Compared with the exotic-looking cantilever shock front suspension we covered in our April 2019 issue, a solid rear-axle suspension in the back of our Factory Five 1935 Hot Rod Truck build may seem a bit underwhelming. Don’t be fooled, though—this little truck’s rear suspension packs a lot of technology.

As with any pickup, achieving an ultra-low ride height always comes with a reduction in bed space. “The bed depth versus rear suspension is always a tradeoff,” explained Jim Schenck, director of R&D at Factory Five. “We didn’t want to compromise the ride or handling of the truck, so we left room for the suspension geometry to operate as it should. This space also allows us to place the fuel tank behind the axle and below the bed, which gives a really good weight balance front to rear. Mounting the gas tank in that position, however, caused packaging problems with our Panhard bar mount, whereas the S197 (2005-14 Mustang) style was an easy fit.”

Ford’s S197 Mustang three-link rear suspension architecture has proven itself at the dragstrip, on the road course, and on a drift course. “We have had great success with the three-link on our other cars,” said Schenck. “The adjustability it provides, along with better freedom of movement and lower roll center, is a definite advantage in the handling of the truck. Also, the fact that the S197 axle was the right width sealed the deal.”

Moser’s M88 8.8-inch Solid Axle
Moser recently released an American-made M88 centersection casting that is manufactured from the same-grade nodular iron as the rest of its proven, cast rear-axle assemblies. Made to accommodate both three-link and four-link chassis configurations, Moser can easily adjust the casting for either setup. The centersections are reinforced with additional webbing and material to make them ultra-strong. The 3.00 x 0.25-inch seamless DOM axletubes are welded in place, whereas the stock S197 8.8 axletubes are pressed and prone to spinning.

Moser’s website incorporates an online configurator that allowed for a myriad of options on our rearend build. One option we chose was to eliminate the C-clip axles in favor of big Ford bolt-in, 33-spline counterparts. Our axles come with a conventional 5×4.5-inch bolt pattern. Since we care about power delivery, we also opted for a Wavetrac limited-slip differential. One of Wavetrac’s claims to fame is how the differential reacts when zero or near-zero axle load occurs; the axles start to turn at different speeds Wave profiles are placed on one side gear and its mating preload hub. As the two side gears rotate relative to each other, each wave surface climbs the other, causing them to move apart.  The zero–axle load condition stops, and the drive torque is applied to the wheel on the ground, keeping the power there. Lastly, we chose Moser’s 3.55:1 Pro/Street ring-and-pinion set to match the gear ratios in our T56 Magnum six-speed transmission.

Arming the Moser
Factory Five designed its upper link to allow use of the Mustang’s solid upper mount with an adjustable Heim joint on the frame side. The lower control arms house the mounting locations for the KONI coilovers, while being bushed on the rearend side and Heim-jointed to the frame. The lower arms are designed to allow for adjustment to the pinion angle, as well as small changes to the wheelbase.

“The rear axle mount maintains a bushing because with the coilover mounted to the control arm, there is a need to keep the arm oriented vertically,” explained Schenck. “This means the coilover is always pushing straight down on the mount and not side-loading the arm. The coilover mounts also act as gussets, running along the arm to strengthen it as it is supporting the full weight of the rear of the truck.” Placing the coilovers on the front side of the axle allows the chassis to maintain stiffness, even with the extended wheelbase.

KONI single-adjustable, nickel-plated coilovers come with the kit and are easy to assemble. “We are running softer rates now in all the hot rod and truck kits than when we first started, and this is mainly due to the most popular wheel and tire choices,” said Schenck. “We still offer the older, stiffer setups for setting the truck up more for handling, and even the full race setup can be fit to the truck for track days.”

Eight Pistons Are Better than Four
Ever seen dual four-piston calipers on the back of a hot rod? Well, now you have. While Factory Five includes a front and rear brake kit with the truck chassis, we needed to step up to a bigger brake kit from Wilwood, opting for its four-piston, 14-inch rotor kit (PN 140-10012-D) that comes with an integrated parking-brake backing plate.

Wilwood’s Spec-37 Electro Coated 14-inch rotors are a two-piece design to help reduce weight. Wilwood notes that these rotors are made from a proprietary iron alloy that helps resist cracking, warping, and distortion caused by high brake temperatures. The rotor hats are billet aluminum, which are assembled with the included bolts, and the two-piece, four-piston calipers come with stainless-steel pistons and are loaded with brake pads.

Since the name of our project is “Truck Is the Drift Rod,” one of the basic requirements of building a vehicle that drifts is a good E-brake setup. A conventional cable-driven E-brake can usually get the job done, and another common practice is to install a pass-through hydraulic handbrake to a single set of rear calipers, but this can result in a mushy feel in the pedal. Installing a dedicated set of rear calipers is the best scenario, and the hydraulic E-brake with a dedicated reservoir keeps everything separate.

Luckily, Wilwood’s billet backing plates come with symmetrical mounting holes so the calipers can be mounted 180 degrees from each other using the same billet caliper brackets. Wilwood doesn’t recommend running both calipers on the aluminum backing plate, as the sudden locking of the rear wheels can fatigue it, so we plan to build a steel bracket that bridges the axle flange to the caliper bracket, which will act as a gusset. Our E-brake calipers are a part number 120-11784-BK, a kit that contains some of Wilwood’s largest pistons offered in the Narrow Superlite 4 caliper lineup. This means our rear tires will easily stop on demand.

Big Boy Rollers
In our opinion, the Factory Five Truck needs a large-diameter rear-wheel and tire combination to keep it from looking small; open fenders are not forgiving with infinite wheel gap. Conversely, a 60-series tire doesn’t make for a good tire for sliding around. A stiff, unwavering sidewall is needed to keep vehicle response high. We opted for Weld’s new S70 split five-spoke wheel in a 20×11.5-inch size. These wheels are available in 15- to 20-inch sizes and come in either polished or billet/black accent. Offered in low, medium, or high pad configurations, the S70 can be tailored by Weld to fit any brake configuration. Just like all Weld RT-S wheels, the S70 is a three-piece welded design; the center billet is welded to forged inner and outer shells for the ultimate strength.

Our badass Welds had to be [have?] a set of badass tires, so we selected Toyo’s ultra-sticky R888R competition road-race tires. The 325/30/20 is literally the biggest R888R Toyo currently makes. The R888R is the second generation of Toyo’s popular R888 competition tire. We have experience with the 100-treadwear tires on other vehicles, and we can tell you that they stick!

Next up, we will be sticking the Coyote and T56 Magnum into our truck and sending it out to get the turbo manifolds and plumbing built. You don’t want to miss that.

The post Rear Suspension Build on the Drift Rod appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

If you were around during the 1970s, then you remember some of the wild Corvette creations that roamed the streets. Fender flares were common, and just about every modified Corvette had an extra pair of taillights along with side pipes, fat tires and a wild paintjob. And while these features were all the rage at the time, they might not seem tasteful to the modern-day Corvette enthusiast.

Enter Gary Watson, and his vision of the perfect Corvette that blends the coolness of the 1970s and the timeless style of a C2 coupe, with some modern go-fast goodies thrown in for good measure. Gary experienced those wild days firsthand, and he wanted to build a tribute car, but he didn’t want a thrown-together street beast like the ones that terrorized his hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee, back in the day. He wanted to build it with precision and great attention to detail, and the car that you’re viewing is the fruit of a two-year restoration.

While the vision and details were Gary’s responsibility, he relied on Ronnie Ailor at Ronnie’s Car Shop in Luttrell, Tennessee, for the majority of the work. The frame-off restoration kicked off in March 2014, starting with an already modified 1965 Corvette coupe. The car had a one-piece tilt front end, with stationary headlights in the grille, a common modification in the 1970s that left many cars with poor panel fitment and, depending on the severity of the fabrication, a host of other issues. To hear Gary tell the story, this one was pretty bad, but he knew the car had potential to be something special. He was right.

The body was one of the biggest areas of focus during the restoration, as it required a lot of attention. Ronnie’s Car Shop handled the task of hand-fitting each panel and perfecting the look of the 1970’s Ecklers fender flares. Gary and Ronnie considered a couple different hood options, ultimately landing on the L88-style hood, which fit the road race-style flares perfectly. After fitting the panels and hand-filing the gaps to perfection, Ronnie went through a few cycles of primer and block-sanding to straighten the body. Gary’s nephew Billy Watson laid down the RM paint, which is a two-stage Barcelona Red Pearl, coated with Diamont clearcoat. The brilliant color accentuates the curvy Corvette body, and Ronnie’s Car Shop perfected the finish with countless hours of sanding, buffing and polishing.

Underneath the body is a freshly restored chassis. The frame itself remained stock, but Gary wanted to upgrade the suspension with new springs—including a fiberglass rear spring—and Bilstein shocks. He also installed offset rear trailing arms in order to fit larger wheels and tires, which is another key ingredient to his 1970’s vision. The car rolls on a set of American Racing 200S wheels, measuring 15×8.5 up front and 15×10 out back. BFGoodrich Radial T/A rubber, sized at 255/60R15 and 275/60R15, offer the right amount of stagger to fill the wheelwells and the smooth black sidewalls call attention to the beautifully restored “Daisy” wheels. Behind the spokes are slotted and drilled brake rotors with original-style calipers.

Horsepower comes from a well-dressed big-block Chevy. It’s a 502ci crate engine from Chevrolet Performance. The cast-iron block features a forged steel crankshaft with 4.000 inches of stroke. Forged pistons ride inside the 4.470-inch bore and offer a conservative 8.75:1 compression ratio. The crate engine has a hydraulic roller camshaft, coming in at 211 degrees of duration on the intake side and 230 degrees on the exhaust, measured at 0.050-inch lift. Maximum valve lift is 0.510-inch intake and 0.540-inch exhaust. Rectangular port cylinder heads process the fuel and air mixture created by a Holley 750-cfm double-pumper carburetor and GM L88 aluminum intake manifold. An original distributor, upgraded with a PerTronix electronic module, controls the ignition, while MSD 8mm plug wires deliver the spark. Hooker Super Comp headers and side pipes send the spent gasses out of the engine in perfect 1970’s style. Engine bay upgrades include a serpentine pulley system and a Griffin aluminum radiator with electric fan.
Behind the 502ci big-block Chevy is a Muncie M21 four-speed manual transmission. The close-ratio gearset works well with the mild-mannered big-block and 3.40:1 rearend ratio. Gary added a Lakewood blowproof bellhousing and a heavy-duty Weber clutch for safety and durability. He selects gears with a classic Hurst shifter.

