Street Rod Life Spring 2015

PUBLICATION OF XCELERATION MEDIA

Vol. 1, No. 1

STREETRODLIFE.COM #StreetRodLife CLUB SCENE RELAXED ATMOSPHERE

EVENT PREVIEW GOODGUYS 2015 SEASON

HIT THE ROAD! UPCOMING EVENTS

HOTNEW PRODUCTS!

GNRS RECAP

LOOKIN’ GOOD AFTER 66 YEARS

BACK TO LIFE! McMullen’s A100

SRL2015-10 36584 25557 4

PREMIER ISSUE!

P-51ODE TO

THE JOHN CALLIES’

’40 CHE’PON

PURE VISION’S

STEVESTROPETALKS STREET RODS

StaffGroup Publisher Shawn Brereton

Editorial Director Todd Ryden

Senior Tech Editor Jeff Smith

Tech Editor Richard Holdener

ContributorsTommy Lee Byrd Ron CeridonoBrandon Flannery Dan HodgdonLouis Kimery Barry Kluczyk Manufacturers

AdvertisingDave Ferrato Brett Underwood

For advertising inquiries call 901.260.5910.

Production Hailey Douglas

Art Jason Wommack Zach Tibbett

Street Rod Life is published quarterly to promote the growth of street rodding as well as recog-nize the parts and services from participating manufacturers. The magazine consists of dedicated in-formation from partner companies with the mission of disseminating unfiltered editorial on companies, products and services directly to street rodders and fans.

Editorial content and advertise-ments for each issue can originate from partner companies participat-ing in the magazine.

Street Rod Life is a hybrid of con-tent that was originally published at StreetRodLife.com and original content that was created for this quarterly print magazine. Magazine distribution occurs through direct distribution from parent company Xceleration Media, its partner companies, and marquee events throughout the year.

Street Rod Life is a property of Xcel-eration Media. No part of this mag-azine may be reproduced without written consent from Xceleration Media. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

Todd Ryden [email protected]

PUBLICATION OF XCELERATION MEDIAVol. 1, No. 1

STREETRODLIFE.COM #StreetRodLife CLUB SCENE RELAXED ATMOSPHERE EVENT PREVIEW GOODGUYS 2015 SEASON HIT THE ROAD! UPCOMING EVENTS

HOTNEW PRODUCTS!

GNRS RECAPLOOKIN’ GOOD AFTER 66 YEARS

BACK TO LIFE! McMullen’s A100

SRL2015-1

0 36584 25557 4

PREMIER ISSUE!

P-51ODE

TO THE

JOHN CALLIES’ ’40 CHE’PON

PURE VISION’SSTEVESTROPETALKS STREET RODS

SRL2015-1_v2.indd 1

2/17/15 9:15 AM

John Callies’ 1940 Che’Pon pays homage

to the P-51 fighter and

the Greatest Generation.

CoverON THE

Welcome to Street Rod LifeThanks for picking up Volume One, Number One of Street Rod Life! We’re looking for-ward to bringing you the world of street rodding fun from the shows, races, local speed shops, and even your home garage.

Street Rod Life is part of a family of automotive media properties from Xceleration Media, including four other publications, that are available online and in print. For Street Rod Life, we’ll be delivering four print issues in 2015 and you can check out our website, streetrodlife.com, for daily coverage of what’s new and happening in the rod-ding world along with feature stories, tech, and event coverage.

One thing I would like to address right up front is the term “street rod.” Many enthu-siasts used to place a year of manufacture as a designation on what defines a street rod. In this old-school way of thinking, a street rod was considered to be a vehicle manufac-tured in 1948 and prior.

However, to the team at SRL, we feel the term ‘street rod’ has evolved to include new-er cars as well. In fact, it seems that the term ‘street rod’ can be used to describe nearly any car or truck that has been modified to look or perform better than when it was new.

If a ’59 Bonneville has a modified and detailed engine combined with a killer stance, isn’t it as much of a street rod as a ’39 two-door sedan? What about a ’69 Chevelle or a ’68 GTX? Sure they’re known as muscle cars, but what makes them any different in terms of pigeon holing them as only a muscle car?

For instance, consider the term “hot rod.” Hot rods came about from the earliest days of our hobby as a term coined to explain taking an old jalopy and modifying it for speed and performance. Today the term hot rod is used widely from ’32 Fords to ’15 Mustangs. They’re all hot rods and you know what? They’re all street rods.

As another example, think about what kind of music you listen to. Whether it’s punk, classic, metal, surf, oldies, or hip-hop — it is all still music. A street rod can be a muscle car, traditional hot rod, wild custom, or even a modern muscle car. Street rodding to us is how you build it and what you do with it. We’re all in this for the love of vehicles, to build them and to drive ’em. That is the street rod life.

I like them all and no matter what you call them, we plan to bring you examples of some of the coolest cars we can find as our team travels across the country to cover shows, cruises, and events.

Our coverage will be predominantly based on ’72 and older cars with a focus on pre-’64, simply because that is where many shows and products fit, but you may see a few other surprises every now and then. Tech-wise, we plan to deliver a good mix of old and new, from the 331c.i. Hemi all the way up to the 6.2L version in the Hellcat.

Thanks again for checking out the new magazine and be sure to check us out on the web at StreetRodLife.com. If there’s anything cool going on in your area or garage, drop me a note or like us on Facebook. I’m looking forward to hearing from you and will see you on the road.

Todd [email protected]

The ’40 pickup and the ’64 GTO have both been modified with wheels, stance, paint, and under the hood. In our world, they’re both street rods.

2 STREET ROD LIFE Vol. 1, No. 1

INSIDE...

FEATURES

32 GOODGUYS GOODTIMESPreview of the Goodguys season ahead

38 MCMULLEN’S STEPCHILDRestoring the A100 to ’70’s glory

48 FUTURISTIC STREET RODAn Ecoboosted 33 Ford Roadster

66 IF THE SHOEBOX FITS’56 Chevy saved from a Tennessee Barn

76 ENGINE BLINGInduction systems that will make you drool

90 A T-BUCKET LISTDetroit Speedcraft can check it off for you

DEPARTMENTS

01 FIRE IT UPLetter from the Editor

04 RPM REPORTNews for the Street Rod World

06 DIGITAL DETOURStreet rodding sites, forums, and apps

07 SOCIAL BUZZAll the social media info in one place

10 VIDEO PLAYLISTCool videos you will want to check out

12 IN THE PASSENGER SEATRon Ceridono thinks about hot rod sounds

46 THE STREET ROD LIFEA little help from my friends

70 CLUB SCENEKick back with Relaxed Atmosphere

85 STREET ROD LIFER OF THE MONTHDavid Sanchez is all smiles about cars

86 ROD SHOTSMoments that capture street rodding

94 HIT THE ROADUpcoming events not to miss

96 BEHIND THE DOORA view into the garage of a true rodder

22

STREET ROD LIFE Vol. 1, No. 1

COVER STORYWHAT IS A CHE’PON?A hybrid of power, style, and engineering

STREETRODLIFE.COM 3

INSIDE...

Bootlegger Cams Lunati ..........................................................58Direct Bolt-in Aluminum Radiator Flex-a-lite...........................59RS-1 Highback Sport Seat Jegs ..............................................59Quick Cool Carb Insulator Kit Quick Fuel Tech ........................59EZ-EFI Fuel FAST .....................................................................60Rams Horn Exhaust Manifold Flowtech Exhaust ......................60American Classic Radials Coker .............................................60Muscle Car 5 Trans McLeod ....................................................61EZ Rub Fortified Penetrating Oil Bed Wood and Parts.............61SBC LS Valve Cover Adapters RHS ..........................................61LS EFI 8 Stack System Inglese ................................................62Universal Brake System Kit Speedway Motors ........................62Quadrajet Carbs Jet Performance Products ..............................62Transmission Packages TCI .....................................................63HEI Distributor Crane Ignition..................................................63Heavy Duty Alternator Kit Flaming River ..................................63Replacement Floor Pan CARS inc. ..........................................64’68-’72 F-100 Brakes Baer .....................................................64Carb Defender Driven Racing Oil .............................................64’68 Chevelle Wiring Harness Painless .....................................65Frame FX Kit Hellwig ...............................................................65HE Die Cast Aluminum Rockers COMP Cams ..........................65

Parts Store

THE GRAND ONE SHINESAfter 66 years, GNRS is still looking good

PLANNING FOR EFIBe prepared to take the plunge

FUTURISTIC STREET RODAn Ecoboosted ’33 Ford Roadster

QUICK CRUISEWe chat with Prue Vision’s Steve Strope14

8048

18

TECH

20 INS AND OUTS OF FASTENERSEverything you need to know about bolts

28 UNDERSTANDING SPARKSIgnition history and how it has improved

42 GET THUMPEDMaking that street rod sound

54 STALLING OUTPicking the right converter for your street rod

72 SET IT RIGHTHow to set valve lash on any engine

88 OLD CAR = NEW OILYour hot rod needs different oil


RPM REPORTNEWS HOT TOPICS INFO

Submit car images to Facebook to be eligible for Gearhead Powerpack GiveawayXceleration Media, parent company of Street Rod Life, has just announced the Gearhead Powerpack Giveaway, in conjunction with the Street Machine Nationals.

Contestants can submit photos of their car on the Street Rod Life, Power and Per-formance News, or Gearheads4Life Face-book pages. Photos will be voted on us-ing the Like button. From the top-three Like-getters, the editors for each site will then choose the car which they feel best represents their brand.

Eligible contestants must be able to at-tend the event with their car, where they will get the VIP treatment:

Free registration for the vehicle and one free passenger into the Street Machine Na-tional event. Free VIP parking in a designat-

ed area with-in the event signifying you are the Gear-head Power-pack Giveaway Winner.

The win-ning car will be highlighted in the Xceler-ation Media print maga-zine correlating to the website from which it was chosen.

Winners will receive:One gift certificate for $150 from COMP CamsOne gift certificate for $100 from FASTOne gift certificate for $100 from TCIOne gift certificate for $100 from ZEXOne gift certificate for $100 from RHSOne free case of Driven Hot Rod Oil

Xceleration Media to sponsor giveaway at Street Machine National events

MSD, Accel merger could create new technologiesFor years, when it came to ignition coils and plug wires, there were two main colors — red and yellow.

You either had MSD compo-nents or Accel parts cre-ating the sparks.

Sure there were, and still are, a few other op-tions out there, but there is no denying the popularity and market share of these two long-time rivals com-peting in the performance ignition market.

However, as of 2015, the red and yellow lines are blurring as the MSDP Group (a portfolio compa-ny of Z Capital Partners) acquired Accel Perfor-mance Group, which in-cludes Accel, Mr. Gasket, Mallory, Lakewood Quick-time, and Hays brands.

MSD and Accel, along with Mallory, all firing as one. Years ago, Ve-gas would have had some steep odds on that mix of brands coming together, but in the new world of big business and finance, along with the bundling of buying power, engi-neering resources, and distribution, it is not that big of a surprise.

Hopefully this acqui-sition will produce some new products and tech-nology that will help street rodders, especially as the worlds of ignition and fuel control technologies blend together.

Transforming a car or truck, no matter what its shape, into something better is what hot rodding is all about.

On May 16–18 of 2011, RideTech attempted to take hot rodding to a whole new level with the 48 Hour Ca-maro build.

Did they succeed? Oh yes they did.

That ’67 Camaro has been on the road competing in events across the country ever since.

The time has come to in-troduce the 48 Hour Cor-vette. On March 10th, they will once again attempt what many believe to be an im-possible build.

A typical eBay pur-chased 1972 Corvette will roll into the 48 Hour build center to be transformed into a fully equipped track monster.

The build will take place over three sixteen-hour

RideTech introduces 48 Hour Corvette

workdays. The entire build will be live streaming on YouTube, with manufacturer specific question and answer sessions, and interviews throughout.

As the C3 is disassem-bled, the parts that are not being reused will be avail-able for purchase on eBay.

How do they properly finish off a build of this nature?

They take the car straight to the track after completion, that’s how.

Full details about the build will be updated dai-ly leading up to the build at 48hourcorvette.com.

STREETRODLIFE.COM 5

RPM REPORTNEWS HOT TOPICS INFO

Flaming River receives ISO certificationsCongratulations to the team at Flam-ing River for receiving their ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management Sys-tems standards.

Receiving this docu-mentation means that their manufac-turing processes and products are certified to world-class specifications for quality, safety, and effi-ciency and they meet or exceed the needs of their customers and the standards of manufacturing excellence, as set forth by the guidelines of ISO 9000 and OEM standards per the regulatory authorities.

The ISO 14001 Environmental Management System standards ensure that Flaming River minimizes its op-erational impact on the environment, continues to maintain and improve its environmental processes, and is in com-pliance with all applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.

The SEMA Action Network (SAN) announced that this year’s National Collector Car Appreciation Day will be celebrated on July 10.

The date will mark the sixth consecutive commemoration of what is now an annual event to raise aware-ness of the vital role automotive res-toration and collection plays in Ameri-can society.

Plan to drive your rod to work, drop the kids off at sports, pick up groceries or just take it for a spin!

“The passion for the collector car hobby that continues to be demonstrat-ed by SAN members nationwide is most clearly evident in this special day,” says Steve McDonald, SEMA Vice President of Government Affairs.

Intended to celebrate the classics of

the past and the future, the U.S. Senate helped launch Collector Car Appreci-ation Day by passing resolutions each year at SAN’s request.

The Senators have been strong ad-vocates for the automotive hobby in Washington, D.C., and recognize the integral role collector cars have played in fostering our nation’s appreciation for the automobile’s unique historical place in our history.

The states of California, Louisiana, Michigan, and New Mexico, along with the Canadian Provinces of British Co-lumbia, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia, adopted their own resolution this year commemorating the day.

Check out semasan.com for more information about how SEMA is working to help keep our hobby mov-ing forward with legislative updates and concerns.

