reduce the Mouse motor’s tendency to leak oil. Our goal was as simple as it was inexpensive. A search through Summit Racing’s website led us to a set of cast aluminum flat-top replacement pistons and we had intended to match them up with a set of Summit Racing Vortec 67cc chamber heads. This would put our compression ratio at around 9.5:1 which would be more than one full ratio better than the old Chevy Goodwrench engines. Then we decided to add a slightly more performance-oriented cam from the Summit Racing collection. Wanting to be extra thrifty with the cost, we chose a flat tappet cam. With the lack of zinc available in oil, however, consider a roller cam for a car that will be driven often. In all, we felt this combo could easily achieve 400 hp yet still be under the price of a comparable crate engine. After disassembling the engine, we took our block, crank, connecting rods, and a couple of tin pieces to our local machine shop. Williams Machine is operated by Mike Mathes, and the shop offers all the operations we needed including bore, hone, align hone, surfacing, and balancing, along with other specialty services such as crank grinding. By the time our block and rods were freshened, we had collected all the parts and were ready for assembly. We kept the cost to a minimum by choosing a set of 0.030-inch over flat top cast aluminum pistons with four eyebrows from Summit along with a new 5⁄64-inch style ring set and replacement bearings. Mathes resized our rods and installed the new ARP rod bolts and then also pressed the rods on the pistons for us. We also had him install the new cam bearings. With all that prep work completed, all we had to do was clean the block and begin the assembly. Here’s how the process went.
01 Our used engine turned out to be in pretty good shape. The crank was slightly worn but still acceptable. We used these ARP rod bolt protectors to prevent scratching the crank both when we disassembled and then later reassembled the rotating assembly.
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03 We also checked crank endplay and discovered we had less than 0.001 inch, which is way too tight. To fix that, we clamped both bearing halves together with a hose clamp and sanded the forward-facing portion of the thrust bearing with 400grit wet/dry sandpaper until we had the desired clearance of 0.004 inch. Tech tip: Stick the paper to a hard, flat surface and use light machine oil to keep the sandpaper from clogging.
05 03 02 04
02 We ordered both standard and 0.001inch undersize main bearings to help us create a main bearing clearance of between 0.0028 inch and a No. 5 main bearing cap clearance of just under 0.003 inch. Note we made sure to include the oil pump when measuring the No. 5 main bearing clamp clearance as torque on the pump bolt affects the clearance.
04 Williams Machine also rebuilt our stock rods, installed the ARP rod bolts, and then pressed the rods onto the new cast aluminum Summit pistons. These pistons use a 5⁄64-inch ring package that is ancient architecture in today’s 1mm ring world, but we chose them because they were very affordable.05Castrings can be easily damaged with the spiral install technique so we used a ring expander tool. We placed the two ends in the groove and then expanded the ring until it dropped into its appropriate ring groove.
06 Always make sure this pressed-in oil galley plug underneath the No. 5 main cap is installed. If this plug is left out, the engine will not make oil pressure. There’s also another screw-in plug at the rear of the driver-side deck surface that must be installed before the head is torqued in place. If you leave it out, oil will squirt you in the face when pressure lubing is attempted.
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07 We used the supplied moly cam lube on the lobes of Summit’s flat tappet cam and on the nose of the lifters. This lube gives the cam a chance at a proper break-in in the first few moments of engine operation.08Wealso took the time to degree the cam with our small degree wheel. We first established proper TDC location and then found the cam was within one degree of the cam’s 107-degree intake centerline. With the cam installed correctly we also placed thread-locking compound on the bolts and torqued them to spec.
06 07 08
11 Vortec heads also require a specific Vortec intake manifold bolt pattern, so we ordered a Summit Racing aluminum dual plane intake and used the rubberized Mahle intake gasket included in the rebuild set. 10 11
09 The Vortec heads employ some good springs, but they were designed for use with a roller cam. With roughly 110 pounds on the seat, we decided to change the springs to a set of stock small-block springs to lower the installed load and give the flat tappet cam a better chance to break-in properly.