An open door reveals a stock-style interior covered in black leather. He upgraded to 1967 Corvette headrest seats, in order to take advantage of the shoulder harnesses. Eddie McMillan installed the seat covers, while Ronnie’s Car Shop and Gary Watson performed the rest of the interior assembly. The finishing touch is a 1970 Corvette steering wheel.

After two years of restoration, and a bit of tweaking here and there, Gary’s 1965 Corvette is ready for action. Gary has entered the car in several shows, including the Corvette Expo, where it was well received by Corvette enthusiasts, young and old. Gary’s creation captured our attention at first glance and has kept it ever since. The nostalgic appearance takes you back to a simpler time, while the modern performance parts help Gary and Debby get down the road safely and dependably. It’s a perfect collaboration of old and new, and even though it usually stays pretty close to home in Knoxville, Tennessee, we’re glad to share Gary’s 1970’s-inspired vision with Corvette owners around the world. Vette

The post Flared Big-Block 1965 Corvette is 1970s Perfection appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

[Click HERE to register for the 25th annual HOT ROD Power Tour]

Ready to join us for the 25th anniversary of the world’s biggest road trip? Registration is OPEN for Long Haulers, Multi-day and Single-Day passes, and if you’re looking to save some stress and sweat on planning, we’ve got our Platinum and Gold packages (details below) again for 2019! What started in 1995 with just eight staff editors and eight intrepid readers has grown to a massive celebration of the open road and the people you meet along the way, with over 3,000 Long Haulers making the full-pull with us and more than 5,000 cars joining the seven day, seven city trek. To bring 2019’s trip full-circle, we’re ending the tour where it all began: Norwalk, Ohio’s Summit Motorsports Park!

Preregistration Pricing (on-site ticket price in parenthesis):

• Platinum — $2,295—no refunds, no transfers
• Gold — $395—no refunds no transfers
• Long Hauler — $149 ($180)
• Multi-Day — $129 ($160)
• Single Day– $45 ($50)

Power Tour is a 7-day, 7-city summer road trip through the highways and by-ways of America, with thousands of car folk taking over this nation’s small towns as we wind through a 1,000-plus-mile route with thousands of hot rods, kustoms, street machines, muscle cars, and more!

• KICKOFF on Saturday, June 8: zMAX Dragway in Concord, NC
• Sunday, June 9: Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, VA*
• Monday, June 10: Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, TN
• Tuesday, June 11: Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, KY*
• Wednesday, June 12: Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis, IN
• Thursday, June 13: Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, IN*
• FINALE on Friday, June 14: Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, OH

*= A first-time venue for the tour!  

The post Ready for the 25th Annual HOT ROD Power Tour? Register Here! appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

Jim McKee’s mom, Dorigen, was just fed up. Over the years her four-door Bonneville had become the church bus of sorts, the sole means of transportation for her and her lady friends to get to mass on Sunday mornings. She was tired of being the taxi to their holy house of worship and needed a way out. Luckily, young Jim had a plan to help his mom out of being church chauffeur, and without looking bad in the process.

Being a teenage AMC fan, Jim was well aware of the new-for-1968 AMX, the sporty two-seater being offered out of Kenosha. He decided to show his mom a dealer’s ad for a new AMX to see if she was interested in grabbing one to be her daily driver. For him it was a simple solution: Buy this sporty little compact, and your days of driving the “Divine Miss Daisies” around town were finished.

Surprisingly, Jim’s mom thought he had a great idea and purchased an AMX. It was no base car, either, loaded with a 390, automatic, disc brakes, and air conditioning. White with a black racing stripe, it was a Go-Pack car to boot. It came with every option AMC had except for bumper guards, headrests, and a stereo eight-track player. Imagine the looks on the faces of her church lady friends when she rolled up to the cathedral’s front steps in that little hot rod AMC.

Goin’ Rogue
The following year, Jim was a high school graduate and ready to purchase a new car. It was 1969, and it was an easy decision for an AMC guy like him to go with the wild new SC/Rambler. He chose the B paint scheme, the more understated of the two ways AMC coated the hot Rambler. More importantly, he now needed to make sure he got the most performance possible out on the street.

He decided that AMC’s performance add-ons were a must. “I didn’t want my Chevy, Ford, or Mopar friends to embarrass my SC/Rambler, so my plan was to have the applicable Group 19 parts on hand, ready to install within a week after delivery of the car,” says Jim.

Interestingly enough, the AMC saw no street time until the installation was finished. Soon after, his SC/Rambler was a 12-second car at the track on slicks. It quickly gained a reputation around town, and that got back to the dealership. “The dealer rather quickly signed me up for discounts on AMC parts for cars used in competition, and suggested I buy my own parts. It was a polite way of cancelling my powertrain warranty,” admits Jim.

Jim took the SC/Rambler with him when he went to college in Atlanta to study engineering. There he would continue to enjoy the fruits of his purchase. He also did some moonlighting. “During my college career, I spent many evenings hanging out at the AMC factory-sponsored International Motor Sports Association race shop warehouse in downtown Atlanta.” After college, the car, like so many others, was set aside for family and career. But it was never forgotten.

Restoration Plus
It would be 25 years before Jim felt the time was right for an intensive restoration of his beloved SC/Rambler. For those in the know, the sourcing of parts for these restorations can be more than half the battle. Few parts exist for these cars today, and 20 years ago, well, the supply came mostly from N.O.S. and junkyard parts. So Jim knew he had a lot of work ahead of him.

A bevvy of parts cars would soon head to his driveway in Florida, where they would be stripped down. Salvageable parts were saved in a newly built shed out back, while the carcass lasted until the local code enforcement said it was time to clean up the mess. Then a new donor car would be brought in, and the process continued. What he found was that six-cylinder parts for these cars could not be given away, and that each one of six donor cars provided only a few needed pieces to the puzzle.

Luckily, Jim also had a nice Rogue in the garage. This car served as a template to help him reassemble his beloved car, which was also the recipient over the years of several parts off another, badly damaged, A-paint-scheme SC/Rambler. The car was a needed visual aid, as the manuals for these AMCs were vague at best at some important junctures.

Once he felt he was armed with what he needed, the process of tearing down his SC/Rambler started. With just over 62,000 miles, his car was worn in, but never abused. During the restoration, Jim was careful to document each item and preserve it for reassembly. He realized that his car was now far from a stock SC/Rambler with all its performance parts, and early on he decided that his car would be rebuilt with all those speed goodies intact.

The dismantled body was shipped to Revivations in Wachula, Florida, where it was immersed in an alkaline solution to remove all the undercoating and paint. Then it was immersed in a second tank, and DC electric current separated the rust ions from the steel over the entire body. It was sprayed in an etching primer, then bodywork commenced. The car was in excellent shape and needed little work to its sheetmetal.

Straightline Body in Clearwater, Florida, handled the bodywork and paint. Not having vinyl decals available, the shop painted on the stripes and buried them in the clear. Advanced Auto Interiors, also of Clearwater, did the headliner, seats, interior panels, and carpet. C-Thru Glass in Odessa, Florida, did outstanding polish work on the original SC/Rambler glass and installed new front and rear window glass.

Ramble On!
Jim originally built his SC/Rambler to take on the competition, and it certainly boasts a laundry list of AMC’s finest speed parts. Nelson Competition Inc. in St. Petersburg did the machine work on the engine, and Jim took over from there. The rebuild of the 390 is also the single departure from stock on the car, except for painting some components that were originally natural cast iron or steel from AMC to make it easier to clean for shows.

“The engine is my vision of blending original AMC Group 19 parts into the latest state-of-the-art race engine technology,” says Jim. “In my mind, requiring VP 110 gasoline doesn’t detract at all from the ambiance of the car’s engine. Besides, I think a well-tuned high-compression engine’s exhaust smells really good, and the sounds of a 12.5:1 compression engine ringing in the headers are nothing short of exquisite.”

Jim restored many of the parts himself, and some of the extras went to his needy Rogue. Once completed, the Hurst SC/Rambler immediately caused quite a stir on the show circuit. It went on to be featured at Summit Racing Equipment in Atlanta, revolving on the turntable out front for all to see. It also was invited to be on display in the convention hall at the Inaugural Hurst Nationals at Carlisle in 2018.

Jim’s wild Group 19-built SC/Rambler is happy at home now in sunny Florida, under the watchful eye of its one and only owner.

At a Glance
1969 SC/Rambler
Owned by: Jim McKee
Restored by: Owner; Revivations, Wachula, FL; Straightline Body, Clearwater, FL; Advanced Auto Interiors, Clearwater, FL; C-Thru Glass, Odessa, FL; Nelson Competition, St. Petersburg, FL
Engine: 390ci V-8
Transmission: BorgWarner T10 4-speed manual
Rearend. AMC with 3.54 gears and Twin-Grip
Interior: Gray vinyl split bench seat
Wheels: 14×7 AMC factory-painted Magnum 500
Tires: 225/60R14 BFGoodrich Radial T/A
Special parts: Hurst shifter, front disc brakes, sway bar, Sun tach, AM radio, Group 19 parts

Jim’s AMC Group 19 Grocery List

The AMC Group 19 High Performance Equipment options for 1969 vehicles installed immediately after Jim McKee took delivery of his SC/Rambler included:

• PN 448 5729, Edelbrock R4-B Intake
• PN 448 5730, Holley 950-cfm Three-Barrel Carburetor
• PN 448 6719, Cam Kit
• PN 448 7989, Crane Cams Aluminum Roller Rocker Kit
• PN 448 8049, Mallory Dual-Point Distributor
• PN 448 5058, Mallory Ignition Coil Resistor
• PN 448 8059, Mallory Voltmaster Coil
• PN 448 8475, Blocked Heat Riser Intake Manifold Gasket

Not listed in Group 19 performance parts, but installed by Jim:

• Remote Oil Filter Plate (PN 3187222)
• Doug Thorley Headers (listed in the AMC Performance American Style booklet)

The post Group 19 Factory Speed Parts Highlight Original-Owner 1969 AMC SC/Rambler appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

All right, so we fibbed about the future of Mooneyes’ Xmas Party, as related in our web report a year ago (Mooneyes Xmas Party 2017: An Epic Going-Away Bash). Oh, it wasn’t intentional. The consensus was that the venue, Irwindale Speedway, was soon going to close, but a miracle happened. By the end of 2017, word got out: The show’s home would remain open for at least another couple of seasons.