Collector Car Appreciation Day is coming

COMP Cams to present the Thumpr Award at NSRA EventsCOMP Cams has teamed up with the NSRA again in 2015 to award one die-hard enthusiast at each of the NSRA events with the “Thumpr Award.”

This award is presented to a vehi-cle and owner that stands out from the crowd and captures the true essence of American muscle and street rodding.

Unusual and unique builds, and en-gine combinations that set a car apart

from the norm are what the Thumpr Award is all about.

Each winner receives a custom tro-phy with the Thumpr rabbit.

The first NSRA event where a Thumpr Award is up for grabs will be the Southwest Street Rod Nationals on April 10–12 at the State Fair Park in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.


DIGITAL DETOURSITES APPS FORUMS TRENDS

With all of today’s technology, the digital world can be overwhelming. Let’s face it, with so many websites, fo-rums, apps, social media, and everything else out there, it can be pretty tough to navigate through it all to find the information you need.

Here at Street Rod Life, we’re constantly wading through all of that nonsense and have come up with some of the best sites, apps, and other resources to help you make it to the show.

ROAD TRIPRoad Trip is the fast-est and easiest app for tracking of your car’s fuel economy, mainte-nance history, and expenses.

This app is great for keeping everything you need all in one place.

It helps you keep track of expenses, main-tenance schedules, and lets you log your tires to track winter and sum-mer usage.

It lets you know what kind of fuel economy you are getting, which helps with the trip cost calculator, as well as fig-uring distance-to-empty.

The app takes all of that information and presents it to you in a comprehensive graph full of statistics — all on a single screen.

DigiHUD SPEEDOMETERDigiHUD Speedome-ter is a free GPS-based digital head up display (HUD) for Android that shows useful speed and distance information for your journey. This app is ideal if your vehicle’s speedometer has died or you want to verify your vehicle’s speed.

The display can be switched between nor-mal viewing and HUD mode, which mirrors the display for viewing as a reflection in a vehicle windshield (most useful at night, depending on the device’s brightness).

For more detailed information on these apps, including where to download them, head over to StreetRodLife.com.

APPs OF OUR EYE

youtube.com/StreetRodLifeYOUTUBE

@StreetRodLifeTWITTERfacebook.com/StreetRodLifeFACEBOOK

instagram.com/StreetRodLifeINSTAGRAM

Muscle every weekIf you love muscle cars, be prepared to spend a lot of time in front of the com-puter screen. This website has a massive video col-lection of incredible Mo-par, Ford, Chevy, and B-O-P iron ranging from rare cars to one-off racers. You can search through a list for your favorites or just sit back and start watching them all. Do yourself a fa-vor and sign up to get up-dates automatically.

musclecaroftheweek.com

Pontiac/Oakland infoThis is the home base for the Pontiac/Oakland Club (and GMC) with a wealth of information for members and friends. The site has a forum, classifieds, and plenty of data to connect owners and share their ve-hicles. Pontiac and Oak-land owners have a deep appreciation for the history of their cars and will help you with your restoration project or fill in the blanks of your vehicle’s history.

poci.org

All that is EdselIf you dig Edsels, or maybe are curious to learn more about the short-lived Ford off-shoot brand, this site has it all. Do you know the key points to recognize a ’58 from a ’59? How about the difference between a Bermuda wagon and a Vil-lager? You will, once you spend some time on this informative site. History, time lines, production, and resources for owners and enthusiasts.

edsel.com

History lesson in YpsiIn the historic town of Yp-silanti, Michigan, you’ll find the last operating Hudson dealer which now hous-es the town’s Automotive Heritage Museum. The mu-seum has some very cool vehicles on display and they’re actually right down the street from the original Tucker household (which is under restoration). If you’re into Tuckers, Kaiser Frazer, or Apex Motors, check out this gem of history.

ypsiautoheritage.org

Websites

Just for hot roddersA continuous list of ques-tions and answers about building a hot rod with threads based on suspen-sion, engine, interior, tools, and the basics. Everyone is on the same page and wants to help each other out. We searched out information on Slim Jim transmissions, juice brake updates, Strombergs, and more with a great num-ber of results. It’s all about hot rods and fun.

hotrodders.com/forum

Chevy truck fansIf you’re into Chevy trucks, this forum has everything you’ll need. The forums are broken out in years rang-ing from ’47 through mod-ern day rigs, but there’s an emphasis on the classics. Don’t let the domain name fool you, the site started with emphasis on ’67–’72 models, but has grown to include ’47–’59 pages, ’60–’66, the square bodies and newer models.

67-72chevytrucks.com

All about FlatheadsThis forum has the answers and info for everything about the Ford Flathead. Interest-ed in interacting with street rodders who cast their own Flathead parts? There’s a fo-rum for that. If you’re simply looking to research a strange intake or want the latest rac-ing updates for Flatties, look no further!

flatheadsrus.com

Stude siteNot only is this forum chock full of Stude-specific speak, it’s loaded with over 10,000 members that are ready, will-ing, and able to share their tips on everything Stude-baker. The backbone of the forum is the base for the Studebaker Drivers Club Inc., which has been around since 1962. Need info on a thermostat to fit a ’37 Presi-dent? How about the timing tab of a 259c.i. engine? Se-rious site for serious studes.

studebakerdriversclub.com

Forums

Street rodding news at your fingertipsStreet Rod Life has made it as easy as pos-sible for you to receive the information you are looking for in the format you feel most comfort-able with.

Whether you get your information on a laptop, tablet, or your phone,

we’ve got you covered so you can get the latest street rod information straight from the source.

Our content is up-dated daily, so check often with Street Rod Life through any of the social media options on the right.

We recently posed the question below to the 120,000+ fans of the Street Rod Life Facebook page. Passion runs deep in our hobby and we found responses that were, funny, poignant, or just downright crazy. Below is a hand-picked sampling of the best. Got an opinion on this matter? We want to hear it on Facebook.com/StreetRodLife or via any of our other social media channels listed below.

These are some of our favorite Twitter personalities. They’ll keep you entertained & informed about all things street rod.

@RRRawlings Richard Rawlings is the owner of Gas Monkey Garage and star of the Discov-ery channel show Fast N’ Loud, where Raw-lings and crew track down cars to restore and resell.

@chipfoose Chip Foose is a hot rod shop owner, automo-tive designer, and fabricator, as well as the star of the televi-sion series Overhaulin’. Follow him if you’d like to see as he works on his latest projects and showcases his completed builds.

@Kindigitdesigns Kin-dig-It Design based out of Salt Lake City, has been customizing and restoring hot rods for over 16 years. They can be see on Bitchin’ Rides on the Velocity channel. Follow these guys to see some cutting edge custom work.

@royboyprods Here is a great follow if you like to see photography of cus-tom cars and hot rods. Along with their photos they usually have links to their website where you can read more about the car featured in their tweet.

What do you think of the decision of many street rod shows opening up to post-’49 vehicles?

SOCIAL SPINFACEBOOK TWITTER MULTIMEDIA

ERIC JEFFRIESWhatever the reason for the change is not a concern, because these days people have different conditions on what they classify as a street rod. Its exact age is not an issue as is the way in which it is presented, or type of build. I grew up in the 70s and 80s and I have seen rods from the early 1900’s all the way up to present and have not had a problem considering them to be a street rod.

DANIEL HEEMANI’m a bit younger, and I own a ’37 Plymouth. That being said, I have love for al-most all cars. Exclusion shouldn’t happen. I would love a ’70 boss sitting next to mine. Two beautiful cars from two different eras. Both deserve attention.

ED BALCOMBThe National Street Rod Association says a street rod....is to 1948. Probably because of the straight axle being used. ’49 didn’t use it. BUT. MANY shows wouldn’t know what a street rod is if you parked it on the mayor. Sad…or...they don’t care. I’ve seen a lot of street rod classes with newer than ’48 cars in it.

SCOTT MCGLATHERYI think it is a good Idea to open up to at least to 1972. Anything more than 1972 is a waste. The Muscle Car Era is the Coolest to me!!

DOUGLAS STORYWhy not? Time moves on, shouldn’t the date of acceptable street rods move as well?

JAY GOUDELOCKI think it is a good idea to keep future generations involved.

GERALD BETTY THOMPSONGreat idea! It’s good to get a lot of young people like the NSRA was in the early ’60s and ’70s.

Street Rod Life is active on all major social networks and digital content publishing platforms. Join us as we spread the word about street rods around the world.

#MUSTFOLLOW

youtube.com/StreetRodLifeYOUTUBE

@StreetRodLifeTWITTER

facebook.com/StreetRodLifeFACEBOOK

pinterest.com/XcelerationPINTEREST

POPULARHere are some addtional articles that didn’t make the print issue, but are worth checking out. Search for these titles at StreetRodLife.com.

VEHICLE SHOWCASEContemporary Classic

World’s Wildest Willys Resurrected

A Brand Spankin’ New ’55 Chevy Pickup

Creature Comforts Hidden within a ’54 Buick

TECHInstallation of TCI 6X Six-Speed Transmission in Project “MaxStreet” Chevy

Big Cam on the Street? How to Improve Driveability

Contemporary Classic

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Record Runs at SunriseWitnessing sunrise over the Bonneville Salt Flats is truly a religious experi-ence. For racers, it’s extra special to behold, because it means you’re in the impound lot preparing to parade down to the starting line for your backup run and a new record. Could it really get any better than that?



VIDEO PLAYLISTRACING PRODUCTS ENTERTAINMENT

Video Playlist consists of interesting videos we came across on the Internet. Whether historical, funny, dramatic, or technical, we thought they might be of interest to our street rod community.

Art Morrison 1955 Bel AirThe Smoking Tire hits Supercar Sunday and the canyons with the Art Morrison 1955 Bel Air, one of the best-handling hot rods around. Watch as they toss this 60-year-old car through some of the tightest curves in California to find out if there really is such a thing as a hot rod for drivers.

youtu.be/QEZpnBAilCY

The Race of GentlemenHere is a video for you race fans. Hold onto your seats while vin-tage motorcycles and automobiles battle it out on the beach against the rising tides for your viewing pleasure. The video cap-tures all the fun that can be had during The Race of Gentlemen in Wildwood, New Jersey, on the first weekend of October.

youtu.be/Qz8VNE7B_18

Ron Berry’s CreationsWatch Ron Berry go for a spin in his cartoonish styled Volkswagen bus that you can see in this magazine on page 15.

youtu.be/XcgPuj5jt4I

SIGN UP TO KEEP UPSubscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with our original and curated video content that is updated frequently by the Street Rod Life editorial staff.

youtube.com/StreetRodLife

Behind the Scenes: Che’PonWant to see and hear more of the 1940 Chevy from our cover story? You’re in luck. We have video of the owner, John Callies, talking about the build process. Check out the parachute test on the interstate! For more on the Che’Pon see page 22.

vimeo.com/104944316

Scan QR Code to watch now!

STREETRODLIFE.COM 11

VIDEO PLAYLISTRACING PRODUCTS ENTERTAINMENT

1932 Ford Highboy RoadsterIn this episode of Jay Leno’s Garage, Jay talks about one of the most iconic hot rods of all time, the Ford Highboy roadster. This particular car is owned by Bruce Meyer and was actually the first hot rod to grace the cover of Hot Rod magazine.

youtu.be/_eqiSoO3zPI

Royals Hot Rod ClubHere is great short film about the New Zea-land hot rodding scene. In the video, we get to hear from members of the Royals hot rod club, and how they got into rod-ding. These guys love getting together to show off their rides with other fellow enthu-siasts, but enjoy keeping their meets small so it doesn’t take away from the joy.

youtu.be/6kwjsYjMt6w

Build Time LapseCheck out this time lapse of the entire build process for a 1951 Ford, right up un-til the reveal of the car at the Chattanooga stop of the 2013 Hot Rod Power Tour. There are over 26,000 photos shown in this vid-eo. It’s long, at over 15 minutes, but a rare glimpse at the making of a custom street rod, up close and personal.

youtu.be/xuhWtudk98k

Ricky Bobby’s Rod ShopThis video showcases a 1929 Ford Mod-el A hot rod, shot Ricky Bobby’s Rod Shop, where they built the car in thirty-three days. The old 49 Mercury Flathead engine run-ning isn’t the only cool feature. It’s all cool.

youtu.be/hLBXCzqeo88

Flame Show This one is fun to watch multiple times. Wild Thang, is probably one of the wildest street-driven hot rods around because of its crazy powerful engine. The 10-liter Arias engine with a BDS Blow-er puts out around 3000 horsepower and is capable of putting on quite the show with flames.

youtu.be/U2sxQTEKbyM

Satan’s Rat-RodMeet Gretchen, one of the coolest rat-rods we’ve ever seen and a ride that turns heads wherever it goes. The engine is out of a 1952 Diamond-Reo tractor and makes 1,640 lb.-ft. of torque. The chassis is pieced together from old light poles from the City of Hol-lywood. The body... that’s from a 1931 Ford.

youtu.be/xxRp1zFxKBY

Gasser Out Of Its ElementA 1957 Chevrolet gasser-style drag car runs the autocross and gets a surprisingly not terrible time. Despite its stance, it nev-er lifts a wheel off of the ground either. Of course, countless cones were run over due to visibility issues.

youtu.be/WbpRkil_6kc

RocketbirdWe love finding videos of beautiful custom rides and this one is no exception. Take a look at this elegantly-built ’62 Ford Thun-derbird out of New Zealand.

youtu.be/xEk94oIb42Y

Editor’s Note: With every issue of Street Rod Life, we’re going to ask a friend within the street rod community to pen a column about their life in cars. We were excited when Ron Ceridono said he’d be happy to explain where his love of engine exhaust notes started. You’ll recognize Ron from his technical articles in Street Rodder magazine and several books such a, The Complete Chrysler Hemi Engine Manual, A Guide to Building a ’32 Hot Rod, and his work with Tex Smith’s hot rod titles.