10 With our pistons installed in the short-block, we discovered an excessive deck height of roughly 0.025 to 0.030 inch below the deck. If we retained the composition head gasket, that would have lowered our compression ratio, so we elected to use a stamped-steel head gasket that’s only 0.016-inch thick. This will reduce the piston-to-head clearance and pushed the compression ratio to 9.8:1
09
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13 We installed the Summit HEI distributor and lined up the marks to position the distributor to line up with the intended position of No. 1 spark plug wire along with the timing mark set at 15 degrees before top dead center (BTDC) on the compression stroke. This will ensure proper timing so the engine will start immediately after 14cranking.Withpower to the HEI distributor, the engine cranked over and fired on the second revolution, and we quickly brought it up to around 1,600 rpm to make sure there was plenty of splash lubrication off the crankshaft onto the cam and lifters. We ran the engine for about 10 minutes, constantly varying the engine rpm to ensure oil was getting to all the lifters. We didn’t want to run the engine much more than this because it really needed load applied to fully seat the rings, so we’ll wait until we can plug the engine into the car to finish the break-in procedure.
12 Your author has a comprehensive video on how to adjust valves; look for it at JeffSmith’sGarageon YouTube. After setting the valves, we used an old HEI distributor and shaft converted into a pressure luber to drive the oil pump. We lubed the engine until we had oil coming out of all 16 pushrods into the rocker arms.
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12 13 14
Block Specs Compressionratio 9.85:1 Bore 4.030inches Stroke 3.48inches ChamberVolume 67cc Deckheight 0.028inch Pistonvalvereliefs 6cc Headgasket 0.016inch Cam Specs SummitClassicCam PNSUM-K1103Duration@0.050 Lift Intake 214 0.444 Exhaust 224 0.466 Lobeseparationangle 112 Intakecenterline 107 Parts List AllpartssourcedthroughSummitRacing DescriptionPN Short-Block SummitHyperpistons,4.030 SUM-17351C Summitringset,5/64” SUM-133-M139-30 Mainbearings,Summit,standard SUM-172000 Mainbearings,Summit,0.001 SUM-172001 Rodbearings,Summitstandard SUM-171000 Cambearings,Dura-Bond DUR-CH-8 Oilpump,std.vol./pressure SUM-121155SV Oilpumppickup MEL-55-S1 ARProdbolts ARP-134-6003 Summitflattappetcam/lifters SUM-K1103 Timingset,Cloyes CLO-C3023X Brassfreezeplug SUM-G-1581 Summitcylinderheaddowelpinkit SUM-150122 Harmonicbalancer RNB-594-121 Harmonicbalancerbolt UM-G1671 One-pieceoilpangasket SUM-G3503X Upper Engine SummitVortecheads SUM-151124 Pushrods,hardened,flattappet SUM-1457800 Gasketset,Mahle MAH-953488 Fel-Prosteelshimheadgasket FEL-7733SH1 SummitVortecIntakemanifold SUM-226018 Summit750cfmvacuumsec.,carb SUM-M08750VS Fel-ProVortecintakemanifoldbolts FEL-ES72224 Summitrockers,stampedsteel MRK651-1(need16) Oilfilter,Wix 51069 Summit30wBreak-inoil SUM-1-SAE30 Autolitesparkplugs ATL-605 SummitHEIdistributor SUM-850001-1 Summit8mmsparkplugwires SUM-881020 Centerboltvalvecovers UM-G3319B QWe’ve had a few experiences with 355’s running Vortec heads. We have not dyno tested this engine, but with previous HOT hydraulic roller cam engines with stock Vortec heads we’ve tested made 420 hp. That roller cam is probably worth 10 to 15 hp over our lower lift flat tappet cam, so it’s safe to say we should be making 410 lb-ft and around 410 to 415 hp with this combination. This is not impressive power compared to LS engines, but it’s not bad for a classic rebuilt small-block Chevy. And it will make this power for a very long time. HOTROD.COM/2022/NOVEMBER 121
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JOHN MCGANN
CarCraftvideo series returns to rejuvenate a ’67 Mustang that was rescued from a junkyard. ❱Did you know CarCraftis back and in a video format? It is, and the really good news is that you can watch the episodes for free on HOTROD.com and on MotorTrend’sYouTube channel. We have several builds in the works, starting with a ’72 Challenger with a Hellcat engine swap and an LS-swapped BMW 3-series. Our next project is a more straightforward build of a ’67 Mustang. Early Mustangs have always been popular, and a Mustang coupe has always been much more budgetfriendly than the ultra-desirable fastback. So here we are with a ’67 coupe that was literally thrown away— cohost Kevin Tetz discovered this car at a local junkyard. Because it was so clean and rust free, he couldn’t plunk down the $1,000 asking price fast enough. We started scheming about different ways to build it almost immediately. Sources Baer; 602.233.1411; baer.com Dakota Digital; 605.332.6513; dakotadigital.com Duralast; 800.288.6966; duralastparts.com E3; 904.567.5994; e3sparkplugs.com Heidts; 800.841.8188; heidts.com Holley; 866.464.6553; holley.com Old Air; 817.531.2665; oldairproducts.com Spec Clutch; 205.491.8581; specclutch.com
Salvage Salvationto
Our humble coupe is a no-frills base model, making it an ideal car to work on. It had an inline-six, a three-speed manual transmission, and not much else. Kevin replaced the fuel pump and straightened out a kinked fuel line and was able to get the car running well enough to drive it into his shop for disassembly. We tossed around several different engine ideas, ranging from a Coyote to an LS engine (gasp), but cooler heads ultimately prevailed, and we decided to go with a simple pushrod V8 and a T5 five-speed manual. The engine is a used 351 Windsor that Kevin bought from a friend, and the T5 was actually in the trunk of the car! Apparently, the previous owner had intentions of installing it at some point before scrapping the car.