The crowd responded en masse to the excellent news, with close to 1,500 cars and bikes taking over the site in early December. Mooneyes’ Chico Kodama relayed to us that the get-together proved to be one of the largest to date, including double the number of motorcycles. “T-shirt weather” might have helped. The annual meet offers a most interesting selection of rides, from low-budget mild customs to vintage vans and plenty of lowriders, although it should be said that traditional hot rods represent only a fairly small portion of the entries.

Besides the cars on display, visitors enjoyed a massive vendor area and a great turnout of racecars. Most took part in grudge races, though a special class welcomed A/FX vehicles under the watchful eye of Melissa and Dave Franklin of American Nostalgia West. The group has been involved with the event for eight years, with spectators loving the 1960s muscle cars’ wheels-up antics. “When we race, our intention is to take spectators back in time,” says Melissa.

The Mooneyes team already plans on having its Xmas Party in 2019; it is expected to take place on the second Saturday of December.

The post On the Scene at the 2018 Mooneyes Xmas Party—Back on Track in a Big Way appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

While Trans-Am has morphed into several forms, today’s spread of classes represents a spectrum of modern stock cars in every stretch of the phrase. We caught up with the Burton Racing team as they were campaigning in the penultimate race of the 2018 season at the Circuit of the Americas to take a deeper look at stock car recipe used by Trans-Am.

Burtin Racing grew out of owner Claudio’s love affair for the series after picking up the wheel of a Roush Mustang in 1993 for his first Trans-Am race at the Long Beach Grand Prix circuit. Burtin launched his racing efforts out of his father’s polyurethane shop in Compton, California. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because Burton is the guy who started a little truck bed coating company known as Line-X, but his racing career started in 1982 after picking up a complete 1960 Austin-Healy Sprite for SCCA road racing. A Datsun 510 he had started building snowballed into a slow-moving project, so the little British bomb was ready-to run for the cost of the 510’s suspension and transmission parts, alone. The little 1,100cc Sprite worked well in his earlier years in SCCA schools and racing, but it was well beyond its mechanical limitations, needing a heavy rebuild and maintenance routine.

Burtin eventually sold everything and moved into Formula Fords with a Royale RP33 chassis, but he soon realized that, being built like the Jolly Green Giant, there wasn’t a practical future for him in a svelte Indy Lights series chassis. It was then that he picked up an ex-Roush Racing Trans-Am Mustang and began a 20-year career in touring car racing, picking up the 1998 SCCA South East GT championship before going on to race Vipers, Panozes, and Porsches in various series. Later, he converted his own Corvette-bodied, Riley & Scott Trans-Am TA chassis into the Camaros driven by Lawrence Loshack and Tommy Drissi.

Where Trans-Am has been: Golden Era Boom to Growing Pains Bust

The early history of Trans-Am is basically tattooed into every car-fiend’s skull: hard-knock racers like Parnelli Jones and Mark Donohue making bar fights look like civil discourse while mad scientists like Roger Penske and Bud Moore were picking every ounce of speed they could out of the rulebook. The SCCA launched the “Trans-American Sedan Championship” in 1966 as a manufacturers’ race. It featured a pair of classes that split the field at 2.0 liters of engine displacement, with the small-cube Alfas, Volkswagens, Lotuses, Minis, and BMWs sharing space with the comparatively large V8s of Ford, Chevrolet, AMC, Mopar and Pontiac. Even with the 305ci limit, there was a stark attraction to the visual and vocal violence displayed by the Over 2-liter Class– enough to the point that where it’s the only contingency most remember when looking at Trans-Am’s roots.

But who could blame them? The Big Three were pouring cash into the program and its homologation specials, with Trans-Am becoming as much of a “race on Sunday, sell on Monday” tool as NASCAR and the NHRA. The Camaro Z/28, Mustang Boss 302, AAR ‘Cuda, Challenger T/A, and AMC Javelins were clear indicators that the OEMs were hell-bent on knocking each other out on-track at any cost, which the drivers bore in their hunger for position. By 1970, it created a fervor in the Big Three’s skunkworks to develop lighter-weight chassis and higher-revving power plants necessary for road racing, and the 305ci cap in the series meant that horsepower had to come from RPM and not cubic inches, retooling how the Big Three approached their programs with engines that were three-fourths the displacement of the NASCAR and NHRA homologated examples that were rampant in the era.

As the story always goes, 1973 pushed motorsports and performance to the curb as fuel prices skyrocketed during OAPEC’s oil embargo, while The Man came down hard on the auto industry with restrictive emissions and fuel economy requirements. Horsepower was dead, and the domestic OEMs quickly pulled their coffers out of organized motorsport and into production R&D to meet these increased regulations. Despite this, Trans-Am begrudgingly pushed on with a shrunken calendar and consolidated classes; but like the muscle cars that the series was built for, it managed to survive the malaise era.

Things started to change by the late ‘80s for the series’ production car roots. Years prior, the SCCA finally allowed tube-chassis silhouette cars in order to reduce costs, because with dwindling factory support, the showroom cars were just too far gone to affordably prep. While the Chevrolet Camaro or Mercury Capri – at a glance – looked like something you could bolt-together yourself, they really only shared the silhouette of the original car’s styling. With these production formalities out of the way, Trans-Am saw a resurgence in car-count and momentum through the early eighties with rules aligned with IMSA and other international series, allowing more variety in the entries with machines built to other rulesets. With the aid of early computer simulation, wild fender flares and sky-scrapping wings became the norm as burgeoning turbocharger technology put the infamous, thundering V8s on notice.

Manufacturer interest, at least in the variety of badges seen in the grid, grew to include brands like Nissan, Buick, Oldsmobile, Merkur and Audi – of which the latter two dominated the later years of the decade. The turbo-fours of the Mercury-imported Merkur XR4Ti, campaigned by Roush, managed to knock down the entire field in 1987, only losing one race to Elliot Forbes-Robinson’s turbocharged Porsche 944 at Brainerd International Raceway. Audi even used the series as a conscious effort to display their (then novel) all-wheel-drive 200 Quattro, a car that was promptly banned after the 1988 season when SCCA determined that the drivetrain gave the turbocharged, five-cylinder terror a woefully massive advantage, with essentially only Roush’s aforementioned XR4Tis giving the rally-bred Germans a real run for their Marks.

The ‘90s would be marked by technological stagnation, in short. International manufacturers had pulled out, often for more lucrative FIA and IMSA racing, after four-valve heads were banned at the start of the decade. The series had consolidated to three basic bodies with the contemporary Chevy Camaro, Ford Mustang, and Dodge Daytona (then based on the K-car chassis). Engines were a spec 310ci combo, but with the odd displacement, costs continued rise as every bit of the long block was unique to the series’ rulebook. The tube chassis from the eighties had plateaued in development during this period while sharing similarities with SCCA’s GT-1 ruleset, which helped to keep the costs reasonable.

The decade would close with SCCA re-opening the series to four-valve heads, in a bid to pull Jaguar into the mix, while also allowing the NASCAR Cup Car-spec 358s (which had been retired) to be used in lieu of the aging 310ci combinations — but little would change for the series until its eventual short-term demise after the 2006 season, in which only two races were held. At the time, it was considered the end of Trans-Am – a dark way to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of America’s lovable and still exciting, but withering, road racing series.

Interestingly, 1978 Trans-Am Category II champion, Greg Pickett, helped relaunch the series with what it needed most at the time: sponsorship investment. Pickett had founded Muscle Milk, a protein supplement, and picked up the title sponsorship for Trans-Am in order to help relaunch the series for 2009. Another prolific Trans-Am racer (and current team owner), Jim Derhaag, was instrumental in pulling the series back together based on SCCA’s GT-1 club rules.

Initially, the series was a single class, but 2011 marked the introduction of the structure seen today with the additions of TA2 and TA3. The SCCA eventually sold series rights over to the newly-formed Trans-Am Race Company, which began to experiment with the lower production classes. TA and TA2 would remain fairly consistent in this era, still utilizing tube chassis and differing mostly in their motor programs (TA2 allowed for EFI and production-based blocks), while Trans-Am toyed with a myriad of formats for the production-based TA3 category – the true successor to the series’ sedan racing roots.

The Recipe as We Know it Today

Unlike NASCAR, which moved away from production-like bodies, resulting in the stickered-up soap bars seen in the 2000s, Trans-Am’s headliner classes stick close to the production cars with four classes: TA, TA2, TA3, and TA4. While TA3 and TA4 are strictly based on production chassis (and for all intents and purposes, are basically the same classes with delineations made for quicker FIA GT3 in TA3), TA and TA2 retain their tube chassis roots, but with bodies that heavily mimic their production inspirations. If you took your average Camaro, split it at the belt-line, and widened it by a whole foot, you get the basic dimensions of a current TA car. They’re the natural spin-offs of the series’ evolution thus far, and still loosely based on the SCCA GT-1 chassis rules.

For TA and TA2 up front, a tubular dual-wishbone suspension hangs a set of six-piston calipers with iron rotors that are a tick over a foot in diameter. Center-lock wheels are the standard in TA (TA2 uses traditional studs and lugs nuts for cost-control), and measure up to 12-inches-wide up front, and 13 inches in the rear on a 16-inch diameter wheel – though there’s talk about upping the diameter in future seasons to improve tire wear, which would even allow for larger brakes. In back, teams are allowed to use three- or four-link (with a Watt’s link) setup, with their choice of quick-change or fabricated 9-inch. What’s progressed over the years is weight and suspension geometry, with the move to longer arms that allowed for better control of the suspension through its travel while raising the roll-center closer to the center of gravity. For the production TA3 and TA4 classes, the usual GT-racing rules apply where performance upgrades, like coil-overs, brakes, and suspension links can be updated, but must essentially maintain stock pick-up points.