Like many little kids growing up in the early ’50s, I cruised the sidewalks of my neighborhood in a pedal car. There were impromptu races with my buddies

and Saturday mornings most of us washed our miniature cars, while our Dad’s did the same to their full size versions. Little did we know these were all signs of things to come.

About the time that some of us began paying attention to real cars, an old married couple, probably in their mid-twen-ties, moved into the neighborhood. They drove a baby blue ’49 Chevy with a split manifold and dual exhausts that could be heard from miles away.

To some on the block — namely most of the parents — that car just made noise. But to budding gearheads, it made mu-sic. Impressed not only by the sound, but the dual chrome tips that stuck out below the Chevy’s bumper, I asked Dad about putting dual pipes on my sidewalk rod and he obliged by hanging a pair of brass pipes on the tail end.

By the time the pedal car ended up in the garage rafters, the staccato of the Chevy six was eclipsed in my mind by the sound of my older brother’s ’37 Ford with dual Smithy mufflers. Not long after installing the twin pipes, a neighbor showed us how to use pennies to block off the heat risers in the block, which was supposed to increase performance but also resulted in a much sharper exhaust note.

He was the neighbor who had a Y-block powered ’54 Ford that rattled every window in town, thanks to an exhaust sys-tem made from a pair of early-Ford torque tubes without muf-flers. That car was cool and I loved the sound, al-though the local constab-ulary did not share my appreciation.

None-the-less, the die was cast and I was hooked on street rods and how they sounded.

The ’60s were a great time for the sounds of muscle cars. The exhaust note of the 409-powered Chevy be-longing to the rich kid a few blocks away was un-

mistakable, as was the rumble of the ’65 GTO a buddy got for a high school graduation present.

There were Mopars with wedge and Hemi motors that made a strange sort of echo in the pipes and even the 440 Cal-ifornia Highway Patrol cars sounded fierce. Big- and small-block Corvettes with the mufflers at the very back of the car had a sound of their own, and when equipped with side pipes they really made their presence known.

On the other hand, big-block Fords were surprisingly mel-low sounding, although the three twos on a 406 made their own special noise at wide open throttle — sort of like a dozen shop vacs sucking through a hose at the same time.

For those of us building cars on a kid’s budget back then, cheap glass packs were the mufflers of choice. Some guys chose to install them “backwards” or poured oil down through them so the packing would burn out making the mufflers into echo cans.

When the inevitable fix-it ticket for loud pipes was issued, the normal procedure was to yank the mufflers and put win-dow screen over the outlets. The next step was to grab all the scrubbing pads under the kitchen sink when your mother wasn’t looking and stuff them into the mufflers’ inlets. With any luck that quick fix would last long enough to get the ticket signed off before the screen failed and wads of steel wool start-ed blowing out of the pipes.

As rodders became more sophisticated sound control be-came more important, Corvair Turbo mufflers became pop-ular, thanks to reports that they toned down the exhaust note with no horsepower penalty. Soon everyone was using “Tur-bo” mufflers of some sort but it wasn’t long before true high performance mufflers hit the market.

Today, there are all sorts of performance mufflers and exhaust system components (including electrically operat-ed cutouts) that allow us to tune the exhaust note to match our personal preferences. There is no question the sound of

a street rod’s exhaust is important, and it’s probably a safe bet that the deep rumble a big V8 makes with mod-ern mufflers will always be popular — it is with me. But then I’ll always have a soft spot for a 6-cylinder with a split manifold — they’re both a big part of street rod life. SRL

with Ron Ceridono

Sounds of Street Rod Life

Not sure of the year, but my pedal car was first on the block with twin pipes.


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The Grand National Roadster show is an event that lives up to its name year after year by delivering prestige, his-tory, new trends, and all that is street rodding in one

weekend.The 66th consecutive running of the show, which started in

Oakland, California, was held January 23–25, at the Los An-geles County Fairplex in Pomona, California, where the build-ings and grounds were overrun with rods of all styles, forms, and designs.

We’ll help you with the math, it was 1950 when a small group of like-minded hot rodders put their best work on dis-play and vied for the title of America’s Most Beautiful Roadster. This award has continued through the years and still brings in the best of the best in roadster designs and execution.

This year, Larry Olson and his ’33 Ford, built by Alloway’s Hot Rod Shop, was awarded the well-earned title.

We were able to stroll through the numerous buildings with-in the Fairplex and take in miles of chrome, polish, and power.

Between buildings there were even more cars on display in the southern California climate, which was especially enjoyable for those out-of-towners from the northern states and countries.

The GNRS is a spectacular show that showcases the roots of street rods and how it continues to evolve with time.

Check out more coverage at StreetRodLife.com and to start planning for 2016, go to rodshows.com. SRL

GRAND NATIONAL ROADSTER SHOW

EVENT COVERAGE

This ’31 Ford roadster pickup is simply called “Ted’s Red Wagon” after (you guessed it) its owner and builder, Ted Davis. Dig the detailed Donovan Model D alumi-num 4-cylinder engine fit with a Pepco blower. The air charge is stuffed through an OHV head with two intake valves and a single exhaust valve. Cool details con-tinue with the use of a Halibrand quick change rearend, 12-inch Lincoln brakes up front, Vertex magneto, and several body modifications.


The 2015 title of America’s Most Beautiful Roadster went to Larry Olson and his ’33 Ford. The slick roadster was built by Alloway’s Hot Rod Shop and is loaded with subtle modifications that may very well go unnoticed by many. The front end has been stretched and the doors are actually from a sedan to provide a little more room. The list of metal work continues and under the hood is just as impressive, with a worked-over Red Ram Hemi, Stromberg’s, and a stealthy EFI system backed by a 5-speed Tremec. Congratulations to the crew at Alloway’s and to Larry.

America’s Most

Beautiful Roadster

Urban Hirsch’s ’27 Ford features original sheet metal that has been smoothed and modified by Chopit Kustoms, including the hand-formed alu-minum nose. The small-block Chevy was detailed and polished to the hilt. The yellow candy paint with contrasting red leather interior by Fat Lucky, just reaches out and grabs your attention.

“Psyco” is a fitting name for Mike Gordon’s 1,500-horsepower ’32 Roadster. The 428c.i. engine, assembled by Tom Nelson, huffs through two big turbos to create obscene power. JT En-terprise built the car with credit going to Jason Bryant for the fab and paint work to bring the car to life from a design by Mark Cerquone.

Bob Pierson’s ’36 Ford was on the cover of Hot Rod magazine in August of 1948 while it was running Competition Coupe. That’s Volume 1, Is-sue 8, and now it was sitting in the 66th GNRS show, thanks to its owner Jim Bobowski and the team at South City Rod and Custom in Hayward, California, where the coupe was restored to its record-setting glory on the dry lakes. Jim was awarded the Bruce Meyer Hot Rod Preservation Perpetual Trophy for 2015.

Ron Berry’s ’65 VW Bus was placed in the Radical Van class and with good reason. This bus was more like a sculpture than an automobile, with radical custom work throughout, including a supercharged Volkswagen in the rear!


The World’s Wildest Willys was built by the Mura brothers and this very truck won the 1965 America’s Most Beautiful Competition Coupe at the GNRS! The truck is now owned by Kevin and Sheila Doolittle and was restored by Jesse Gonzalez at Street Toys in Juarez, Mexico. Go to StreetRodLife.com for a feature on this mysteri-ous, cool piece of history.

Another amazing original survivor is the Woody Lee T. The car was built in 1949 and entered in the inaugural GNRS, then was raced (with a 296c.i. Merc, Navarro heads and Winfield cam) and shown throughout the late ’60s, where it fell into a long hibernation until being pulled out of storage in 2013.

Smooth and sexy is only a start to describing Chris Jensen’s ’52 Bel Air.

Meanwhile in the Gasser class, the ’50 Anglia of Dennis Brown had many people in agreement with the name of the blown sedan.

For the 5-6-7 crowd, feast your eyes on Dan Duffy’s 210 ’56 Chevy. Dan made the trek from Marietta, Georgia to take part in the show.

This ’56 Chevy goes by the handle “Miss Taboo” and has had a little nip and tuck here and there. The old girl has a grille from a ’54 Chevy and bumpers from a ’59 along with the roof scoop from the same Impala. The headlamps are from a ’57 Chrysler, suicide doors, short-ened trunk lid, and custom-made trim.

You’re not seeing double. You’re seeing a Lincoln Zephyr with two grilles. This was a custom build for unknown reasons and the topic of much debate, including added cool-ing for the V-12 engine or simply aesthetics. Either or, it’s an amazing piece of history and innovation.

Kev Elliot built the NotSo Special as a project car in Rod & Custom magazine (RIP) and ran it at El Mirage. With only five runs to its credit, the truck ran a best of 146.389 mph with a stock Ford 2.0L Zetec and Garret turbo. We’re anxious to see what Kevin and the rig have in store for this year.


Don’t be surprised if you see and hear Randy Manning haul by you in his dual quad big block, transmission wrecking, straight axle ’55. The beautiful wagon sees regular duty on the Califor-nia highways and stops at the Ontario airport.

Richard Zocchi’s ’57 Ford was in the Radical Hardtop class for good reason. An amazing custom.

Texans love their pickups and Jason McPike of Spring, Texas, brought his ’47 Hudson out to the GNRS to share with the left coast.

If you’re a fan of the ’40 Ford, the GNRS was the place to be with a collection of tudors, coupes, and pickups to celebrate 75 years of the classic design.

Jim Ramirez has a perfect recipe going with a six pack of carbs atop a blower bolted to a Nailhead wedged into a ’36 Ford pickup.

We caught Troy Ladd of Hollywood Hot Rods being interviewed about their hand made Mulholland Speedster project that was simply amazing to look over. The curves and details were all presented bare. Mmmm…curves.

The goal for the Mint T ’27 Roadster that Dawn and Dustin Smith of Spokane, Washington, built was to have a runabout style roadster that could have been built in the early ’40s. A four banger from a ’31 Model A is used for power.

Stuart Roch can haul hot rod parts around all day long in his sweet little ’35 Ford.

Looking to start a new project? Brookville Roadster was on hand to answer questions and fill orders.

For even more pictures from the 2015 Grand National Roadster show head over to StreetRodLife.com


If you read any car magazines or get out to many events, you’ve probably seen the rides of Pure Vision. Steve Strope is the proprietor, visionary, and man behind the builds that roll out of his Simi Valley, California, shop. This year, Pure Vision is celebrating 20 years of craft-ing ground-breaking automotive vehicles, while earning some incredible accolades and fea-tures, as well as setting some trends through the industry.

Steve started building cars as a business after taking his ’66 Charger known as Skully on one of the first Power Tours. People, including staffers at Hot Rod, Mopar Muscle, and others, took note of the unique styling of the Charger and the car ended up being named one of Hot Rod’s top 10 cars of the year. That road trip was the beginning of Steve’s own road map into business.

Hot Rod tapped him for a project El Camino with Gumout, then came Challenger X, which was also chosen as a Top Ten of the year in 2001 by Hot Rod (and driven on Power Tour), followed by Dust Ya, a ’71 Duster (another HR top 10 of the year), and a striking red ’72 Plymouth known as the GTX-R. The cars shared a common theme of simplicity, detailed engine compartments, and restraint. Nothing over the top — stylish and smooth, by doing more with less. By the turn of the century, Pure Vision was a name to be reckoned with as builders, fabricators, and designers.

The Pure Vision team hasn’t slowed down. In fact, at the 2015 Grand National Roadster Show they were awarded the Best Street Machine of the Show for their amazing Black Ops ’67 Ford Fairlane. We were able to corner Steve to pick his brain about getting started in this business and what he thinks about the hot rod industry.

with STEVE STROPE

When did you know that designing and building cars was what you wanted to do for a living? I never planned on doing this, but I’ve always been and will always be a car guy.

My first goal was music and I did the recording, the touring, the playing for a few years, but when you’re in a band you have to rely on other people and their visions. That’s tough.

I finally ended up going for a job in the hot rod world, packed up all of my belongings, and made the move from upstate New York to California.

Problem is, when I got to Califor-nia, the place I worked for closed their doors in just a couple months, leaving me with nearly nothing.

Eventually I built a ’66 Charger, did some groundwork by marketing it to the magazines with a rendering and the goal of taking it on the Power Tour (this is in ’96 or ’97).

Hot Rod ran the rendering, we took the car, it was a hit on the trip, and made the cover of Mopar Muscle plus it was one of Hot Rod’s top 10 cars of the year.

That Power Tour was key as I met a lot of people on that trip that helped get me started.

The next thing I knew, I was build-ing an El Camino for a Hot Rod proj-ect giveaway car and that’s when things started rolling.

Do you have any mentors or main influences that sent you down this career path?I’d have to say that my main influence is Scott Sullivan. He is the man. No one can make a car sit and look right like Scott can.

Just look at his Cheeze Whiz ’55 Chevy. It’s just a big ball of taste. The way he approaches a car is just right. He pays attention to what he wants you to see and what he doesn’t want you to see. All of his cars are just right.

What do you think about the influx of car-building shows that are on these days? As a business owner and builder, I don’t see much TV. However, what shows I have seen, several are passable. The rest seem scripted, fake, and phony.

That said, I understand why they’re like that and why they’re on. I liked the show Rides when it was on years ago and how the show docu-mented the entire build of a car. That was cool, which is why I agreed to

film with them in the build of Ham-mer, a ’70 Road Runner.

What advice would you give a young designer or builder today? To be successful at any job demands a lot of work and sacrifice. In the car world, you need to master two sides: You need to be an artist for the car, and you need to be a businessman for the company.

It’s a never-ending battle on man-aging time and money with a build. Unless you have a partner that keeps up with the business side of things, be ready to wear a lot of hats other than just the builder.

When I was shooting for success in the music business, my dad made me

take business management courses in college, which was a good thing to do. I highly recommend anyone learn the management side of things. It will help immensely with accounting, employees, shop insurance, and more.

Another important aspect, and yet another hat to wear, is marketing yourself and the cars. Get professional renderings made with details about the build for the media — and follow through.