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Along the way, we are upgrading the suspension with new components from Heidts. The front suspension is being completely excised from the car in favor of a Mustang II-style kit, and the rear leaf springs are being scrapped for Heidts’ four-link and coilover design. The drum brakes are also disappearing, with an affordable disc brake kit from Baer in their place. In addition, we will be using fuel system components, headers, and wheels from Holley, Dakota Digital gauges, A/C from Old Air Products, a new-technology lithium battery and ignition parts from E3, and an upgraded clutch from Spec. As always, we turn to Duralast for any OE replacement parts and shop tools needed to complete the job.
FLOORLINER™ © 2022 MacNeil IP LLC Whether it’s a CupFone or FloorLiner, your gift will be prized this season by the gearhead on your list. From Porsches to Pontiacs and Bentleys to BMWs, WeatherTech has your holiday covered. Made in USA AUTO AFICIONADO’S WISH LIST CUPFONE®
The Chevy D.U.I. Distributor was the first, and still is the best performance H.E.I. Distributor. Inferior copy cats have come and gone, but the D.U.I. remains the most popular choice for hot rodders around the globe. A super smooth advance curve is machine calibrated, providing you with instant throttle response, while eliminating engine damaging detonation. The 50,000 Volt D.U.I. Coil teams up with our high dwell Dyna-Module, allowing you to run a massive .055” plug gap. 8, 6, & 4 cyl. applications are available. Chevy D.U.I. Distributors
Mopar owners can also benefit from D.U.I. technology, with our onepiece ignition systems for Dodge and Chrysler small and big block powerplants. Also available for the 426 HEMI! Our Dodge D.U.I. distributors feature the same battle tested components as our other proven counterparts. With its one-wire hook-up, dual bushing design, resistance to heat, dirt, and vibration, this unit is both simple and bullet proof...and its performanceisunmatched. transmissions 1-888-744-6542 info@performabuilt.com Transmissions our goal is to engineer and build the toughest transmissions on the planet. We don’t just rebuild systematically re-engineer each model to eliminate OEM flaws and to achieve the highest levels of performance. That is why we say our transmisssions are “Not just built.....They’re PerformaBuilt”. of our transmissions no core charge, Free shipping and a warranty up to 2-years.