The carbon-kevlar bodies used in TA are spec-built by suppliers, including Advanced Composites, Derhaag Motorsports, and Katech. TA2 also uses spec-built bodies, but keeps near-stock dimensions overall (especially the C7 Corvette). Both classes are aero-balanced by Trans-Am to ensure that there’s a similar level of drag and downforce, but there’s still strengths to each. Burtin, having campaigned both the C7 and the Sixth-generation Camaro bodies, noted that the C7s tended to lack downforce – an advantage at high-speed tracks like Daytona, but less ideal for more technical tracks, like Mid-Ohio. These differences sound minute, but each body having its own strengths and weaknesses is what creates exciting passing on-track as the various makes are better suited for different sections of a course. What Trans-Am gets right here is that the cars are tied closely with the dimensions and aesthetics of their showroom counterparts, especially in TA2, despite their brutal bones underneath.

The drivelines in TA are based around ex-NASCAR 358ci combinations (though the rules cap displacement at 366ci), as the current Cup Cars are on a later-generation long-block, which made the 358s affordable powerhouses. Ford’s D3, Dodge’s R5 and Chevrolet’s SB2 are familiar sights in the headliner TA class, but TA2 uses production-based blocks, like the LS3, Gen III Hemi, and Windsor – the Coyote’s 4-valve head currently keeps it out of the upper classes of the series. Transmissions are either four or five-speeds, H-pattern or sequential, with different weight breaks for the quicker sequentials, like Burtin Racing’s Xtrac-built units.

The result is a relatively simple and effective road racing missile, with lap times competitive with FIA GT-LM cars seen in Le Mans racing, despite the lack of their advanced ABS, traction control, and more advanced engine controls. What Trans-Am gets right in stock car racing is their accessibility – not just to racers and teams, but with the fans and spectators, too. The cars cost nearly a tenth of those aforementioned GT-LM machines, in a conscious effort at cost control to focus on bringing up newer talent through SCCA ranks. Tickets are affordable, and with the current relationship with SVRA, vintage Trans-Am racing can be found on the same weekend as the current machines. Keeping the headliner classes tied tighter with their production variants, despite the tubular under-pinnings, goes a long way in maintaining the “race on Sunday, sell on Monday” attitude of Trans-Am – and the TA3 and TA4 classes maintain the direct lineage to the days of yore.

The post Trans-Am – The Stock Car Racing America Deserves appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

Inspiration comes in many forms. Bob Thomson of Woodstock, Illinois has been inspired to build cool performance vehicles since his youth. “I purchased my first car when I was 15 years old,” the 57-year old sales associate at General Kinematics—an equipment supplier for the foundry and metal casting industry—tells Car Craft. “It was a ’70 Roadrunner with a 383 and a 4-speed transmission. I kept that for two years and sold it. My buddy, who was also the best man in my wedding had a green-on-green ’69 Firebird 400. I liked that car so much that I decided to find one for myself.”

A neighbor of Bob’s was selling a ’69 Firebird in the eyepopping orange that Pontiac called Carousel Red. “I purchased the car and replaced its original 350 2-barrel with a built 400-inch Pontiac and it ran pretty well,” he recollects. “I drove that car though high school and sold it a couple of years after, but it always stuck with me. I always had a soft spot in my heart for ’69 Firebirds.”

Bob went onto own other vehicles but eventually left the hobby as his interest drifted toward boating. “In the mid-2000s a colleague was having issues with his ’69 Chevelle,” he says. “I rode with him as he drove it to another friend’s house, who was going to work on it for him. That was the first time I’d been in an old muscle car in years and sitting in that car brought back a flood of memories for me.”

Re-inspired to own vintage iron, it wasn’t long after that Bob purchased a freshly-restored ’69 Chevelle SS. “It was a very nice car, but the camshaft went flat so I pulled the existing engine to install a ZZ454 crate engine. I decided to re-restore that car from the ground up and it was really well done when finished. It ran very well, but it really didn’t handle that well. I always felt it was missing something because of that.”

Jeff Schwartz worked at General Kinematics with Bob before leaving to start Schwartz Performance. “Jeff was finishing a ’66 Nova and he let me drive it one day,” says Bob. “As we pulled out of his industrial park, I immediately noticed how tight it handled. As I got into the throttle, the car squatted and took off. I was stunned at how well it ran. It was nothing like my Chevelle—it was in another league. That’s when I understood what pro-touring was all about and realized that’s what I was missing with my Chevelle. At that moment I knew I had to build one. My Chevelle was really too nice to modify, so I sold it and began looking for a project.”

While on the hunt for a pro-touring candidate, Bob happened across the ’69 Firebird built by Kevin Oeste and named “Routy” in the Classic Industries booth at SEMA in 2010. “The car stopped me dead in my tracks,” he says. “I thought, ‘Now that’s something different!’ No one had ever built a ’69 Firebird like that before. I decided then that a ’69 Firebird was for me.”

Bob set out to find a ’69 Firebird with a near-perfect body with original trim. “I knew from my Chevelle that NOS pieces generally fit better than reproductions, so I wanted a Firebird with as many GM pieces as possible and I would add to it a modern finish, chassis, and drivetrain;” he adds. “I started searching the entire country for a suitable project. I eventually found an older online listing for a ’69 Firebird that had been disassembled for many years but was advertised as ‘the cleanest ’69 Firebird around.’”

The prospective Firebird was a green-on-green 350 two-barrel that had spent nearly all its life in Southern California. Bob learned that its original owner had disassembled it in anticipation of a complete restoration and had acquired a significant amount of NOS components, but the project halted when his wife learned what it would cost. “The car was taken off the road in 1982,” he explains. “A father and son had purchased it from the original owner in 2008 as a restoration project, but when the father developed health issues it sat for a few more years.”

Bob purchased the ’69 Firebird from the son in 2012 and immediately began its transformation. “The first thing I did was organize every component—down to each nut and bolt—to make sure that it was truly complete. Included with it was its original black California license plate. I had the body media blasted and sent it to the body shop for prep work and mini-tubbing. We then test-fit the bolt-in chassis from Schwartz Performance before I sent it off for paint,” he says.

Beyond a modern finish, the Firebird’s exterior was largely unmodified. “I wanted people to appreciate Pontiac’s original design,” he explains. “Modifications can become dated and because I plan to keep the car, I really wanted something that will look timeless down the road. I feel the late ‘60s and early ‘70s cars had the perfect balance of chrome and color. So many guys today tear the chrome off during a pro-touring build and I wanted my car to accentuate it. I chose a white exterior because no one really builds white cars and went with 2006 Corvette Arctic White because it is such a vibrant color. I added a black and silver accent stripe reminiscent of that on the ’69 GTO Judge.”

Although the body prep and paint work had been professionally completed, Bob assembled the Firebird himself in his home garage. “We installed the body back onto the chassis and then finished assembling the car myself,” he says. “Every OEM component that could be reused was restored and reused rather than replaced. The ’69 Firebird front end is quite complex. It took me two weeks to assemble it because I wanted to make sure that everything fit well and was properly aligned.”

Beneath the skin, the Firebird is just as well detailed. “I wanted to ensure that the LS7 engine looked good, so I modified a set LS7 fuel rail covers by sectioning them and plastic-welding them together until they fit the way I wanted them too. I’ve never seen that done before and am really happy with how well they turned out. It’s very clean under hood—there are no visible wires or hoses. And Schwartz Performance did a wonderful job fitting the exhaust. It’s virtually invisible from all angles.”

Bob’s Firebird made its debut at the all-Pontiac Indian Uprising in St. Charles, Illinois in 2016, and it was awarded Best of Show honors at that same event the following year. “To my knowledge, building a ’69 Firebird with these particular components including the completed Schwartz Performance chassis hadn’t been done before,” he says. “The response the car has gotten so far is incredible. Whenever I take it to car shows, people are always noticing the small details. And it’s such a fun car to drive. The LS7 is tame when you want it to be but it’s ridiculously fast. The car is a tremendous amount of fun to drive. It’s docile. It turns. It stops. And it gets 20 mpg. It’s really what a good street car is all about!” Now it’s Bob’s turn to inspire others.

Tech Notes
Who: Bob Thomson
What: 1969 Pontiac Firebird
Where: Woodstock, Illinois

Engine:
Powering the ’69 Firebird is a modern 427-inch LS7 crate engine from General Motors. The reinforced cast-aluminum block with a bore diameter of 4.125-inches is complemented by a forged-steel crankshaft with 4-inch stroke length, titanium connecting rods, and hypereutectic pistons. ARP fasteners were used throughout and the dry-sump lubrication system includes a Peterson oil tank. To boost compression to 12:1, Schwartz Performance milled the factory-CNC-ported cylinder heads, which are fitted with 2.2-inch titanium intake valves and 1.61-inch sodium-filled exhaust valves. The LS7’s original 211/230-degree hydraulic roller camshaft gave way to a 242/248 degree unit with 0.650-inch valve lift. Rated by GM at 505 hp and 470 lb-ft in stock trim, Bob estimates that the LS7 now generates around 650 hp. Substantiating this are chassis dyno results of 535 hp at 6,750 rpm and 480 lb-ft at the rear tires.

Induction:
Feeding the LS7 is its original nylon intake manifold with 90mm throttle body and 42-lb fuel injectors. An air intake tube that draws fresh air from beneath the vehicle was custom-fabricated for the application. A replacement fuel tank complete with internal fuel pump from Aeromotive provides the pressurized fuel supply.

Exhaust:
Schwartz Performance custom-fabricated a set of four-tube headers in stainless steel for the project. Exhaust is then routed through mandrel-bent 3-inch stainless steel tubing with an x-pipe and Magnaflow mufflers. The entire system was ceramic coated for appearance and thermal effects.

Transmission:
American Powertrain supplied the Tremec T56 Magnum 6-speed manual transmission with 2.66:1 first-gear ratio. It receives power input from the LS7’s original flywheel and clutch assembly and transfers power to the rear axle via a 3-inch diameter chromoly driveshaft with 1350-type universal joints from Strange Engineering. Ring Brothers provided the clutch fluid reservoir.

Rearend:
The rear axle is a Ford 9-inch assembly from Moser Engineering. It boasts a cast-aluminum differential case, TruTrac limited-slip differential with 3.70:1 gearing, and 31-spline axle shafts. The full-floating assembly was narrowed four inches to accommodate the mini-tubs required to maximize the foot print.