Do you have a favorite car that you’ve built — and a favorite one that you haven’t built yet? It would be hard to name a favorite build, how can you choose? It would be like saying which of your kids is your favorite.

As for cars that I haven’t built yet, I have two in my head that I really want to build. They’re two “what ifs” and one is a bookend to the Martini Mus-tang. The other, you’ll just have to wait and see.

We haven’t seen your latest cars embracing modern engine archi-tecture (the Fairlane, Martini, TT Camaro, 515 GTB all had vintage or traditional engines). What gives? When I design a car, each one has a the-oretical back story. There’s a reason for every piece and part on these cars and newer engines just don’t fit the bill.

Take the Martini Mustang for ex-ample: The back story is that Ford had recently had success at Indy and

during the Tour de France in the mid-’60s.

What if some big-wigs at Ford want-ed to get some endurance testing done with their new 4-cam Indy engine? We put together a vehicle designed with our vision of what Shelby and Ford may have developed as a race/development car to run across Europe.

Would a Coyote or Mod Motor work with this vision? No.

Look at the ’67 Fairlane as well. The concept is a covert R&D vehicle from ’67. It just had to be an SOHC engine.

The engine MUST go with the theme of the car. Old engines are cool and have a heritage that is lasting.

Do you have any favorite builders these days? Who and why?Dave Lane of FastLane Rod Shop is bad ass. That ’34 he did for Poteet is just how to do it. The execution, the re-straint, and the Nailhead for the engine choice is just right on. That car is just a sweetheart.

Building a complete car for a customer can be a fairly personal experience. How do you go about coming up with a theme or design for a customer? It depends entirely on the customer. I’ve gone through both directions.

The Mustang I had planned in my head and explained it to a few guys, and out of the blue someone called and said let’s build it.

The other way is when a custom-er comes in with a car and knows the combination they want, then we work it from there.

For the Fairlane, the owner want-ed that car and an SOHC engine. We didn’t want to do another AFX car, and after sleepless nights the concept of the hidden R&D car just struck me.

Does anything surprise you in the world of street rods and muscle cars anymore? There are certainly still things that raise my eyebrows in our industry, but mostly it has to do with the details and amazing fab work that go into a build more so than the complete car.

I prefer restraint and knowing when to say when over some of the more over-the-top builds and details you see on some cars. I understand the place for it, but when I see subtle done right, it’s just right.

One thing that is very important to me is to build cars that cannot be dated. I like to think than when you look at the Martini Mustang in 15 years, someone would have to guess at what year it was built. I don’t want them to be dated by the styles and popular looks of the day. That is very important.

If you could build a car for yourself, no holds barred or budget, what would it be and how would it be built? It’s in my head, but you’re going to have to wait for it. I’ll give you a hint, it’s a Buick and it’ll be built someday. SRL

purevisiondesign.com


Without a variety of bolts, nuts, washers, and screws, we would all just have a big pile

of parts lying on the floor of the garage. It’s the fasteners that hold all of these

chunks of metal together that allow us to build, play, and drive our street rods.

With that in mind, it is crucial to se-lect the correct fastener for each appli-cation, from head bolts to wheel studs, and each one must be properly installed.

To learn more about retainers, we turned to the experts at Automotive Rac-ing Products, Inc. (ARP), for their input. ARP have been manufacturing high per-formance fasteners for nearly 50 years, and have a strong working relationship with leading car builders, race teams, and engine builders the world over.

When you select a bolt, there are at least a dozen parameters that come into play: material, strength, pitch, num-ber of threads per inch, grip diameter, thread diameter, underhead grip, thread

lengths, head design, wrenching size, head height, and collar diameter.

The strength of a bolt obvious-ly plays an important role in the selec-tion process, as the stronger the bolt the more clamping force can be achieved.

Most ordinary bolts are made of low- or medium-grade carbon alloy steel that’s been tempered to varying degrees.

These are identified by markings on the head; plain indicates SAE Grade 1 or 2 (nominally rated at 60,000 psi tensile strength), three marks are used for SAE Grade 5 (120,000 psi), and six hash marks represent SAE Grade 8 (150,000 psi).

ARP’s polished stainless steel or black oxide finished 8740 chrome moly accesso-ry bolts are both nominally rated at 170,000 psi — substantially stronger than Grade 8.

The added benefit of the stainless steel (which is a proprietary alloy) is that it won’t chip, peel, or rust as is of-ten the case with ordinary steel bolts (especially chrome plated ones).

101FASTENERSQuick guide to choosing fasteners


From there, ARP offers bolts made of heat-treated 8740 chrome moly and more exotic alloys. These are nominal-ly rated from 200,000 to 280,000 psi, depending upon the material, heat treat-ment, and application.

These are the retainers that are typ-ically used for the hardcore areas of an engine such as attaching cylinder heads, main caps, and connecting rods.

For most automotive applications lock washers should not be used. Flat washers should be employed to prevent the bolt from “digging” into the item be-ing secured, especially if it’s aluminum, and provide a known friction value for applying proper torque.

Split washers are counterproductive and should be avoided when any degree of preload is being applied.

It’s important to note that a fasten-er acts similar to a spring, as it must be stretched in order to exert tension. That is why you may hear of using a stretch gauge in certain extreme appli-cations today.

A bolt will stretch, which generates a certaing clamping load, and if you go be-yond its limit, that load — and the bolt — will be compromised.

As an example, a typical small-block Chevy rod bolt made of 8740 chromoly

must be stretched about .006 inches to achieve a 10,000-pound preload.

When it comes to a bolt’s head there are pros and cons for both standard hex and 12-point designs.

As a rule, 12-point heads, especially “reduced wrenching” models, are better suited for use in tight quarters. There is also the fact that torqueing force can be applied more efficiently with a 12-point.

The primary consideration centers on what tools can be employed to apply the torque.

A popular rule of thumb is “If you can’t get a socket wrench on it, use a hex.” This is especially true in tight quarters where limited vertical clearance prevents slipping a box end wrench over the head.

There are numerous applications where studs can be used in lieu of bolts as well, such as the attachment of cylin-der heads, main caps, headers, oil pans, valve covers, and the like.

There are obviously pros and cons for both. For the most part, ARP’s tech reps recommend studs.

One important reason is that studs are “easier” on threads, especially on alu-minum, than bolts. Another is that studs serve to precisely guide and locate gas-kets and components, making the assem-bly process that much quicker.

ARP catalogs what is clearly the world’s largest se-lection of high per-formance fasteners in three basic for-mats: by engine, by application, and by size.

To make it easy to dress up most any engine, ARP serves up an Engine & Accessory Fas-tener Kit that cov-ers a dozen differ-ent functions (valve covers, oil pan, in-take manifold, front cover, etc.)

It’s amazing what a difference a set of good looking fasteners will do to your engine detailing, and they have them in a variety of coatings and styles of heads.

If you’re working on some oddball engine application and can’t find a kit for it. ARP offers a wide listing of bolts in handy 5-packs by size.

These range from hefty 1/2-inch di-ameter bolts that come in lengths up to 6-inches, down to a series of newly-in-troduced 10-32 stainless steel 12-point bolts that fit a variety of applications (from Edelbrock carb bowls to brake and fuel line clamps).

It’s important to be mindful of prop-erly torqueing each fastener, as the de-sired clamping force can only be achieved when sufficient preload is applied.

Since all fasteners are subject to “pre-load scatter” (varying preloads caused by friction in the threads or lubricant), ARP developed Ultra-Torque — an ul-tra-consistent fastener lubricant that as-sures getting within 95–100 percent of the desired preload on the first (and any subsequent) pull of the torque wrench.

It’s also important to have your torque wrench checked for accuracy.

The bottom line, of course, is that selecting the right fastener for the right job, followed by accurate installation is key to long-term engine and component reliability. SRLSource: ARP, arp-bolts.com

SAE-8SAE-5SAE-2 1. Underhead length2. Thread length3. Grip length4. Thread diameter5. Grip diameter6. Wrenching (size wrench to use)7. Head height8. Collar diameter

APR offers six different sizes of stainless steel

bolts ranging from a sturdy 1/2-inch diameter down to 10-32 sizes in a

number of lengths.

Most bolts are identified by markings on their head. Grade 8 is the strongest and has six hash marks, Grade 5 has three marks, and Grade 1 or 2 have none. Be sure to use a proper grade bolt when it comes to important suspension, brakes, safety harnesses, and of course the driveline.

A 1940 Chevy that honors theGREATEST GENERATION


Words/Photos Louis Kimery

When an automotive engineer takes on a personal street rod project, you might expect

some interesting details to emerge from the build, but John Callies’ Che’Pon takes detail to a whole new level.

John has been involved with auto-mobiles his entire life. His penchant for engineering and fabrication began at an early age when he started visiting the vo-cational school where his father taught future tradesmen.

Soon after, a 7-year-old John want-ed his own welding set. His father sug-gested he find a job first, so the budding craftsman became a paperboy.

Before long, John was welding with his newly-acquired Victor welding kit, and has never looked back.

A series of homebuilt hot rods coin-cided with a formal college education as an automotive engineer.

John’s personal automotive projects have always been a bit different from the mainstream. For example, there was the ’48 Anglia that competed at the drags as a C/gasser and doubled as his daily driver.

He drove that Anglia to a new job in Illinois, and Chicago’s street racing scene was forever altered.

Later, after relocating to Los Ange-les, he found a tiny 1937 Simca and converted it into a pocket road racer powered by a Pontiac 303c.i. Trans Am engine.

Brutally fast with V8 power and an 80-inch wheelbase, the southern Cali-fornia sports car set is still trying to fig-ure what hit them forty years later.

John has an affinity for Pontiac moti-vation, which comes naturally after a 21-year career with the Pontiac Motor Di-vision of General Motors. During this

time, John served as the director of Pon-tiac Motorsports for 10 of those years.

He worked closely with many of Amer-ican auto racing’s brightest stars. Racing legends like Richard Petty, Dale Earn-hardt, and Rusty Wallace brought victory to Pontiac on the NASCAR circuit, while Don Prudhomme and Butch Leal domi-nated the NHRA racing Pontiacs.

Pontiac support also helped IMSA racers find their way to the winner’s cir-cle with Fiero GTU/GTP race cars.

When the Fiero was selected to serve as the pace car for the 1984 Indy 500, John was the development engineer, and was chosen to lead the pack at the Brick-yard as its driver.

When John left Pontiac, he began an engineering odyssey that brought his skills to some of the best-known names in the performance business.

From his own crankshaft company,

to Lunati Cams and Morel Lifters, John is still embedded as a key player in the performance industry today.

When John initially acquired the white 1940 Chevrolet Deluxe coupe — that would later become Che’Pon — it was intended to be a fun cruiser for he and his wife Rose, but then he decided to make a few improvements.

Nine years and 8,000 hours of labor later, we can now see what all the effort brought, and how an engineer brings his ideas to fruition.

The first thing to notice is the un-usual name, coined by Rose, which is an amalgamation of Chevrolet (Che) and Pontiac (Pon).

This particular Chevrolet coupe has received numerous modifications, and is now powered by an all-aluminum Pon-tiac race motor assembled from some of the treasures of John’s long association with the brand.

So now you know you know why it’s a Che’Pon.

The aviation-inspired theme of the car gives a nod to the venerable P-51 Mustang, and is intended as a tribute to America’s WWII veterans and the Unit-ed States Army Air Corps.


The aluminum paneling, the bomber jacket leather seat upholstery, the nose-art airbrushing and USAAC insignias, all contribute to the respectful salute that John is making to America’s Great-est Generation with his hot rod. Even an F-105 Thunderchief rear-view mirror made it’s way into the interior.

The motor is one of the highlights of the car, and consists of a Keith Black aluminum block fitted with a set of alu-minum cylinder heads that John spear-headed the development of during his tenure at Pontiac.

These heads were originally intend-ed for Pro Stock drag racing, and feature

Dale Eicke porting technology and spe-cialized valvetrain components.

The rotating as-sembly includes a Callies crank and rods, with a set of Wiseco 10:1 pistons.

A COMP Cams bumpstick regulates valve action, and an MSD ignition (with a FAST controller) keeps the fire lit in each cylinder.

The one-off fuel injection intake manifold is a Pontiac-Kinsler collabora-tion from the IMSA GTP program.

The dry sump oiling system and handmade headers, coated with Caps

Brite Hot, were all fabbed by John in his well-equipped home shop.

The net result is a 557c.i. monstrosity with a 4.25-inch stroke and a

4.56-inch bore. An honest 750 horsepower is ready at 6200 rpm, with an ad-

ditional 300 horses avail-able via the trunk mount-ed nitrous oxide system.

The visual impact of the big V8 is further aug-

mented by a beautiful set of CNC-ma-chined valve covers that feature a Cloisonné emblem of the famed Pon-tiac Indian Chief on each cover.

The transmission is a G-Force 6-speed coupled to the engine with a du-al-disc Quarter Master clutch.

The power is sent to a hand fabri-cated rear-end housing with Mark Wil-liams axles. A Mark Williams-forged, 9-inch third member is equipped with an Eaton Tru-Trac, and a Richmond 4.77 ring and pinion.

The chassis is another work of art that demands close inspection. Hand fabricated 4-inch boxed tubing with a 4-link rear suspension and Watts link, along with a custom front sus-pension of John’s own design, keeps Che’Pon pointed in the right direc-


tion and all that power firmly planted on the tarmac.

Of particular note is the full 12-point roll cage that is fully integrated into the body and provides 120,000 pounds of torsional stiffness per degree of twist, as well as a substantial safety enhancement.

Colorado Custom whittled up a Che’Pon-specific set of aluminum wheels with special offset to accommodate the tires within the widened rear fenders, which were widened by 1.5-inches, and another 1.5-inches were gained with a modest wheel tub.

Further body modifications are plenty but require a second look to fully grasp.