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Our Street/Strip Chevrolet DUI Distributor is now available for the popular ZZ series crate engines! This new DUI (Davis Unified Ignition) is designed for the ZZ-4, ZZ-454 and ZZ502. A special timing curve and a melonized gear sets this distributor apart from our standard DUI. The advance weights and springs are tuned specifically for these crate engines. The optimized curve provides instant throttle response and maximum performance all through the RPM range without any predetonation. The melonized gear is installed forpropermeshingwiththerollercam. ZZ Crate Engine D.U.I.’s Hot Rodding demands faultless reliability and “right now” performance. Which is why the D.U.I. Ford distributor is the perfect choice for your hot rod engine. The Ford D.U.I. assystems.oneliminatesthemazeofwiringfoundstockFordelectronicignitionBuiltfordurability,aswellperformance,theFordD.U.I.hasan upper and lower bushing, unlike the stock Ford distributors with only one bushing. For those Durasparkweofyouwhodon’tliketheH.E.I.styledistributor,alsoofferafulllineofstockappearingFordDistributors. Ford D.U.I. Distributors
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❱Any historian worth his salt has a copy of Petersen’s TheBestofHOT ROD. Published in 1981, it’s a brilliant snapshot of hot rod history. On page 161, there is an intriguing shot of a flamed Deuce roadster. The caption reads, “May 1956: This classic highboy started out for Daytona as a coupe, but when its tow truck broke a wheel, the car flipped, crushing the top. A cutting torch made it a roadster.”Theflames were funky, but the car was cool. I filed that info away until talking to historian Greg Sharp who said, “Jim Davis drove that car.” “Really? Jim Davis who later published SuperStock&DragIllustrated magazine?”IknewJim when he was president of B&M, and thanks to the Internet, I tracked him down and got the story. Here it is in Jim’s own words. “The “999” coupe was conceived by Ray Giovannoni of Custom Automotive in Washington D.C. Ray bought a cam grinder in 1954 and wanted to use the car to promote the cam business. Ray was a master engine builder and built a strong 296ci flathead featuring his own 999 grind—hence the car number. Although Ray presented himself as a master grinder, his 999 was a copy of an Isky 400 Jr. cam. “Our first outing was in February 1955 at Daytona. We didn’t do our homework because all we knew was where to line up to make the run. We did not know that there was a 2-1⁄2 mile run-up before the measured mile. When our turn came, I floored the throttle, and the tach indicated our speed was about 140. “It took forever to cover those 2-1⁄2 miles. Finally, I arrived at the start of the measured mile and relaxed, but the car slowed down and just kept getting slower. At the end of the mile my speed was a disappointing 108.401 mph average. The extended full-throttle run burned all the valves, and the longer I stayed on it, the worse it got. “We returned to Daytona in ’56 flat towing the coupe behind a ’50 Ford pickup loaded with spares, a bunch of cams Ray hoped to sell, and plenty of tools. I was driving, and somewhere in Georgia, the highway swooped down and then back up. As we hit the bottom the coupe’s right-rear tire dropped off the pavement into the dirt. As I tried to get it back onto the highway the rig started to jackknife, and as we crested the top of hill, we slid off the road. We were sliding sideways with the brakes locked. I prayed we’d come to a stop without hitting anything, but I made a bad decision and took my foot off the brakes. Releasing the brakes allowed the front wheels to turn, which caused the truck and the coupe to flip. The truck tipped on its left side, while the coupe flipped onto its top. Everything in the bed of the truck went flying. Despite no seat belts, we were both unhurt. Ray, who was no lightweight, ended up on top of me. The cab of the truck on the driver’s side was crushed, as was the entire cab of the coupe. Relatively unharmed, we hobbled back to D.C. “Once home, Ray had a shop pound out the truck while the top of the coupe was removed. A local top shop made us a white tonneau cover that hid the fact that the car was not actually a roadster. They also fabbed a rollbar out of exhaust tubing that was totally worthless. After only three days’ work, the coupeturned-roadster looked pretty good. “When we got to Daytona, the ATAA was running drags on the beach, but the tide was turning, so they decided to select the four top contenders and run them off first. We flipped coins to determine who raced who, and we unluckily drew Art Chrisman in his famous flathead dragster. After just two races, the ATAA called the event, resulting in hundreds of angry racers taking out their frustration by street racing on Daytona’s main street. A welldocumented riot broke out when the cops tried to stop the fun. Newspapers reported 3,000 people rioting, overturning police cars, and trashing a fire truck that tried to disperse the crowds with water jets. “Despite the wreck, many sleepless nights repairing the car and truck, and losing against Chrisman, we had a good time. However, once the car had been wrecked Ray lost interest. He rebuilt the motor and sold it to some local racers who blew it up on the start line at their first race. I was standing nearby when the driver revved the engine until the pan opened up, dropping the crank and pistons onto the pavement. I don’t recall what happened to the car itself, I never saw it again.”
FINISH LINE Follow us @ hotrodmagazine Hot Rod (ISSN 0018-6031), November 2022 Vol. 75, No. 11. Copyright 2022 by Motor Trend Group, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Published monthly by Motor Trend Group, LLC, 831 South Douglas Street, El Segundo, CA 90245. Periodicals postage paid at Los Angeles, CA and at additional mailing offices. 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. *Trademark registered. POSTMASTER: Send all UAA to CFS. (See DMM 707.4.12.5); NON-POSTAL AND MILITARY FACILITIES: send address corrections to HOT ROD, P.O. Box 37199. Boone, IA 50037. 130 HOTROD.COM/2022/NOVEMBER/ Tony Thacker Email us hotrod@motortrend.comat The 999 Coupe/Roadster
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