Chassis/Suspension:
The unibody F-body features a full-frame tube chassis that Schwartz Performance offers under its G-Machine line. The bolt-in chassis replaces the Firebird’s original front subframe and is fastened directly against the existing (and integral) rear subframe with minimal body modification. The suspension features RideTech single-adjustable coilover shock absorber assemblies at all four corners. The splined, hollow sway bars measure 1.25-inch in diameter up front and 0.75-inch out back.

Brakes:
Stopping power is provided by a Wilwood master cylinder and Baer 6P six-piston calipers and 14-inch diameter rotors.

Wheels/Tires:
Forgeline supplied its billet aluminum GW-3 wheels in 18 x 9-inch up front and 18 x 12-inch out back. The units were special-ordered with chrome-plated outer rims for Bob’s build. BF Goodrich KDW-2 tires in 255/40ZR18 and 335/30ZR18, respectively, complement them.

Paint/Body:
The ’69 Firebird body was treated to a complete “frame-off” restoration. It features all GM sheet metal and exterior brightwork. During the process Bob chose to equip his Firebird with the exterior features exclusive to the ’69 Trans Am. The reproduction hood, fender-mounted air extractors, and rear spoiler required a significant amount of bodywork to make them fit like they should for a build of this caliber. Body prep was completed by Performance Restorations in Mundelein, Illinois while Nostalgic Auto Body in Island Lake, Illinois was enlisted to apply the PPG 2006 Corvette Arctic White exterior finish.

Interior:
The Firebird’s original bucket seats were replaced by leather-covered Recaro Sport Topline seats. Schober Interiors in Newark, Illinois modified the Firebird’s original rear seat to clear the mini-tubs and then covered it in black leather with a matching pattern. The original door panels and dash pad remain. A Momo Jet steering wheel replaced the Pontiac original. Modern New Vintage USA (or NVU) gauges replaced the factory units in the instrument panel. A custom-fabricated housing was created for the stock console to accept additional NVU gauges to monitor engine vitals. An AAR head unit with a combination of Hertz and Pioneer speakers provide audio enjoyment. A Vintage Air system ensures passenger comfort in all conditions.

The post This Totally Modernized 1969 Pontiac Trans Am Firebird was Built at Home! appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

A dusting of November snow accumulated on the hood and windshield of this late-’70s Ford truck.

A “No Trespassing” sign, hog wire fence, and a metal cattle gate protect this truck from the bothersome “outside” world.

It’s difficult to discern the vehicle’s original color; replacement parts make it look like a patchwork quilt!

It lies in “state” on Route 10 just east of Culver, Indiana, population 1,422.

The post Hoosier Snow Job: Rusty Ford Truck appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

Q
I’m going to install a serpentine belt system on the small-block Chevy in my 1949 Ford. It appears that it will make the alternator spin backward. I’ve been told by some friends I need to buy a new alternator while others say it will work spinning backward. I’m counting on you for the right answer.

John Ahern
Via the Internet

A
The short answer is no, you don’t need to buy a new alternator as yours will work spinning either direction.

Q
I’m about to wire by 1946 Ford with a 350 Chevy engine and I’m trying to decide what to use for an alternator. I’d like to use a one-wire alternator just to keep things simple, but I’m concerned about the charging rate at slow speeds. My other concerns are how big an alternator should I use and how that determines what size charge wire I should use.

A.B. Parks Jr.
Via the Internet

A
There’s no denying that one-wire alternators simplify wiring, a big plus. You didn’t mention the car or engine involved, but Tuff Stuff offers one-wire alternators for GM, Ford, and Mopar applications.

As for low speed charging, Tuff Stuff has developed components for their alternators that they say, “Will keep your battery charged at a crawl.”

As for selecting the output of an alternator, Tuff Stuff advises, “The sky is the limit. The more amperage the better. As long as the alternator can fit into your brackets, you can put any size alternator on your vehicle. The voltage regulator will control the amount of amperage that the battery needs to run your accessories. Please note: It is imperative that you increase the size of your charge wire if you are upgrading to a higher amp alternator. Insufficient wire gauge size can cause fire due to heat created by resistance.”

Grounding Tips From Painless Performance:
It has been found than an extra ground strap from the alternator case to the engine block helps increase overall alternator output. The reason why is still being discussed, but sometimes powdercoating and chrome won’t allow needed alternator grounding. As the old saying goes, “You can’t have too many grounds.”

The post Alternating Opinions: We Answer Common Charging Questions appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

Rules, Regulations, and Application Downloads Here

The 2019 AMSOIL Engine Masters Challenge presented by JE Pistons, will be held September 30-October 4 at JE Piston’s World Headquarters in Mentor, Ohio. There will be four classes this year: Early Iron, Extreme LS, Coyote Shootout, and Future Builder. Each class will have its own day, rules set, and competition requirements outlined in the Rules PDF below. Extreme LS will compete on Monday and Tuesday, Early Iron on Wednesday, Coyote Shootout on Thursday and Future Builders*, Friday. The winner of each class will be determined at the end of that class competition.

Deadline for entry is March 1, 2019. Engine Masters Challenge is an invitational event. All applicants will be notified of their selection by email only. Participants will be required to post a non-refundable entry fee in the amount of $350.00 within 30 days of his or her acceptance notification. Participants that fail to post the $350.00 entry fee by the required date may be disqualified from the competition. Payouts are as follows:

$20k for first place in the LS class, $2,500 for second.
$20k for first place in the Coyote class, $2,500 for second.
$15k for first place in the Early Iron class, $1,500 for second

IMPORTANT DEADLINES AND DATES

March 1, 2019 DEADLINE for Builder Applications
April 1, 2019 Participant Selections Announced
May 1, 2019 Entry Fees and Rules Acceptance due
August 1, 2019 Publication of Official Dyno Run Schedule
August 20, 2019 Team Information sheet due
September 2019 Hotel room block release date

*Future Builder rules TBA
Application (PDF)
General Rules (PDF)
Class Rules (PDF)
questions@enginemasters.com

The post $60,000+ Total Purse! 2019 Engine Masters Challenge appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

20 Years Ago

April 1999 (164 pages, $3.50): Tech Editor Steve Magnante popped out of a $500 Nova body sprayed “with $30 worth of spray bombs…and a case o’ suds.” True to company tradition for April Foolery were a full-page fake ad for the Talking Gray [Baskerville] Doll, a “Prop Rods” compilation of silly “Hollyweird” custom cars, and the two-page “Car Feature About Nothing,” picturing a Chevy-powered Nash whose owner reportedly failed to provide any specs (“Pistons: Eight”). No joke was Editor Ro McGonegal’s news that our company had been sold for the second time in three years, fetching $1.2 billion for 132 titles.

40 Years Ago

April 1979 (140 pages, $1.25): Editor Lee Kelley somehow secured L.A. street time for the one-off, “experimental” Z28 that dazzled writers at last summer’s Detroit new-car previews. Chevy engineers swapped its 175hp smog motor for an L82-based, all-aluminum 350 wearing a pair of Jim Hall’s old Chaparral heads. Externally, this ringer was virtually identical to a ’79 stocker, also black, that shared possibly the first dual-car HOT ROD Road Test. Zero-to-1,320 was no contest: 14.00s versus 16.12. Also this month, we documented Chrysler’s return to NHRA Pro Stock, after six years, and a dominating debut for Bob Glidden’s small-block Arrow (8.49/159.60).

60 Years Ago

April 1959 (108 pages, 35¢): After engine-builder Frank McGurk threw everything he had at Chevy’s 348 for 11 dyno comparisons, Don Francisco concluded that the repurposed GMC V8 “doesn’t look as though it will be too outstanding. On a horsepower per cubic inch basis, the maximum of .82 hp…doesn’t compare at all well with the 1.05 hp [McGurk] gets from gas-burning Chevy 283 engines [with] similar modifications.” HOT ROD Mart offered the wrecked Rod & Custom Dream Truck ($1,000), and we honored Hollywood’s Quarter Kings, “one of more than 800 car clubs in Los Angeles County.”

The post HOT ROD Highlights from 20, 40, and 60 Years Ago: Inside Our April 1959, ’79, and ’99 Issues appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

I’ll just say it: In stock guise, the Chevrolet Nova never did it for me. They were nice-looking in a box turtle sort of way, but in my opinion, there were plenty more stylish options on the market to choose from. Maybe it’s because as a kid growing up in Brooklyn in the 1970s, Novas were everywhere. Back then, they weren’t cool or overly muscular. Instead, they were basic transportation that you’d see dented and parked on the street with rusty rockers and holes in the quarter-panels. Sure, every now and then a side-piped and shackled fat-tire Nova SS would roll by, but for the most part, we never gave them a second look.

As time goes by, tastes change, as do industry trends and the visionaries who set them. This 1969 Chevrolet Nova belongs to MMA fighter, comedian, podcaster, and all-around automobile enthusiast Joe Rogan. It was penned by Pure Vision of Simi Valley, California, and is a perfect example of what happens when out-of-the-box thinking comes together with modern engineering and intelligent design.

According to Pure Vision founder Steve Strope, Joe had a list of six or seven muscle cars he wanted to build—a Nova being one of them. For Steve, the idea of building a Nova wasn’t new; in fact, back in 2007, Pure Vision unveiled a certain Z/28 Nova, a vehicle that asked the question, “What if Chevrolet offered the Z/28 option package on the Nova, as well as the Camaro?”

That car was Hugger Orange with white stripes, and when it debuted, it shook up the custom world and even rattled a few cages. Utilizing this car as a barometer, and after arranging for Joe to view it in person, the decision was made that a Nova would be the focus of the build, as well as the newest addition to Joe’s collection.

This time, however, the inspiration for the Nova would not come from a factory option package, but instead, from a custom 1980s Porsche that was known as the King Of The Mountain 911 RSR. Its sole purpose? To be the fastest thing on SoCal’s famed Mulholland Drive. Complete with a chopped roof, modified suspension, and a built engine, it was designed to be the fastest thing on tarmac, not the racetrack. With that car in mind, work began and Joe’s Nova started to take shape.

General Motors got involved with a new supercharged LT4 crate engine along with a six-speed manual transmission. The engine should make upward of 640 bhp, and with that new manual gearbox, the Nova will be a riot to drive when complete.