The rear fender openings are con-toured for the lower profile tires, and new widened aluminum running boards were fabricated to bring the rear fenders to the front in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

The entire front end tilts forward to reveal the big Poncho engine. All of the original steel body panels were used, making it appear as it did from the facto-ry, but a tubular skeleton and 27 alumi-num panels complete the front end from the inside.

It fits like a glove, and its release is ac-tuated by a pair of Honda 125 motorcy-cle struts, which makes for a very preci-sion tilting mechanism.

Newly-fashioned bullnose trim was diligently crafted for the tilt front. New stainless trim, hood grills, and cus-tom Cloisonné emblems are installed throughout the car. Aluminum bumpers are used front and rear. One-piece door glass was used.


Electronic innovations are abundant on Che’Pon. An LCD video display pan-el is mounted in the trunk. A FAST EFI computer regulates the fuel injection system and traction control, while a sec-ond custom-built computer provides in-formation and entertainment through the sound system and interior display.

The car is a rolling Wi-Fi hub, and a full complement of LCD lighting is used inside and out.

A full brace of Classic Instruments gauges are installed in the original dash.

A roof-mounted console provides controls for many of the cars special-ized functions, while the NOS sys-tem and line-lock are both actuated through the hand fabricated aircraft style steering wheel.

The Che’Pon made its public debut this past November at the 2014 SEMA show in Las Vegas.

John has been busy shaking down the new setup and intends to participate in several events throughout the coming year.

“Every car I’ve ever owned gets driv-en,” Callies says. “The intent with this car is to be able to go to the drags, an au-tocross, or drive it across the country.”

Keep your radar trained on this bril-liant blue hot rod, and be prepared to spend considerable time examining its many details. SRL


If there is one area of a street rod that remains shrouded in mys-tery for many owners, it’s the ignition system. “For some reason when ignition problems arise, even the

most confident of builders get scared and run,” says Terry Johnson, Product Manager at Crane Cams. “Something goes wrong and out comes that deer in the headlights look.”

Crane Cams followed their camshaft success with a series of industry breakthroughs, starting with the first digital aftermar-ket ignition in 1995.

Consecutive innovations include the first drop-in digital points replacement, the first adjustable distributor with 27 advance curves, and they were the first to use fiber optic trigger signals.

In short, they know a thing or two about lighting a spark plug, and Johnson was just the brain to pick for answers to our questions.

However, regardless of how far technology has come, the basic principle of creating enough electricity to initiate com-bustion and push down a piston remains the same.

The Early DaysThough conceived in the mid-1600’s, forays into developing the internal combustion engine really began to rev up in the mid-to-late 1800s with the onset of electricity.

Harnessing this powerful new technology was exciting, and soon found its way into the hands of those experimenting with methods of propulsion.

Igniting a mixture inside a piston bore proved effective, and the need for a longer and hotter spark at the time of ignition was quickly realized.

Identifying a need in the absence of an established technol-ogy, the solution was very straightforward and came in the form of a magneto.

A spinning magnet inside a tightly-wound coil of wires produces a current inside the wires that builds up within a circuit, and then es-capes (or discharges) when that circuit is broken.

This current was found to arc across a gap, causing a spark that lasted until the charge was depleted enough to not be able to power across that gap. Think of it as built-up water bursting across an open gap in a pipe.

This happens very quickly, and the need for a longer spark duration led to a method of holding or reserving more elec-tricity to send across the gap.

Thus, the mysterious capacitor, or con-denser, was born. We’ll get to that in a bit.

Revolution of the DistributorWhile magnetos provided a solution, they had a few shortcomings. Foremost, they needed to turn to create energy, so starting was a problem.

SPARKFollow that

Technology has changed, but the premise still remains, a street rod needs a good spark

Words Brandon Flannery/Photo Jason Graham

Magnetos were the earliest forms of ignition systems. They create their own spark energy by spinning a

magnet inside a coil of wiring, but are dependent upon engine rpm to operate, so starting is a problem.


Capacitor basicsCapacitors store a reserve of en-ergy to release when the points contact breaks. This reserve of energy is included in the col-lapse of the magnetic field and increases the duration of the spark across the plug gap.

It stores energy in a reso-nating cycle, similar to a tuning fork. Energy is stored in the ca-pacitor’s electric field. This en-ergy charges the field of coiled wires as current flows through the inductor portion of the cir-cuit, creating magnetic energy.

The electric current reach-es the capacitor plates, which breaks the field. This revers-es the polarity (and basically

direction), returning it back through the magnetic coil field, inducing magnetic ener-gy again, until it reaches the other plate.

At the other plate, the en-ergy goes through the same process — reversing polarity, and traveling back towards the first plate. This happens again and again, tens of thousands to billions of times per second and stores enough energy to increase the spark duration once the points are broken.

You can see that discharg-ing a capacitor carries a risk of shock, and they should be handled carefully.

Model T ignitions solved this by using dry cells and an electric buzzer to provide enough elec-tricity to start the engine and get the magneto up to a productive speed.

Spark timing was delivered through a “timer” on the front of the engine, and was manually adjusted with a lever on the steering wheel. Timing was re-tarded for lower compression to aid in starting and then advanced for optimum performance.

With the advent of car batteries, mag-netos were replaced with systems that borrowed low-voltage energy from the battery and increased it enough for a usable spark through a transformer. This would be the coil.

Inside the coil, two layers of wiring are wound around an iron core. The first layer magnetizes with battery current until it gathers enough energy for a spark and then a contact breaker opens.

This breaks the circuit and the magnetic field col-lapses. The severe rate of discharge causes a change in the magnetic field of the iron core, inducing, or creating a high-er voltage in the second layer of wiring.

Now, prior to the contact breaker opening, some of that extra current gathering in the first layer was diverted into a capacitor.

The capacitor and the second layer form a tuned circuit that can hold energy like a reservoir. This stored energy, from the breaker-induced collapse, oscillates back and forth in the cir-cuit, inducing, or creating a much higher voltage.

Now we have enough spark to fire the plug, a required range around 20,000 to 50,000 volts. (See the sidebar for a closer look at how a capacitor works, they’re pretty interesting, and you will finally understand why they can shock you. Literally.)

For the record the first reliable system of this kind was de-veloped by Charles Kettering of the Dayton Engineering Labo-ratories Co. (Delco) and debuted in the 1910 Cadillacs.

With enough spark built up, the evolution of the contact breaker, or the points, and the means to get that spark to the right cylinder at the right time quickly followed.

Electrical Energy FieldEnergy reversespolarity at the capacitor plates

Electricalenergy

inducesmagnetic

energy

HEI fans can upgrade their entire distributor with Crane’s new Performance HEI unit that drops right in. Features include a high performance coil, positive stop fly weights for accuracy, and a vacuum canister advance system that can be adjusted and limited. They’ve also taken great effort to minimize end play.

Distributors were refined, incorporating the ability to adjust the moment of spark automatically depending on conditions.

One of the two methods of achieving this goal is mechanical advance, which uses centrifugal force to move weights on a spring to pull (or rotate) the points

plate around the spinning distributor shaft thereby ad-vancing the ignition timing.

The second method used to alter the ignition timing was a vacuum signal from the manifold and a diaphragm to pull or rotate the points plate. Both were dependent upon

operating conditions and had their unique weaknesses. Though these systems lasted well into the 1970s, they

required maintenance, as voltage quality was dependent upon the effectiveness of the precise operation of the

breaker points. Understandably under a lot of stress, contact points were

subject to oxidization from the spark and mechanical wear of the nylon cam follower that slowly decreased the spark gap.

Pontiac’s Delcotronic system made the leap to a breakerless Electronic Ignition in 1968, using a Hall Effect sensor that re-sponded to rotating magnets on the distributor. Within a few years, electronic distributors were available as standard equip-ment in all domestic vehicles. Within another 10–15 years, dis-tributors were replaced by crank angle sensors and coil packs.

The Modern WorldToday’s modern engines are distributor-free and are controlled by an electronic Engine Management System that orchestrates fuel delivery and timing control through a number of sensors and information.

These sophisticated systems can now account for a number of different factors or situations, and even tailor independent timing moments for individual cylinders.


A collection of sensors gather data which is then processed for the most optimum spark moment, greatly increasing fuel ef-ficiency and performance.

Calculating the ideal timing required is half the equation, but a high voltage is still required to ignite the fuel mixture in the combustion chamber and coils are still the source of the spark.

Today’s coils are much smaller and remotely mounted, and many systems use one coil per cylinder.

Innovation and the quest for efficiency has even eliminated the ubiquitous spark plug wires with the development of Coil-On Plug technology. It’s now a straight shot from the coil to the plug.

These modern systems are increasingly found on engines used in street rods. Many of these modern engines serve as a base to be hopped up for more horsepower, bigger dis-placements, better intake systems, superchargers, turbos, and even nitrous.

More fuel needs more spark and better control. As high tech as these systems have become, the aftermarket has quickly re-sponded with bigger and better solutions.

Additionally, as evolved as they are, they still require some timeless attention.

“A lot of guys think they can build a car, install the igni-tion system, and then walk away,” says Johnson. “That’s not the case. While the life cycles have expanded with better tech-nology, they still degrade. Plug wires in particular, still fatigue, sometimes with very little visual clues.

“Like any system, if the parts are not optimized and dialed in to work in unison, it doesn’t matter if you throw money at it or not, it’s simply not going to perform well. Even some-thing as simple as periodically checking the battery and chas-sis grounds — those are easy to overlook — can grossly affect the integrity of the electrical system.”

So, as we head off into the unknown future of wireless tun-ing from iPhones and touchpad systems, street rodders can uti-lize some of these advanced technologies in their own cars.

Modern crate engine swaps can benefit from upgraded af-termarket components like higher quality coils and high per-formance spark plug wires, such as Crane’s FireWire series for LS applications.

Older cars can run a little stronger thanks to Crane’s new rane’s new XR-i digital points replacement which also has a built-in rev limiter. Crane’s vastly improved HEI distributors are made to exacting specifications that eliminate inaccuracies in advance-weight bounce and shaft end play.

Street rodders can also benefit from standalone inductive ig-nitions that offer great low- to mid-range performance, rev lim-iters, and hotter spark ranges.

Some ignitions even offer in-car adjustability, allowing the driver to retard the timing during starting in high performance applications, and advance under operating conditions.

After all this time, the feature found on the Model T has come full circle, only this time, out of preference and not ne-cessity. SRLSource: Crane Cams, cranecams.com

For all-out ignition performance, Crane’s HI-6S ignition and coil kits deliver up to 70-percent more spark energy than stock systems and feature a built-in rev limiter that drops cylinders in a sequential order to prevent fuel loading.

A lot of guys think they can build a car, install the ignition system, and then walk away. That’s not the case.”

“

Spark plug wires are a common point of failure for ignition systems. High quality wires like Crane’s 8.0mm FireWire series use a reac-tive core rather than a suppression core and double silicone layers to transmit up to 50 percent more energy. More energy equals better spark and more power.

Crane was the first to bring a more accurate electronic re-

placement for traditional points systems. Their XR-i electronic conversion installs easily with

only two wires and keeps an OE appearance. An adjustable rev

limiter is a bonus.

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As winter winds down across the Midwest, street rod-ders are chomping at the bit to roll up the garage door, dust off their ride and pull it out into the warming sun.

Meanwhile in the south and western regions, races including NASCAR and NHRA, and car shows are kicking off their 2015 seasons.

For lucky street rodders in the southwest and west coast, the Goodguys Rod and Custom Association is preparing for an-other year of hot rod fun. Goodguys launches its 32nd season with the Spring Nationals on March 13–15 in Scottsdale, Ari-zona — the same place where they wrapped up their 2014 sea-son in mid-November.

The two Arizona events bookend the upcoming 21 stops across the USA and includes a number of different road trips and tours.

The first three events all take place in March with stops in Ft. Worth, Texas, from March 20–22, and in Pleasanton, California, the home town headquarters for Goodguys, on March 28–29.

Thirteen events welcome cars and trucks of ’72 and older vintage, while eight shows have an added All-American Sunday, which accept all years and makes of American made or pow-ered cars and trucks.

The 2015 schedule expands with an all new show in Ra-leigh, North Carolina, from April 17–19, and a return to Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green, Kentucky, on September 18–20 for an event that will include Vintage Drag Racing.

If you’re not a vintage racer, don’t worry, because Goodguys also hosts an autocross track at 17 of its events and is open to any show participant, so you have no excuses not to give it a try.

We’ve been to a number of Goodguys events — including the 2014 season finale in Scottsdale — and thought we’d give you a taste of what the season kickoff event will look like with a few shots from that huge show.

We’ll also have coverage and news from a number of Good-guys events this year, but you should definitely make plans to get out to a show in your region. Check out their entire 2015 schedule at good-guys.com. SRL

GOODGUYS 2015 Season

EVENT PREVIEW

http://www.good-guys.com


Who doesn’t like a casual walk through the swap meet on Saturday morning…only to go back later in the day to see if the prices have dropped on that intake setup or headers that you were eyeballing for the next project? Goodguys always has a swap meet to buy, sell, or simply window shop.

We thought this wild custom ’40 Ford pickup barn find was a pretty cool piece of history. The custom tilt front end, tri-power Nailhead, and crazy dash were all built in the mid ’60s. Asking price was $10,000, but it was still there on Sunday afternoon. What would you pay?

This ’51 Mercury sled has it all: chopped, smoothed, stretched, lake pipes, whites, and huge chrome up front. Owner Howard Blackburn of Peoria, Arizona, used a 440 power plant backed with a 727 trans to heave the screaming yellow mass down the road.

Tim Benedict’s ’49 Ford is highly-detailed and wrapped in silver splendor. A nice surprise under the hood is a clean 354 Hemi.

Kaiser DarrinWhen was the last time you saw a Kaiser Darrin at a car show? Better yet, what is a Kaiser Darrin?

There were less than 450 produced between 1953 and ’54. Many consider this the first production fiberglass car in the U.S. — though we’re sure there’s a debate amongst Corvette aficionados.

Notice anything else unique to these rare cars? How about the bizarre and quite effi-cient pocket doors? Another one-and-only.

The two Darrin’s that were on display in Scottsdale were very cool to see, since one was a complete restoration, while the other one was a vintage drag car.

The owner, Lee Abrahams, originally bought the yellow Kaiser in the early ’60s and built it into a serious drag machine. Eventually he moved to Tucson, Arizona, and later sold the Kaiser.

Fast forward to 2007, when Lee found the car and built it back to its former rac-ing glory, including the injected big block and sky-high stance.

It’s rare to even see a Kaiser Darrin and was quite a treat to see a vintage race ver-sion sitting alongside a restored version.

Local Scottsdale rodder Jack Keldenich’s ’37 Ford sedan was built for the road with a small-block Chevy and overdrive trans. The top has been chopped, louvers punched in the hood, and body-matched steel wheel treatment give it a classic hot rod stance.

Connie Wash of Gilbert, Arizona, had this ’52 Buick sitting just right, along with subtle striping on a satin body with a metallic hue on the big roof to add a little contrast to the unmistakable Buick chrome.

Pat and Ethyl Quinn cruised over in their home-built ’40 Chevy convertible. The Special Deluxe uses LS power for a smooth desert eve-ning cruiser and we dig the Caddy hubcaps.

Where else are you going to see two ’40 Chevy convertibles? Ted and Kathi Fuchs’ drop top sits on a Fatman chassis, with a fuel injected ZZ4 small block under the hood, while Wilwood disc brakes bring the fun to a safe stop.

Not everything needs to be built or custom-ized! Alan Barker’s ’53 Henry J looks great in all its original form including the 4-cylinder and 3-speed trans.


One thing we highly recommend is getting your car on the autocross track. If you’re showing your car at Goodguys event, you can run it on the autocross (as long as it passes tech). Don’t plan to go out there and set record laps, just enjoy the chance to toss your car around and see how it handles. Beware though — chances are you’ll be roaming through the manufactur-er’s area looking for tires, shocks, and swaybars before you go home.

Mary Pozzi ranks as one of the best known drivers in autocrossing and can be found at a track or course most weekends. Here she’s getting ready to make a lap in her ’71 Camaro.

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We’re not sure how long this ’30 Tudor has been under the knife in Tim Tuley’s garage, but the time was well worth it. He chopped, channeled, and louvered it, then bolted in a big 468c.i. big-block Chevy backed up by a Muncie and a 9-inch Ford.

Gordon Apker is the lucky owner of this low mile ’52 Olds. We’re talking original with a capital “O” with less than 30,000 miles on the 303c.i. mill.

It wouldn’t be a Goodguys show without a woody wagon or two. Ray Tognarelli kept his ’46 Ford all Ford, with a 351W/C4 combo, along with a surfboard that probably doesn’t see too much action in the Arizona desert.

When was the last time you saw a restored ’48 Studebaker cab-over? Mark Novak made the trek from Ventura, California, to show his fine example of a rare truck.

The copper/bronze hue on this ’35 Ford sedan of Gord Evans was glowing in the Arizona sun, which really makes sense since he came from Kamloops, British Columbia.

Jack Brower’s ’40 Ford is celebrating its 75th birthday this year, though you couldn’t tell it from the bright yellow paint with contrasting orange wheels. The sedan looks better than when it was new and is more fun to drive too.


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Do the flames on this wild ’70 Dodge A100 look familiar? If you thought they were influ-

enced by the famous ’32 McMullen highboy, you’re correct — kind of.

This A100 cabover was built by the same Tom McMullen (yes, that McMullen who founded Street Rod-der magazine).

This Dodge A100 Cabover is the stepchild of the famous McMullen Roadster

FLAMESof Flattery

It’s just that the poor ol’ Dodge didn’t quite get the attention that the roadster received.

The story is that McMullen didn’t build many cars for quite a few years, but eventually decided to get back into the mechanical fray of hot rodding.

He set about building a car that would be highly competitive on the

The flames and black are about the only things that tie this McMullen built A100 to his famous roadster. McMullen wanted to build something wild to use on the street and strip and the blown big block mounted behind the driver certainly reached that goal, though we found no documentation about dragstrip testing.


strip, but could still be driven on the street — and he wanted it to look wild.

Like many rodders, McMullen worked with what was available, which turned out to be a worn out shop truck from his motorcycle parts company.

The first step to achieve the “wild” target was an 11-inch chop to the top, while the rear wheels were moved 7-inches towards the rear.

A big-block Chevy topped with a 6-71 blower was positioned behind the driver and integral to a trick chassis set-up that could easily be disconnected and rolled out from the body by removing a couple of well-placed pin assemblies.

The engine arrangement and body modifications weren’t the only things to get wild.

The interior was flooded with crushed gold velvet and maroon shag throughout. There was also a chrome rollbar and a chute release at the ready (McMullen planned to run the truck).

The truck was featured on the cov-er of the December 1974 issue of Street Rodder, along with a cover shot of the re-movable driveline assembly on the Au-gust issue earlier in the year.

A side note is that rival magazine Pop-ular Hot Rodding was building a low-buck ’33 Ford pickup at the same time, which escalated into a drag strip chal-lenge. The match-race was documented in the March, 1975 issue of PHR but the cabover experienced a blower drive fail-ure and flat tire.

After that, we have no notes or histo-ry of how the Dodge spent the next three decades.

Speculation is that the truck went to Michigan, where some guys pulled the engine and transmission then basically pushed the Dodge into a warehouse.

Somehow it ended up in Oklaho-

The original interior was complete…as in completely disgusting with a film of grime and goo over the crushed velour gold and red fabrics. Note the chrome roll bar, column, and cast gas pedal.

The removable rear section was easy to roll out from under the sheet metal for access to restore and set the blown big block in, as shown in this August ’74 cover of Street Rodder magazine.

Here’s the same rear assembly being restored at StreetToys.

The straight axle, leaf springs, and front end components were disassembled to receive fresh plating and paint before going back together, just as Tom did forty years ago.


ma, before being posted on eBay. This is where our story picks up.

If you pay attention to rare muscle car discoveries and barn finds, the name Michael Lightbourn may ring a bell.

Lightbourn hunts the southwest re-gion, and beyond, sniffing out lost cars like Ted Nugent on an African safari.

He also played a key role in the res-toration of the McMullen Roadster with the team at Roy Brizio Street Rods by finding missing components, parts, and lost history on the car.

After learning so much about Mc-Mullen, it was no surprise that he ended up with the A100.

Besides the expected wear from ne-glect and warehouse storage, the little Dodge was surprisingly complete, just as McMullen had built it.

The blown big block and trans were long gone, but the custom Hooker head-

ers, exhaust, tow bar, custom dual Moon tanks, and even the leaf-springs turned wheelie-bars were still there.

Interior wise, the crushed velvet gold and red shag work was all still in place.

Lightbourn felt the A100 deserved to be brought back to its wild street glory, so he teamed up with his restoration partner Jessie Gonzalez, and his shop Street Toys Hot Rods and Customs in Juarez, Mexico.

As you can see by the pictures, the crew at Street Toys did an outstandingly respectful restoration.

From the dedicated flame patterns and paint fade work to the custom rear suspension and full-on groovy interi-or fabric, the truck is a time-capsule of early ’70s street with the styling of ex-treme indoor show cars of the period.

It’s really a fun piece to see restored. Hats off to Lightbourn and Gonzalez for saving a piece of street rod history. SRL

Since the interior was pretty much complete when the truck went to Street Toys, there wasn’t a lot of guess work to be made during the restoration. However, we’re not sure where they found the shag and yellowish-gold velour fabric in this day and age.

This is the top of the custom dual Moon tank assembly (picture a two story tank if you will) custom built for McMullen along with the original tow hitch.

A quad assembly of Hijacker shocks combined with a custom Watts link style rear suspen-sion were tasked with getting the power to the ground. We’re not sure if the system was ever tested or proven by Tom, but in ’74 it was cutting edge thinking.

A fresh big block was built and topped with a 6-71 blower and period correct accessories. Street Toys fabbed the custom intake using old magazine articles and photos as a guide.

THUMPRBad Mutha

Get that sound you’re looking for without sacrificing driveability


What’s most important in a street rod: performance, sound, or driving manners?

If you ask three different rodders to pick just one, you more than likely will get three different answers.

Yet with today’s camshaft technology it really is possible to have all three — the performance equivalent of having your cake and eating it too.

The concepts of actually driving a street rod to a show, using it to run er-rands, or just taking it out for a cruise are infinitely cooler these days than the oft-maligned practice of trailering a beauty queen whose wheels barely touch the ground. Sure, it’s important for a ride to look good, but that is no lon-ger the only concern for many owners.

“I believe most street rodders want something that sounds like a hot rod or ’60s-era muscle car, but drives with much better manners. Fortunately, ac-complishing this is right in our wheel-house,” says COMP Cams Performance Account Manager Jay Adams.

THUMPRBad Mutha


“Twenty years ago we didn’t know we could have a car with a snotty-sound-ing attitude and be able to drive it on a daily — or regular — basis with much reli-ability,” he adds. “There was always that tradeoff. Nowadays, it’s become a much more attainable goal to have both.”

COMP Cams does this primari-ly through its popular line of Thumpr Cams — available in what the compa-ny calls Thumpr, Mutha Thumpr, and Big Mutha Thumpr versions, based on application and how radical the engine package is.

The name is derived from a custom-er who told COMP Cams staff during Hot Rod Power Tour many moons ago that he “wanted the mother to thump.” That’s the PG-13 version; you can use your imagination to fill in the rest.

Thumpr cams produce the trifec-ta of power, sound, and street manners through an early intake valve opening, long exhaust duration, and a generous amount of intake and exhaust overlap to maximize idling characteristics (we’ll get into the specifics of what all of that means a little later).

These specs are similar to ones used in endurance road racing, such as the 24 Hours of Daytona, because they provide a broad torque curve, al-lowing for enhanced drivability over cams that are solely designed for sound and power.

The cams are available in retro-fit hydraulic roller and hydraulic flat tap-pet versions, as well as hydraulic roller drop-in replacements. They work with factory cylinder heads and valve springs that will not break the bank.

“The Thumpr Series was designed from the ground up for street rod ap-plications,” says COMP Performance Group technician Matt Maxwell. “It has a tighter lobe separation and special lobe profile to maximize sound, but retains good drivability compared to a conven-tional cam with a similar rough idle.”

One note that both Adams and Max-well make is the fact that many of today’s hot rodders are adding vacuum-assisted power brakes, air conditioning, and so on to their vehicles.

The downside of these modern crea-ture comforts is that they can put a pret-ty hefty demand on the engine to main-tain a high vacuum signal.

Therefore, it’s important to consid-er running a vacuum canister or vacuum pump with a Thumpr cam if your ride fea-tures any vacuum-assisted components.

“We can still accomplish that rad-ical sound people are so crazy about, but yet still maintain the vacuum re-quirements of the vehicle,” Adams says. “Our team of technicians is second to none when it comes to delivering pow-er, sound, and reliability.”

Of course, a rodder may also choose that he or she wants to focus on only one or two areas in terms of performance, sound, and street manners. To do this the number one cam spec to consider is lobe separation angle (LSA).

LSA is the angle in camshaft degrees between the maximum lift point of the intake and exhaust lobes.

A wide LSA (110–118 degrees for example) will produce greater low-end torque, a smooth idle, and a wider pow-erband. In essence, drivability and over-all performance will be the major ben-efit, while some horsepower and rough idle sound will be lost.

On the flip side, a more narrow LSA (106–109 degrees) will produce more top-end power, allow for more peak horsepower and torque, and have a

I believe most street rodders want something that sounds like a hot rod or ’60s-era muscle car, but drives with better manners.”

“

rougher idle. However, some drivability could be diminished.

Duration at .050-inch is also an im-portant factor that will affect power, sound, and driving manners. Duration is the amount of time the lobe is creat-ing lift, measured in degrees of crank-shaft rotation.

The rpm at which peak horsepower occurs is typically increased as duration increases, but at the expense of low-rpm torque. Since there are various instanc-es of lift throughout a valve event, the .050-inch number states the exact point a measurement is taken and is used to es-timate where peak power will occur.

Increasing duration also increases overlap — the number of crankshaft de-grees during which both intake and ex-haust valves are off their seats. Increas-ing duration without a change in lobe separation angle will result in increased valve overlap, and thus a rougher idle, along with more horsepower, but some drivability loss.

Valve lift will also have an effect on power output (greater lift is naturally equal to more power), but it has the least effect on sound and drivability.

For those that are looking for the most power and a throaty sound in ve-

hicles that see limited street use, COMP Cams Magnum Camshafts may be a good choice.

The cam manufacturer’s Xtreme Energy Series is designed to provide throttle response and top-end horse-power for street and strip performance and drivability, along with a noticeable idle that is louder than stock, but not overbearing.

The Thumpr Series meanwhile in-corporates elements from both of these options.

“The street rod market is pretty wide open,” Maxwell says. “Engine combos vary from mild small blocks to wild-blown big blocks. The GM LSX engines are very popular as well. I find that most street rodders value good drivability over all-out horsepower, but the sound of the cam and engine is always import-ant too. We try to help the customer find the best camshaft to achieve his or her goals and fit well with their particular engine combination.” SRLSource: COMP Cams, compcams.com

It’s In The Details...The extra effort that goes into making each and every ARP fastener is evident in the final product. There are those companies whose primary concern is having the lowest price. Obviously, this means compromising material quality and taking shortcuts in manufacturing. ARP, on the other hand, stakes its reputation on quality; using only the best materials, employing extra manufacturing steps to perfect each fastener, and having relentless quality control. Moreover, ARP fasteners are

manufactured entirely in our own ISO 9001:2008 and AS9100 registered facilities in Southern California. Look for the “ARP” stamped on each fastener as your assurance of quality.