Joe was very specific on wanting an independent rear suspension, so for that, Steve turned to Art Morrison Enterprises of Fife, Washington. Front and rear subframes were sourced with the rear containing a multi-link IRS with a Strange S60 case and a 3.54 gearset. The package is good for more than 1,000 hp and uses stout mono-tube shocks with C6 Corvette ZR1 hubs at all four corners. After the original chassis and floorpans were modified, the subframes were welded in permanently, allowing for everything to be tucked neatly underneath and, thus, give the Nova an impressive 7.5 inches of ground clearance. A 2×4-inch rail was then inserted and welded at a distance of 2 inches inboard from the rocker panel, with its purpose being to aid in overall stiffness and additional side-impact protection.

Steve then turned his attention to the interior, and working with Eric Brockmeyer Designs, came up with an intriguing idea. During his research, he came across a dash insert that was used by famed hot rodder Don Yenko in his Corvair Stinger. It was based on the one found in the 1966 Corvair Corsa and served as a great starting point. After obtaining and massaging one accordingly (that means a lot of metal fabrication), he was able to fuse it with the first 6 inches of the original Nova dash extending from the base of the windshield. As the Corvair is narrower than the Nova, the dash also had to be widened 2 inches and required additional metalwork to accommodate a custom steering column from Flaming River. The SpeedHut gauges employ green backlighting, combined with a 1960s-era GM font.

Four custom HVAC vents mimic the look of original GM Astro vents and were fitted at the outer and inner portions of the dash. Above the vents lives the Vintage Air control panel that will be further modified (remember, this car isn’t done yet). The goal is to change the face and incorporate a black sheet with green ambient lighting, along with a clear piece of Lexan over its top to keep the look and feel based in the 1960s.

From the vent control, your eyes are drawn to a large rectangular door with the word Bellanova (“Beautiful Nova”) in billet script. A small tab allows one to slide that door down, revealing a double DIN-sized flat screen. Steve’s reasoning was that he didn’t want a modern piece of tech ruining the overall vibe, so he needed a way to keep it hidden. Door panels and modified Corbeau seats were added, per Steve and Eric’s design. The stock Nova window cranks and door handles were then gifted to the trash and replaced with those found on a 1964 Chevelle/Oldsmobile to further enhance the cabin.

With the basics in place, Steve had Joe visit his shop to plant his ass in a mildly secured seat. With the column still loose, his crew custom-fit every aspect of Joe’s driving position so he fit perfectly in the cabin. We’re talking about final seat and pedal fitment, shifter position, armrests, and so on—custom-tailored to the client. “How can you make someone spend a massive amount of money and the guy can’t even fit in his own car?” he asks with a growl.

We can’t help but agree.

For wheels, Joe wanted something tough yet simple, and these HRE CL305 beauties fit the bill perfectly. Done up with a polished hoop and brushed titanium centers in sizes 18×9.5 and 19×12.5, they give the Nova a canyon-carving, street-fighter look. Thanks to a mild mini-tub, they also allow for the running of massive 355-series Pirelli P-Zero tires out back. An oversized brake kit from Baer with six-piston calipers takes care of the stopping duties.

Believe it or not, the chassis and dash were actually conceived before the body. Now remember when I said that the original concept had been part custom 911 and part Z/28-inspired Nova? Well, that’s where it stopped. Steve began to have concerns about the widebody concept he had been visualizing. He thought that by the time the Nova was fully built, the fender-flare trend would be over. He went back to the drawing board and came up with new body lines that transform the car into something that look so much better than anything that ever left the factory.

If you have a hard time visualizing where those new contours come from, think 1969 Camaro and try to keep your head from exploding. At first, Steve was going to utilize a wheel arch similar to that of the Camaro, but he then looked at those glorious spears that run over the wheels and down the quarters, and thought, “Yep, that’s the way to go.”

The lines of a 1969 Camaro are a stunning piece of design that give the car a sense of motion while it’s standing still, and Steve wanted to capture that vibe. Once the design was mocked up in bare sheetmetal, Steve and his team realized it was cooler than they’d ever dreamed possible.

Steve also noted that balancing out how high the wheelwells were going to sit in regards to the fender spears took quite a bit of time because, in actuality, they created an entirely new body line. Another issue was that stock Camaro fenders come out to a peak at the wheelwell and then dive back in, whereas the Nova panels lay flat. The Camaro panels are so different, in fact, that the Nova gained an additional 3 inches in width without Steve and his team having to stretch or flare anything. The result turned out to be a beautifully reimagined Nova that now has a stunning Coke-bottle shape when viewed from the rear.

Two spoilers from a split-bumper Camaro were cut and widened to fit the rear haunches of the Nova. A modified cowl hood and the door handles from a 1969 Camaro were thrown into the mix as well. It’s insane to think about the amount of research, testing, and fabrication that have gone into this car to make it look like it came this way from the factory. As it stands, Steve reckons there are at least 1,000 hours of metalwork into the Nova as you see it here, and it was all done by hand by Joey Angelo, who shares shop space with Mick Jenkins, the guy who will eventually paint the car.

Knowing when to pull back in regards to design is also a must, according to Steve. “As modified as that car is, it’s also an example in restraint. There were a lot of people who would say, ‘Oh, you should also put Camaro bumpers on it.’”

Steve pauses for a moment, pondering the idea with a look of distaste.

“No! I wanted it to be a Nova, and those big bumpers are part of the Nova. If you put thin bumpers and expose a roll pan in the back, now it’s a Camaro Nova. And even though some may say that about the sides, it’s simply not. Instead, it’s just a better-looking Nova,” he explains.

Anyone who has ever spoken to Steve can attest he’s a passionate man. Although he can seem a bit eccentric and boisterous at times, he’s also one of the most committed builders I’ve ever had the privilege of spending time with. As this is written, Joe’s Nova isn’t set to debut in a finished state until mid-2019. When complete, it’ll be coated in Lexus Atomic Silver paint, still have a black interior (with some hidden surprises), and the underside will have a treatment that, according to Steve, “will look absolutely striking.”

To this, we have no doubt, except to say that now, after getting a little taste of what’s to come, Joe Rogan’s 1969 Chevrolet Nova will be one of our most anticipated builds of 2019.

Links:
Eric Brockmeyer Designs
http://www.brockmeyerdesign.com/
Pure Vision
https://www.purevisiondesign.com/
Joe Rogan Website
https://www.joerogan.com/
Art Morrison Enterprises
http://www.artmorrison.com/

The post Joe Rogan’s 1969 Nova Shows How a Third Generation Nova Could Have Looked appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

LS Dual Plenum Intake
Holley/MSD announced the release of Sniper EFI dual plenum intake manifolds. Developed specifically for LS engines and available for both cathedral-port and rectangular-port cylinder heads, they feature dual plenums and dual throttle bodies in a unique, innovative design. One tapered plenum accommodates one entire bank of cylinders; the other plenum feeds the other side. This means the entire volume of incoming air in each plenum is distributed to just four cylinders, with the tapered shape increasing the air velocity directed to each intake runner.

Holley Performance Products
(866) 464-6553
holley.com

Shoebox Chevy IFS
The engineers at Fatman Fabrications have just finished development of the first of their new bolt-in hub-to-hub kits. These kits are currently available for 1949-1954 Chevy cars. They bolt in using the existing holes from the original crossmember with a few more added for extra strength. These kits have been updated to a shim-style upper control arm alignment system. They are available in standard and ultra-low versions with either coilovers or airbags. Engine mounts for small-block Chevy included with more applications to follow.

Fatman Fabrication
(704) 545-0369
fatmanfab.com

Bronze Shift Knob
Schmuckatelli Co. introduced their new Rose Skull shift knob made of oil rubbed bronze utilizing the classic lost wax casting method. They state, “This unique shift knob features a universal insert system with a 16×1.5mm thread and not only are you getting a functional grip-friendly shift knob, you are getting a sculptured work of art made in the USA.”

Schmuckatelli Co.
(310) 803-9432
scskulls.com

Lose Parasitic Loss
Eaton introduced new performance ring-and-pinion gear sets that provide the opportunity to choose from a variety of options and configurations to increase vehicle performance and improve rear-wheel horsepower. Eaton ring-and-pinion gearsets are available in a wide range of ratios for Chrysler, Dana, Ford, and GM axles. The gearsets come in two varieties—street and competition—and can be ordered with an optional isotropic Super Finish process that can increase horsepower from 3 to 5 percent.

Eaton
(800) 328-3850
eaton.com

The post STREET RODDER Presents Cool Tools and Parts for Street Rods appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

If you’re between 14 and 24 years old, and you race, you’ll want in on this deal. Sunoco and Car Craft have created the Young Racers Club to recognize and reward tomorrow’s racers. Is that you?! Each month, we select one person to feature in Car Craft magazine (below, you’ll see this month’s winner, 20-year-old Brian “Boogieman” Sullivan, from Ralston, Nebraska). If we choose you, you’ll get written up in the next print issue of Car Craft and receive a free 55-gallon drum of Sunoco Racing Fuel and a 5-gallon utility jug for your rig.

All you have to do is send us a message just like Brian did below on either our Facebook page, or send an email to our general manager, John Viscardo, at john.viscardo@motortrend.com. Please include a brief description in letter form like Brian did, and 4 to 5 good photos. Please also provide a phone number and address so we can contact you if you are selected as a winner. The best part is that drivers who have already signed up do not need to re-enter, so let’s get started!

Hello Car Craft! I’m Brian “Boogieman” Sullivan, a 20-year-old from Ralston Nebraska. I’ve been racing since I was eight years old, and was the nicknamed “Boogieman” by my grandparents when I was two. I started racing champ karts on the dirt and did pretty well from the beginning, winning almost every race, and winning the track championship that first year. With 65 feature wins, 13 trophy dash wins, 88 Top 5 finishes, and five track championships at three different tracks, I guess you’d say I earned my nickname in racing. After graduating from high school early, I took a couple years off from racing, but returned to race in 2017 in the IMCA Northern Sport Mod division. I paid for all my racing this time on my own. That first year, I finished Third in track points and 26th in national rookie points. In 2018, I finished Fourth in points and traveled to different tracks to gain experience. It’s always been about family, and I’m crewed by my dad Bob, my cousin Treygun, and grandpa Ed, with mom Kay and grandma Deb keeping everybody all in line. In 2019, I hope to race more tracks and make steps forward towards the ultimate goal of racing full time for a living!

For more information on Sunoco Race Fuels, hit them up at www.SunocoRaceFuels.com.