Check out our new 10-32 stainless steel 12-point bolts. They’re great for

adding a finishing touch to your rod or custom. They, and over 250 other new products, are in the 2015 catalog available online or by request.

800-826-3045 www.ARP-bolts.com

Get a FREE copy of the new 2015 catalog online

NEW #10 12-pointstainless steel

A Little Help from My FriendsStreet rods don’t build themselves and sometimes you need a hand or two to get your project done. Bob Adams, Jerry Kilgore, and Jerry Johnson all chip in to get their pal Mike Griffin’s ’32 Ford drag chassis together. You can find these guys all hanging out at their HQ in El Paso, Texas, or at major events around the southwest.


STREET ROD LIFEThe

Matching Ford’s EcoBoost V6 with a Factory Five ’33 gives a glimpse into the next wave of hot rodding

Words Barry Kluczyk/Photos Ford


One of the stars of last fall’s SEMA Show in Las Ve-gas was the Ford Racing-powered Factory Five 1933 Ford roadster. It displayed the contemporary aesthet-

ics of a pro-touring-influenced hot rod, but the standout feature was the powertrain — Ford’s EcoBoost 3.5L twin-turbo V6 — a crate version of the engine found in vehicles such as the Ford Taurus SHO and police interceptor models.

It was a high-tech heart for an equally modern assembled hot rod package, designed to illustrate the high-performance versatility of the EcoBoost crate engine — and the all-new con-troller Ford has finally released for it.

In fact, it suggested a new, decidedly 21st century direction for street rod construction and performance. One where facto-ry-engineered powertrain packages such as the EcoBoost V6 are matched with plug-and-play control systems to deliver a more contemporary driving experience.

Think about the progression of the hobby for a moment and all of the V8 engines installed in 1932–34 Ford street rods over the years. The vast majority have been small-block Chevy en-gines, right?

Among them, a high percentage have been off-the-shelf crate motors, such as the ubiquitous ZZ4 350, with all its 355 dependable-as-the-rising-sun horsepower, and 405 lb.-ft. of torque. It’s rightfully been a fixture of the industry for decades.

While rodders are increasingly turning to GM LS-based powertrains for their bal-ance of high performance and low weight, compared to the old-school Chevy small-block, there is still a strong, defiant coali-tion of builders who understandably feel that anything going under the hood of a Ford body should have Dearborn roots.

That goes for repro bodies, too, like Factory Five’s 1933 Ford roadster.

The F-150-based EcoBoost turbo-charged V6 is rated at 365 horsepower and 420 lb.-ft. of torque. That’s more power than the classic ZZ4, with the flat-as-a-board torque delivery that’s charac-teristic of a turbo engine.

Along with undeniably stout power, the EcoBoost engine makes a convinc-ing alternative to Ford’s own Modular family of V8 crate engines. That’s pri-marily because the typical mod-motor casts a rather large shadow.

Of course, mod-motor rods are noth-ing new, but their relatively large size makes them much tougher to squeeze between the fenders of vintage Fords.

There’s also a vehicle dynamics ad-vantage to using the somewhat compact V6, because it sits a little farther back in the chassis, enhancing the front-to-rear weight balance and freeing up room at the front of the chassis for the radiator

What’s not to like about an all-aluminum,

direct port injected, twin turbocharged engine in a street rod? Is this the

future of rodding?

and accessories such as air conditioning. That’s not to say the turbocharged

EcoBoost engine is as narrow as a four-bar-rel equipped Windsor or even a Chevy en-gine — it is a DOHC architecture, after all — but it nonetheless offers installation ad-vantages over the Modular V8s.

Pairing the new EcoBoost crate en-gine with the Factory Five platform was a match made in high-tech hot rod heaven.

Like their Cobra-style replica cars, Factory Five’s 1933 Ford hot rod is more than just a facsimile body ren-dered in fiberglass.

The company engineered a robust tube chassis for the vehicle that’s more


akin to a race car chassis, along with contemporary suspension features in-cluding a coil-over front suspension.

Make no mistake: This is a chassis designed to be driven — and driven hard.

As a rolling chassis with the body mounted on it, the Factory Five ’33 tips the scales at less than 2,500 pounds — even less in the fenderless roadster form used for this hot rod — which reinforc-es the balance equation offered by the roughly 450-pound EcoBoost 3.5L V6 (including accessory-drive components).

“The power-to-weight ratio with this combination is terrific, giving the car a great feeling of power on de-mand,” says Andrew Casselberry, the project manager at Ford Racing Per-formance Products (FRPP). “It’s also well-balanced power, as the torque de-livery via the turbochargers is immedi-ate and sustained through most of the

From the side, other than not seeing any headers peeking out from under the hood, you would have no inkling about the modern power plant within this Factory Five ’33.

rpm band. All in all, it’s as satisfying as any V8 powered hot rod.”

While it’s not the primary consid-eration for most rodders, there’s a fuel economy aspect to the combination that cannot be ignored.

The Taurus SHO, which has the same engine, is rated at 25 mpg on the highway. With nearly 2,000 fewer pounds to push around, the EcoBoost should deliver efficiency that would make the greenest of environmentalists well… green with street rod envy.

Marrying the Factory Five body/chassis and the EcoBoost powertrain fell to longtime Ford prototype vehicle builder Watson Engineering.

Under the forward-hinged hood, the engine is stock from the F-150, which is tuned to deliver 420 lb.-ft. of torque — a significant 70 lb.-ft. increase over the Taurus SHO’s version of the engine.

For the record, a pair of Borg-Warner K03 turbochargers push 12-pounds of boost into the all-aluminum, direct-in-jected DOHC V6.

The engine wears a lightweight com-posite intake manifold and incorporates a unique air intake with a filter box cre-ated by rapid prototyping.

Additionally, factory exhaust mani-folds blow into a custom exhaust system that doesn’t include mufflers, giving the car a raspy voice at idle, and a high tech mechanical wail at wide open throttle.

The engine is backed by a TREMEC six-speed manual transmission, which channels the torque via a Dynotech custom driveshaft to a Ford 8.8-inch rear axle. It’s located with a four-link rear suspension that also incorporates Koni shocks.

Up front is a set of unequal-length tu-bular control arms, inboard coil-overs,

and Factory Five’s rack-and-pinion steering system, which gives the light-weight hot rod the responsiveness of a modern sports car.

The car also stops with the capabili-ty of a modern car, thanks to a Wilwood braking system that incorporates Mus-tang-sourced 11-inch slotted disc rotors and Brembo four-piston calipers.

It all meets the Tarmac on Pirelli-shod Ford Racing Shelby GT500 wheels in black — 19x9-inch on 255/40ZR19 tires in front and 19x10-inch rims on 285/45ZR19 tires in the rear.

The fenderless body was sprayed a deep ruby red (that’s actually an F150 pickup color), offset by a matte black

center stripe with silver accent stripes that run the entire length of the car.

The body color is picked up under the hood too, and is used on custom twin air intakes and intercooler cov-ers. The paintwork was performed by Ice Nine Group in Mount Clem-ens, Michigan.

Inside, the EcoBoosted roadster in-corporates an integral roll bar that’s part of the rigid chassis. The interior is nice-ly trimmed with leather bucket seats and finishing details you don’t necessarily expect in a kit-type assembled vehicle.

An Ididit steering column and a full complement of Auto Meter gaug-es are conventional street rod accesso-

ries, while features including a Shelby GT500 shifter with leather boot rein-force the link to Ford. The overall fit and finish is excellent.

As we mentioned, crate engines such as the EcoBoost 3.5L V6 point to the fu-ture of hot rodding and this showcase is more than a mere SEMA Show flight of fancy. Factory Five will now offer their 1933 Ford with the provisions for the engine.

Whether rodders embrace engines other than the V8 remains to be seen, but from what we see in this uniquely styled and thoroughly modern take on street rodding, we hope it’s a trend that will gain momentum quickly. SRL


How to pick the right converter for your street rod

TORQUETalking


Different cars will require different converters. A torque converter for a lightweight highboy is going to be different than that of a full size woody wagon.

So you have your rod all buttoned up and are just loving the sound of the new thumping, rolling cam

as it warms up in the driveway. When you drop it gear however, the car

lurches a bit and drops an annoying clunk sound to the dismay of your passenger.

Worse yet it seems to idle poorly at lower rpm, but tries to inch forward if you bump up the idle.

These types of negative charac-teristics make it no fun to cruise, but there’s an easy solution — the proper torque converter.

TORQUE

The torque converter, that mysteri-ous piece mounted to the flexplate and the transmission input shaft, is one of the most important parts when it comes to the overall driveability and function of your street rod.

This is especially true when you chose a cam with a bit more of an ag-gressive hot rod rumble or build up a bit more power.

Before getting into choosing the best converter for your rod, let’s review what a converter does and understand stall speed.

A torque converter was the answer to replacing a mechanical clutch so an automatic transmission could be used, whether the engine is at idle or pushing down the road.

It acts as a fluid coupling device, meaning it transfers rotating power from the engine to a driven device through the

means of fluid control. It can also mul-tiply the torque as the input and output components turn at different speeds.

The converter is made up of two different halves that can spin at differ-ent speeds. This is where the term stall speed is derived, which we’ll touch on shortly.

The front of the converter, which bolts to the flexplate, houses the turbine and is also connected to the input shaft of the transmission.

The turbine will always try to spin at the speed of the engine, but fluid control keeps the car from mov-ing.The fluid is controlled by the sta-tor and the pump.

The pump (or impellor) is connect-ed to the other half of the converter and will redirect (or slip) the fluid to the tur-bine, allowing the engine to run at idle with the transmission in gear.

The stator of the converter changes the fluid flow between the two halves of the converter providing the torque multiplying function of the converter.


Fluid direction and control is man-aged by a component known as the sta-tor. As rpm increases, there is a point where the fluid flowing through the pump and stator change direction and the two halves basically couple togeth-er, which makes the car start to move. The point at which this occurs is known as the stall speed.

By increasing the stall speed a few hundred rpm, especially on a hot-rod-ded engine, you’ll see a dramatic im-provement in the idle characteristics, and the car will really take off since the rpm will be closer to the ideal torque curve of your engine.

To find out the flash stall of your current converter, in a safe area, put the car in drive and hold the brake firmly. Keeping an eye on the tach, stomp the gas wide-open. The rpm the engine reaches just before the car moves is the true stall speed.

In stock applications, that may come just off idle, say at 1,000–1,200 rpm. This could also be the source of poor idle consistency.

By increasing the stall another 500 rpm for example, the car would idle better and produce a more firm launch

Before Calling TCIWhen you call the TCI Tech Line for help in determining the best converter for your application, be prepared to answer a few questions. Choosing the proper converter requires looking at the entire vehicle and driveline.

Which transmission: What model trans-mission are you using and has it had any modifications? If it’s an electronically controlled transmission, whose controller are you using?

Vehicle Weight: They need an idea of the weight of the car to help make the right recommendation.

Engine Details: What kind of power is your engine making and what size?

Camshaft Specs: The more information on the cam specs the better! If you have the part number, the cam card, manufac-turer and/or the duration, lift, and lobe separation specs, things will be easier!

Rear Gear Ratio and Tire Size: Final gear ratio in the rear end is key to converter se-lection for off-idle operation and cruising.

How do you plan to drive your car: Are you all about stop light to stoplight bursts, or do you plan on a lot of road trips?

and clunk-free entry into gear. So how do you know which convert-

er is right for your street rod and drive-train? That depends.

Do you have a quick-reacting, high-revving, small block in a light-weight car, or a lopey big block in a 4,500-pound cruiser?

Those details change everything, and the best way to determine which converter is right for you is to contact a manufacturer.

TCI is a leader in automatic trans-mission and converter technology with nearly 50 years of experience in racing and performance.

They have a number of different street-based applications for GM, Ford, and Chrysler automatic transmissions that will ensure your rod is ready for the street, strip, and everything in between.

Give them a call to find out what con-verter best suits your needs. SRLSource: TCI, TCIAuto.com

The Crane Cams Energizer Series is designed with single pattern profiles and tight lobe separation angles to produce increased torque and throttle response for non-computer street vehicles. Energizer Cams are offered in both a broad range of duration and engine applications to match your specific requirements. Whatever your need—a smooth street cruiser, a drive-in demon or a rough idle, high RPM weekend warrior, there is a cam design for you. Available in either “cam and lifter kit” or “cam only”, Energizer Cams are the best buy in a true performance camshaft.

Tech. Support 866-388-5120 cranecams.com

True Bolt-In HorsepowerQuicker, Crisper, Throttle ResponseIncreased Torque and Power for Non-Computer Controlled V-8 EnginesMatching Hydraulic Flat Tappet Cam and Anti-Pump Up Lifter Kits

RecommendedCrane Cams 10W-40Break-In Engine Oil

260 Smooth 260 H10266 Smooth 266 H10272 Good 272 H10274 Choppy 274 H06278 Fair 278 H10282 Choppy 282 H06284 Fair 284 H12286 Choppy 286 H06302 Choppy 302 H06

Advertised Duration

IdleCharacteristic

EnergizerGrind


TOOLS ACCESSORIES STUFF

PARTS STOREAt Street Rod Life, we’re always on the look-out for the new parts that will make our rod a little quicker, smoother, or simply cooler. This installment of Parts Store brings you a variety of great new products to hit the market. If you would like more infor-mation, follow the website or give them a call — be sure to tell them Street Rod Life sent you!

Be an Outlaw Lunati, Bootlegger CamsDo you play by your own set of rules? If so, the Bootlegger Series Cams from Lunati are designed for you.

These are the most powerful series of street performance cam-shafts ever produced by the Lunati design team. They are based upon their popular Voodoo Series, but feature even faster opening rates, a controlled closing, and far more area under the lift curve. This extremely aggressive design provides tons of low- and mid-range power, exactly where you need it for back-road adventures and stoplight-to-stoplight performance.