The post Are You a Young Gun Racer? Win Free Sunoco Fuel! Here’s How… appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

We just figured out where we went wrong in life. Instead of paying attention in English and Journalism classes, and learning how to photograph cars, we should’ve skipped all that and started our own Mustang salvage yard. Not that we’re really any good at shooting cars, or even writing about them, but maybe our talents would’ve been put to better use tearing Mustangs apart.

We probably wouldn’t have been any good at putting them back together so maybe it’s best that Midway Mustang and Midwest Fox Rods are on the case with this 1993 Cobra.
The Voodoo 93 has been at Midwest Fox Rods since early summer, where Jon Wise and the crew smoothed the engine bay, straightened out the body, applied GT350 Avalanche grey to the topside, adding Stifflers FIT system, and following that up with painting the underside. Midwest is finishing up the body before sending the car back to Midway Mustang for the drivetrain installation.

The drivetrain will consist of a Shelby GT350 flat-plane crank 5.2L engine, a McLeod clutch, CCW wheels, and a built 8.8 out back. Midway’s Erik McDonald will either use the factory GT350 transmission if possible, but if not, a Tremec T56 Magnum will be in the tunnel. Either way, the plan is for a supercharger to be on top of the Voodoo, so whatever transmission is chosen, this car is going to fly.

The post Midwest Mustang and Midwest Fox Rods Combining Talents On This Voodoo Swapped 1993 Cobra appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

The story behind the story—that’s what the Junkyard Crawl is all about. To a casual observer, junk cars are nothing more than rusty eyesores to be crushed and hauled away as soon as possible. Gotta protect those property values, right? But junkyard crawlers know better.

This month, we present a 1954 Dodge Royal convertible with the Indy Pace Car option. One of only 701 built, these open-air Dodges came standard with Dodge Red Ram Hemi power and numerous unique features not found on any other 1954 Dodge.

First launched in 1953, the new Dodge Red Ram Hemi V8 measured 241 cubic inches and inhaled through a restrictive single two-barrel carburetor. It was a humble start. And again for 1954, the Red Ram—still at 241 cubes—suffered with a single two-barrel…unless it went into one of these Indy Pace Car ragtops! For the first time, the Pace Cars stepped up to single 450cfm Carter WCFB four-barrel carburetor for a 20-click boost to 170 horsepower.

But there was a hiccup. Dodge lacked its own four-barrel intake manifold. Think about that, Dodge—the company who only a few years later would crank out thousands of tandem dual-quads, long rams, cross rams, Hyper-Paks, and Six Packs—didn’t have a lousy 1×4 intake manifold in 1954!

So while the Dodge elves toiled on better intake manifolds (a cast-iron four-barrel unit finally arrived in 1955), for the 1954 Pace Cars a deal was struck with California speed equipment merchant, Offenhauser Sales Corp.

Long known for its Indy-dominating 270-cube Offy inline four-cylinder racing engines, Offy was also a major player in the hot rod aftermarket. For the Pace Car editions, they whipped up a lightweight aluminum dual-plane manifold casting. And yes, that nifty induction setup is still present on this junkyard discovery.

Lets’ take a peek at this amazing rare junkyard discovery to learn more about it and its back story.

Groovy Factoids!

• The first Chrysler product to pace the Indy 500 was a 1926 Imperial driven by…Louis Chevrolet. Wha??? Remember, though Louis co-founded Chevrolet in 1911 with his younger brothers Gaston and Arthur, and legendary Detroit wheeler dealer William C. Durant, by 1926 Louis had sold his interest in the company that bore his family name.
• Before the major American automakers had their own (private) test tracks and proving grounds, the Indy 500 race track facility was often rented for durability trials. In 1911 the first 500 mile race was held, and ever since, automakers clamored to have one of their models granted pace car duties. The assumption they could “go the distance” grew out of the track’s early days as a testing facility.

Bonus Material!
As Dodge’s first high-performance offering with a standard four-barrel carburetor and dual exhaust, this piece of history is just as important as any Charger R/T, Coronet Super Bee, Challenger T/A, or Charger Daytona. It’s also accurate to say that the chain of Dodge performance cars that’s currently highlighted by the nine-second 2019 Demon wouldn’t have happened without this open-air Hemi car to light the fuse.

Let’s continue our exploration of this ground-breaking specialty car.

CAPTIONS:

• While Dodge was busy negotiating the purchase of aluminMore Groovy Factoids!um intake manifolds for the Pace Car editions, Chrysler Corp. and the AAA (the sanctioning body for the Indy 500 race) were in heated negotiations over a dead-ended “stock block” ruling that would have allowed Chrysler’s new 331 cubic-inch Fire Power Hemi to race against the Offy 270. Testing revealed the 400 horsepower Hilborn injected Hemis could top 137 mph and last for 500 miles doing it. This would have toppled Offenhauser’s monopoly on Indy. Frightened Offy team owners lobbied the AAA Contest Board to do something. They did. Rulebook revisions forced the Hemi to drop down to 270 cubic inches. Power fell to 350 hp and off-corner torque plummeted. Knowing the de-stroked Hemi stood no chance of being competitive, Chrysler backed out beforehand, and racing was done.

• The Dodge Red Ram Hemi (and DeSoto Fire Dome) was flawed by the block’s 4.3125 inch bore spacing. This limited ultimate cylinder bore diameter and forced designers to boost deck height from 9.29 to 10.38 inches to boost the Red Ram from 270 to 315 cubes in 1956. And don’t forget, while the Dodge Red Ram, DeSoto Fire Dome, and Chrysler Fire Power Hemi V8 all looked similar, very few parts interchange.

The post Dodge’s 1954 Pace Car was also its First 4-Barrel Hemi Car! appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

Once upon a time Ford Motor Company needed a solution to its extensive menu of V-8 engine families. There were simply too many engine types—the 90-degree Fairlane V-8 (221/260/289/302ci small-block), the raised-deck 351W, FE Series big-blocks (332/352/360/390/406/410/427/428ci), the 385-Series big-block (429/460ci), and the grossly oversized and overweight MEL big-block (383/410/430/462ci).

Ford began to trim down the engine lineup with the all-new 385 Series 429/460ci engine in 1968, replacing the stodgy and dated MEL (Mercury-Edsel-Lincoln) behemoth. Despite the elimination of the MEL big-block and the birth of the leaner 429/460, Ford still had some downsizing to do. Ford wanted three basic V-8 engine platforms—small-block, middle-block, and a big-block. Although the petite Fairlane V-8 had performed quite well and was an economical engine to produce, Ford had other ideas.

Long about the same time Ford was developing the 429/460ci fat-block it was also working on an engine to replace both the small-block and the FE Series big-block engines. Ford called it the 335 Series V-8, a smaller cousin to the robust 385 Series engine. Where GM and Chrysler had plenty of midsized V-8s in the 350ci range, Ford didn’t have an entry for the midsize field. It had the 302 on the low end and the 390 for those who wanted more power. As a short-term fix Ford raised the 302’s deck and gave it additional ½-inch stroke to conceive the 351 “Windsor” small-block. The 351W was never planned as a long-term engine, yet more of a stop-gap mill that ultimately stayed in production through the early ’90s. The original game plan was to replace the 351W engine with the 335 Series V-8.

When Ford introduced the 335 Series 351C in 1970 there was immediate confusion among Ford service technicians addressing which 351 they were servicing and how to identify the two engines. Ford issued a bulletin that addressed how to identify these engines. Because the 351W was produced at the Windsor, Ontario, engine plant it would be called the 351 “Windsor” or 351W. The 335 Series 351 was manufactured at Ford’s Cleveland engine plant, which made it the 351 “Cleveland” or 351C.

The 351C has the same bore spacing as the 302 and 351W, yet with vastly different block architecture resembling a mirror-image Oldsmobile casting with a 12- and 6-bolt pattern fuel pump and a wraparound timing case cast into the block with a steel plate like the Olds V-8. What made the 351C different from the 351W was its big-block Chevy-style crossflow cylinder heads with poly-angle valves, huge ports, and wedge chambers. The heads are what make this engine legendary because they outflow anything in their class and they give this engine broad shoulders. It looks as massive as a big-block.

The 351C block was produced in two- and four-bolt main cap versions through 1974, not including Australian blocks, which were produced through 1982. Cleveland cylinder heads were produced in three basic versions: four-barrel wedge chamber, four-barrel open chamber, and two-barrel open chamber. The two-barrel head sports smaller intake and exhaust ports for improved torque, yet its large dome open chamber offers virtually no quench, which results in detonation during startup and under acceleration. The 351C-2V head really isn’t what you want for a 351C build project though enthusiasts use this head for street use. The 351C-4V head with its smaller wedge chambers and exceptional quench delivers great mid- to high-rpm performance thanks to huge intake ports that deliver extraordinary breathing. The problem with these ports is poor low- to midrange torque in a head designed for high-rpm performance. Wedge chambers offer less detonation tendency and greater compression.

Ford Australia kept its foot in Cleveland production well beyond what Ford North America did in the mid ’70s. In fact the 351 Cleveland was so popular in Australia that some called it the small-block Chevy of the land Down Under. Australian Cleveland castings remain highly sought after pieces in North America for those seeking greater sums of power.

Ford Australia produced the 351 Cleveland in 302ci as well as 351ci. The Australian 302 Cleveland heads have small wedge chambers, which means greater compression if you place them on top of a 351C. By far the best factory 351C head is the Ford Australia 4V casting, which has the sweet combination of the 351C-4V wedge chamber with the smaller 2V ports for great low- to midrange torque. It remains the best factory head ever produced by Ford for this mill.

An enlarged version of the 351C is the raised-deck 400, which was introduced in 1971 to ultimately replace the FE Series 390 big-block in fullsized Ford and Mercury vehicles. Because the 400 has a taller deck, it is wider than the 351C and easy to identify. In the beginning, the 400 had a dual bellhousing bolt pattern for both small- and big-block bells. By 1972, the small-block bellhousing pattern was dropped for the 429/460 bellhousing bolt pattern across the board.

Ford North America, in an effort to reduce manufacturing costs, ended 351C production after 1974, then did something very unconventional. It took the heavier tall-deck 400 with its 4.000-inch bore and 4.000-inch stroke and destroked it to a 3.500-inch stroke to conceive the 351M, which really isn’t a 351C at all. Salvage yard pickers mistakenly buy 351M engines thinking they’ve found the 351C only to arrive home and discover they bought the wrong mill. This is where proper identification of this engine is so important.

Enthusiasts tend to call the 400 Cleveland the “400M”. However, Ford called this engine the 400 from the get-go. When Ford destroked the 400 to get the 351M enthusiasts started calling it the 400M, which has never been correct. If you unearth a 351M the greatest favor you can do for this engine is give it increased displacement. Find a 4.000-inch stroke crank or invest in a stroker kit that will get you over 400 ci.

As you cruise the classifieds and salvage yards in search of a buildable 351 Cleveland you will find them to be very scarce, yet well worth the search. Finding a standard bore Cleveland block will be your greatest challenge. And forget taking the overbore beyond 4.040 inches. During the production window in which 351C engines were in production, Ford produced some of the worst castings in memory. This means going beyond 4.040 inches is unthinkable due to the risk of cutting into the water jackets. What’s more, head and block castings must be thoroughly inspected for flaws and cracks before committing time and funds to a build.

The good news is the availability of reproduction blocks and a wealth of aftermarket cylinder heads for the Cleveland. As you might imagine these castings do not come cheap because Clevelands weren’t produced in big numbers like mainstream survivors like the small-block and 385 Series big-block. Don’t expect to see the volume discount.

The post How To Build a Ford 351 Cleveland appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

The personal 1968 Cobra Jet Torino GT of Bob Tasca Jr., son of the late and great Bob Tasca (1926-2010), has surfaced from under a tarp in a backyard in Chicopee, Massachusetts. Incredibly, the midsized muscle car had been parked in this spot for 35 years.

Locals have known about this hot Ford for decades, as has the Tasca family. Bob Sr. wanted to buy the car. However, the owner, Doug Gaba, “was the type of person who loved his cars—all Fords—and didn’t want to part with any of them. Local people called him Mr. Ford,” says Chris Zukowski.

“I’ve known this car for as long as I can remember. I was a little kid when Doug bought it in 1980.”

Chris goes so far as to call Doug Gaba “family,” though he wasn’t “blood family. My father, Walter, went to high school with him, and they were really good friends.”

The engine, a 427 Tunnel Port, had a spun rod bearing when Gaba bought the Torino GT. Walter is a machinist and helped Gaba fix and “freshen up” the 427 in the late 1980s.

“Then, it was just put in the backyard and stayed there forever,” said Chris.

But why was this Torino powered by a 427 Tunnel Port and not an R-code 428 Cobra Jet, which the car came with from Dearborn Assembly? After all, Tasca Ford in Providence, Rhode Island, had been the very dealership that originated the Cobra Jet, a story that is well documented today.

Briefly, Tasca had been successful drag racing, including with Ford’s 427. But the 427 was expensive and hard to get. To sell Ford muscle to more enthusiasts, Tasca dropped high-flow heads on the readily available and inexpensive 428 FE-series passenger car block to create what became the first Cobra Jet. For induction he used a 427 medium-riser intake topped with a 735-cfm Holley four-barrel. The car was called the KR-8, short for King of the Road in 1968.

The Cobra Jet hit showrooms on April 1, 1968, but the Blue Oval guys had already shaken up the drag racing world with the new CJ at the 1968 Winternationals a few months earlier.

Dyno Don Nicholson’s 1968 Cobra Jet Mustang might have lost in the first round due to a spun rod bearing, but Ford invaded with seven other white CJ fastbacks, all 428s, all owned by Ford, and all driven by factory “team” drag racers. In the finals, Al “Batman” Joniec ran against Hubert Platt in an identically prepared Mustang. Ford couldn’t lose this one in SS/E. The winning timeslip was 11.49 at 126.6 mph, Joniec getting the honors.

In 1968, Tasca ordered this 1968 Cobra Jet Torino GT. A Marti Report reveals this car was built on April 19, 1968, very late in the production run, and that Tasca sold the car on March 29, 1969.

According to Chris’s research, during the 11 months Tasca owned the Torino, the dealership experimented with three different stages of performance, the first being simple “tweaks.” The second stage is still under investigation, but would have had more modifications to the 428 CJ. The third stage was replacing the 428 CJ with the 427 Tunnel Port this car has.

Tasca made up decals reading “King of the Road,” a set of which is still on this car. Apparently, Tasca was planning to sell a specialty model using this name, but Ford said no because Shelby already had dibs on the name for the G.T. 500, which became the G.T. 500KR in the spring of 1968.

The Cobra Jet was hotter than Shelby’s 428 Police Interceptor in the 1968 G.T. 500. A Shelby was the hottest Mustang in Ford’s ponycar stable, so the Shelby lineup changed mid-model year to include this new motor from the Ford lineup.

Tasca had developed the Cobra Jet engine, so it made sense for him to market a specialty model of his own.

Bob McClurg’s book, The Tasca Ford Legacy, mentions Bob Tasca Jr.’s “pretty fast 1968 428 CJ Torino automatic, a car so fast that no one wanted to race him.” An automatic was the choice of drag racers in those days. This Torino would have been very hot with the new 428 Cobra Jet, especially with Tasca tweaks, and no doubt was a real terror on the streets with a 427 Tunnel Port.

When Doug Gaba died in 2015, Chris helped liquidate the estate. However, the sale of the Torino was “kind of up in the air,” and instead he purchased an S-code 1967 Mustang fastback.

Chris says, “Then somebody decided not to buy [the Torino], and a friend of mine, Jay Anderson, purchased the car.” Two months later, he had the Torino in his shop and was helping his friend clean it up.

Then he saw where his father had written “crush” in paint on the oil pan. “I got kind of sentimental because of my lifelong connection to the car, my father, and his friend Doug.”

Chris got motivated to pick up the reins and put the car on the street to enjoy, and occasionally drag race, as well. “My buddy said to me, ‘Give me what I have in it, and it’s yours.’”

Chris was elated to purchase the car that was once owned by a friend so close to the family. He displayed the historic Tasca Torino at the 2018 Cobra Jet Reunion at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.

The post Rare Finds: Bob Tasca Jr.’s 1968 Ford Torino GT Cobra Jet Resurfaces After 35 Years appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

Is it car show season yet?!

I’m sure some of you are still digging out of the snow while others are eager to tell me the season never ends in their neck of the woods. Truth be told, it doesn’t really come to an end in my ’hood either, but rather stalls for a moment. What with the holidays and the family gatherings coupled with a few days of rain, we park our trucks for a week or two as well.

And with that downtime, I always swear I’m going to spend it in the garage doing my version of “Spring cleaning” in December, but I never seem to get around to it. It’s cold, it’s wet, it’s gloomy, and it gets dark at something like 2:30 in the afternoon. Bundled up on the couch looking at car magazines always sounds like a better time.

But with all that negative nonsense trying to talk me out of being productive during the drafty downtime, I’ve decided to kick ol’ Jack Frost right in the nads, kick out the jams, and get to work in preparation for the coming car season.

Out in the shop I’ve got a laundry list full of stuff to do, and that doesn’t even include any of the car and truck projects I’m undertaking at the moment. I have one truck at the paint shop, another at our Tech Center about to kick off, a ’57 Ford T-bird side project, a ’40 Ford coupe build (you’ll see the Hemi engine build for this project soon!), a Model A coupe restoration/hot rod project, and a handful of others I’ve forgotten about! That’s on top of trying to set up the garage out in back of the house. Just thinking about all those projects has me developing a slight case of anxiety. Weather be damned! I’m gonna be spending a lot of time in the shop …

… At least until it starts to warm up and the days grow in length. Then, I’m going to start looking at all those projects a little differently, wondering which one I can make roadworthy first!

This coming car show season has me excited for a couple reasons as well, the least of which is just the longing for the longer days and warmer weather. I’ve been attending the NSRA Street Rod Nats for nigh on 20 years and this year’s show marks the 50th anniversary of the event. I know there are a few special things planned and I’m looking forward to see what’s going to come out of the woodwork to celebrate. That should be a good time for sure!

Back in October of last year, we built a ’72 Chevy C10 in partnership with LMC Truck and the C10 Nationals event in Texas as part of our Week to Wicked program. The buildup will be featured in next month’s issue, followed by the full feature of the finished truck in July. But what’s got me excited about it is the fact that we’ll be giving the truck away at this year’s C10 Nationals event on May 3-4, 2019, at the Texas Motor Speedway. This will be the second year for the show and will no doubt be bigger and better than it was last year. I’m looking forward to that one as well.

I’ve got a handful of other shows in the back of my mind that I’m hoping to make this year as well, but I’m wondering where you guys are planning to trek this year in your truck? What’s on your “can’t miss” list? Is there a “road trip” tradition to a particular event that can’t be skipped? Where’s the best swap meet? What’s the best venue?

Shoot me an email and let me know your thoughts and who knows, I might just pop up, camera in hand, for a good time! CT

The post Haul Monitor: ‘Tis The Season appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

It’s a new year and time to start planning all the car events you want to hit once your Chevy comes out of hibernation! And while there are lots of choices one of the best one for Chevy fans are the Original Super Chevy events held across the country.

For 2019 The Super Chevy Show is back and better than ever. Also, for the first time in a long time, the series will be back in perpetually sunny Southern California! Experience the original Super Chevy Show auto show and drag racing in a huge 9-stop tour. This series is the premier destination for all things Chevrolet and you won’t want to miss a minute of the action. There will be multiple classes of drag racing with cash prizes, a swap meet where you can find that hard to locate part or thing you didn’t know you had to have, a Chevrolet focused performance market place and the largest collection of Chevrolet vehicles in one place from classics to modern all looking to take home the best in class award and a coveted Super Chevy Show jacket! There are several ways to enjoy a Super Chevy Show… register your vehicle to drag race, enter your car in the professionally judged car show, display your car without the pressure of being judged or take in the excitement as a spectator. Pick the Super Chevy Show nearest you or come to the entire series tour!

Kicking off the season will be one of our favorite events in Millington, TN at the Memphis International Raceway. Now in its 33rd year, this venue never disappoints and draws in some of the nicest, and fastest, Chevy (and Chevy powered) cars from the area. We expect to have registration info any day now so stay tuned to Super Chevy for event updates!

Schedule and pricing varies by event day and location. Complete details on pricing, event schedule, special features, and more are available at www.superchevy.com/show.

The post 2019 Super Chevy Show Schedule Announced! appeared first on Hot Rod Network.