Bootlegger cams provide a killer exhaust note that lets others know you are no one to be messed with. These cams don’t just pro-vide good sound — they provide proven gains of more than 40 horse-power. Bootleggers are currently available for three common hot rod engine platforms, which means they probably have the perfect cam for your street rod. The box it comes in will look great in your man-cave too!

lunatipower.com 662.892.1500

Adjustable ComfortJEGS, RS-1 High Back Sport SeatGet firm yet comfortable body support with the RS-1 High Back Sport Seat from JEGS. It utilizes simulated leather to resemble the real thing without the high price. The RS-1 fits both the driv-er and passenger sides, plus accommodates factory seat belts or aftermarket harnesses. Adjustments include recline, tilt forward, and slide. Mounting dimensions: 10.75 inches long, 13.5 inches wide. Aftermarket seat mounts required (sold separately due to seat’s universal design).

jegs.com800.345.4545


Cooler FuelQuick Fuel Technology, Quick Cool Carb Insulator KitToday’s poor quality fuels are more susceptible to issues due to high under-hood temperatures, especially within the carburetor. To help reduce these issues, the crew at Quick Fuel Technology (QFT) developed a high resistant coating for their carbs and in-takes called Black Diamond.

QFT now offers a Quick Cool Carb Insulator Kit that will reduce heat transfer to the carb. The Insulator is a thin aluminum and poly-core sandwich that fits between the carburetor and mani-fold, and deflects heat away from the carb main body and fuel bowl area, plus reduces heat transfer from the manifold flange to the carb base. The bottom layer of aluminum deflects some of the heat around the insulator, while the poly-core reduces the heat transfer, and the top layer is designed to dissipate any heat that might get through.

The Quick Cool Carb Insulator Kit is designed for 4150-style carb flanges and fits QFT, Holley, and Street Demon carbs.

quickfueltechnology.com270.793.0900

Keep the Pony CoolFlex-a-lite, Direct Bolt-in Aluminum RadiatorKeeping your Mustang cool is one of the most important aspects to enjoying your time behind the wheel. No one likes to watch their temp gauge climb during traffic light stops or at the cruise and Flex-a-lite has a solution.

They now offer a direct bolt-in aluminum radiator for ’67–’69 Mustangs with V8 engine swaps. A two-row core is fit with hand-welded tanks that feature their patented “T” channels to ef-ficiently dissipate heat as well as offer improved mounting for the fan, optional expansion tanks, or oil cooler.

The electric fan assembly is pre-mounted from the factory and features integral wiring including an adjustable thermostat, A/C terminal, and override wiring. With the extra cooling capabilities of the radiator combined with the electric fan and controls, the Flex-a-lite radiator assembly is a compact, one stop solution for Mustang owners (they also offer a kit for ’64–’66 models). If you need cus-tom applications or different inlet/outlet locations, Flex-a-lite can handle your needs!

flex-a-lite.com800.851.1510

Rock ‘n’ RollCOMP Cams, High Energy Die Cast Aluminum Roller Rocker ArmsFinally, you can get high performance without a high price. COMP Cams High Energy die-cast aluminum rocker arms were developed to provide a superior strength to weight ratio that can withstand the hardships of your street performance and mild race engines, while also adding valve lift.

These larger-than-stock rocker bodies are designed to be stiffer and more durable. They feature needle-bearing fulcrums and roll-er tips to reduce friction and lower oil temperatures for even more horsepower potential. Maybe you’re on a budget, or maybe you just appreciate getting the most for your coin — now you can make an affordable choice without sacrificing performance.

compcams.com 800.999.0853


PARTS STORETOOLS ACCESSORIES STUFF

EZ Does ItFAST, EZ-EFI FuelFAST has upgraded its entry level and simplest self-tuning EFI sys-tem. Designed for applications making up to 650 horsepower, it features a die cast and black powder-coated, four-injector throttle body with integrated fuel rails. Providing better fuel distribution and more airflow than the original, it also utilizes a secondary idle stop to help with idle adjustment.

No laptop or tuning experience is required. A color hand-held touchscreen features an improved Setup Wizard that after a few basic questions, tunes itself as you drive. It includes a variety of display dashes, an easy-to-use interface, and an LED indica-tor that signals errors or can even be used as a shift light. The streamlined wiring harness incorporates a premium loom and added protective fuses, while the ECU hardware has been further upgraded to protect against electrical/ignition noises and hard-ware damage. It’s never been easier to make the switch to EFI. See our story on page 80.

fuelairspark.com 877.334.8355

Bias LooksCoker Tire, American Classic RadialsThe new bias-looking radial tire offers the tall and narrow profile of a bias-ply tire, combined with the modern qualities of a radial tire. Available in nine siz-es, the new line of Ameri-can Classic radials offer fitment on a number of popular applications, such as the Ford Thun-derbird, Chevrolet Cor-vette, Cadillac, and many others.

Coker Tire’s new American Classic ra-dials are made in the USA and thoroughly tested to ensure superb quality for your collector vehicle. You can trust that American Classic radials are ready for the road, but they’re also ready for the show field with beautiful styling, which includes the “pie crust” shoulder and vintage-style tread pattern. The variety of sizes also gives hot rodders and custom car builders plenty of options for big-n-little combinations. The radial internals make it the perfect choice for a car that will see plenty of miles.

cokertire.com866.516.3215

Ram Horn FlowFlowtech, Rams Horn Exhaust ManifoldIn many cases tubular headers just may not fit the style of your rod, or maybe they simply aren’t available for your combination. Flow-tech now offers a new Rams Horn cast iron exhaust manifold for the small block Chevy that delivers a cool look and a clean fit.

The manifolds are designed to hug the block to provide clear-ance for even the tightest chassis and engine covers. The internal ports feature a smooth transition with 1 5/8-inch primaries to evacuate the exhaust gasses ending in a 2.5-inch collector that has 3/8-inch thick material providing a leak-free connection to the exhaust pipes.

Flowtech provides heavy duty aluminum gaskets combined with thick cast flange pads for a tight seal. The Rams Horn manifolds are also available in high heat black, chrome, or in a silver metallic ceramic thermal coating.

holley.com866.464.6553


Easy RubbingBed Wood and Parts, EZ Rub Fortified Penetrating Oil FinishIf you have exposed wood in the bed of your truck or even inside on the doors or roof, you need to take extra care to ensure great looks and long life. Bed Wood and Parts knows a thing or two about cus-tom bed wood, and now offers the tools you need to keep your wood in show quality condition, thanks to their EZ Rub.

EZ Rub Fortified Penetrating Oil Finish, a product of Kentucky, provides the ultimate in exterior wood protection and enhancing properties. It is formulated from teak oil and is fortified with two levels of protection against UV light. Once applied, it seals and pro-tects the beauty of natural wood, while protecting against mold and mildew. EZ Rub will keep your wood finishes looking great for years of cruising fun.

bedwoodandparts.com877.206.9663

Fitting Five GearsMcLeod, Muscle Car 5 TransmissionFor GM muscle car owners that crave a 5-speed transmission, but don’t want to modify their floor or linkage of their car, McLeod Rac-ing has developed an entirely new Muscle Car 5 Transmission with a 2.95 first gear and .63 fifth gear!

The most impressive part of this transmission is that it has been designed in an exclusive new case that allows for fitment into tight tunnels. Gone are the days of cutting your floorboards to be able to get the benefits of improved fuel economy and

lower rpm that an overdrive transmission provides. The front cover is designed so it will bolt up to your factory bellhousing.

The McLeod Muscle Car 5 is full of 8620 forged steel gears and a 32-spline output shaft making it ideal to handle up to 500 lb.-ft. of torque. The gears are fully synchronized for quiet operation and the internal rail shifter promotes quick, smooth shifts.

mcleodracing.com714.630.2764

Cover It UpRHS, SBC Valve Cover Adapter Kit for LS EnginesIf you hate those ugly factory plastic covers that come on LS Chevys as much as we do, then Racing Head Service has the answer for you. They have developed an adaptor kit that allows traditional Gen 1 small-block Chevy valve covers to be used on Gen III/LS engines.

This billet aluminum adapter kit works with center-bolt LS heads and traditional, perimeter-bolt small-block Chevy covers. So whether you want to bolt on a set of trick new aftermarket SBC valve covers, or just want to give your LS a cool and unique vintage look, this kit lets you do it.

racingheadservice.com 877.776.4323



Stack It UpInglese, LS EFI 8 Stack SystemsIf you’re liking that classic look on your LS, you might as well com-plete the look right? This eight-stack induction system from Inglese allows users to bolt EFI throttle bodies to modern LS engines while retaining classic style. These systems are designed to work with ei-ther EZ-EFI Fuel or XFI Fuel Injection Systems from FAST.

All the necessary components such as sensors, injectors, IAC, and a vacuum plenum are integrated, making the manifold an easy bolt on. Inglese includes cast-in bungs that can be drilled out for running nitrous.

Two versions are available: one for LS1-style cathedral port heads, and one for LS3/L92-style heads. The kits include the manifold, throttle bodies, fuel rails, and linkage. The injectors, stacks, filters, and fuel system are sold separately, allowing you to customize to your needs. For those wanting to stay carbureted, these systems also work with Inglese IDA-style carburetors and a complete linkage kit is available. To see them on a car checkout the pictorial starting on page 76.

inglese.com 866.450.8089

Poncho Q-JetsJET Performance Products, Q-Jets for PontiacsPontiac muscle fans will be stoked to see that JET Performance now offers a Quadrajet that has been restored to factory ap-pearance, though has a few internal modifications to improve driveability and performance. Better yet, they offer two models, a Stage 1 and Stage 2.

Both models feature sealed casting plugs to prevent leak-down into the intake and all the circuits are checked for proper sizing, while the calibration is checked for proper jets, primary metering rods, and secondary metering rods. The carburetor is then reassembled using the highest quality components with a new float, choke pull-off, and bronze bushed throttle shafts. Stage 2 goes on to receive a fully recalibrated idle, off idle, main, accelerator pump, and high speed circuits to match any modifications done to the engine. Look stock, but go faster!

jetchip.com800.535.1161

Brake Building Made EasierSpeedway Motors, Universal Brake System Builder KitBuilding brake lines is actually the easy part, it’s the hassle of having all of the right fittings, ends, adapters, and retainers that gets con-fusing. Speedway Motor’s understands the challenges of brake line componentry and now offers a Universal Brake System Builder Kit.

This kit is complete with all the lines, valves, fittings, adapters, and clips you need to set up a typical street rod or specialty vehi-cle brake system. The kit includes 25-feet of 3/16-inch mild steel line, six 60-inch lines, dual outlet master cylinder lines, a Wilwood proportioning valve, residual valves, as well as several adapters, fittings, and line clamps.

Save yourself the hassle of standing at the parts counter or staring blankly at a display of fittings and adapters. You’ll be happy you went with Speedway’s Brake Kit in the end.

speedwaymotors.com800.979.0122


Tighten Up the TimingCrane Cams, HEI DistributorWho should you turn to if you are in the market for a new distrib-utor? Well, because the distributor gear mates to the camshaft, who better than Crane Cams to introduce a high-quality HEI dis-tributor that is sure to keep your fire lit? Crane saw the need for a high-quality street distributor that will also meet the demands on the track, without draining your wallet. The standalone HEI comes with a Crane-exclusive coil and module made specifically to high-er performance standards and durability. Mechanically tighter toler-ances mean an increase in timing stability and longer life.

cranecams.com 866.388.5120

Wiring Done RightFlaming River, Alternator Wiring KitAs the number of electronics in use on our street rods continues to grow, more pressure is placed on the charging system. Alter-nators are growing in output capabilities, but you need to make sure that all of their current is able to be of use to the car and still keep the battery charged. When you’re running a 180 amp alternator, you need more than a skimpy 10-gauge charge wire.

Flaming River has addressed this common oversight and now offers a heavy duty alternator wiring kit. This kit comes with everything you need to upgrade your alternator charge cable, ground cable, and all important chassis ground cable. This is a useful performance upgrade for stock alternators or high output alternators up to 250 amps.

The kit includes 10-feet of 0-gauge ground cable and 5-feet of 0-gauge wiring that is very flexible for easy routing. A 250 amp ANL fuse and holder are also supplied, along with heat-shrink seals, and eight crimp-free cable ends.

flamingriver.com800.648.8022

Full PackageTCI, Transmission PackagesIf you’re a street cruiser or racer in search of excellent perfor-mance and long-lasting durability, TCI has a number of trans-mission packages to meet your needs. The Street Rodder pack-age is equipped with an automatic valve body to achieve firmer shifts, while the StreetFighter option allows you to manually shift non-supercharged street machines or remain fully automatic.

Each package includes the transmission (conventional or electronic), shift firmness customized for the selected package,

converter, cooler, dipstick, and three gallons of their Max Shift automatic transmission fluid. TCI transmissions undergo indus-try-recognized triple testing procedures that adhere to the strict standards of quality control to insure that you are getting the very best of your ride.

tciauto.com 888.776.9824



Protect the CarbsDriven Racing Oil, Carb Defender Fuel AdditiveYou have probably heard Ethanol fuels are bad for you old carburetor, but do you know why?

Ethanol is much more corrosive than the non-ethanol fuel and actually attracts moisture. Designed for carbureted classic and performance vehicles, Driven’s Carb Defender Fuel Additive is specifically formulated to protect against Ethanol corrosion and induction deposits. Special corrosion inhibitors work to prevent expensive repairs and di-minished performance caused by Ethanol-blended pump gasoline and the moisture it attracts.

As you may know, high levels of Ethanol dilu-tion in the motor oil can also lead to rust and other corrosion problems in the crankcase. This new additive controls combustion chamber residue, along with protecting surfaces of the fuel system and intake tract. The additive treats up to 25 gallons of Ethanol-blended gas, and should be used with every fill-up. This fuel ad-ditive keeps the carburetor functioning prop-erly and is designed for the unique needs of classic vehicles that spend much of their lives in storage between cruises and special events.

drivenracingoil.com 866.611.1820

Get FlooredCARS Inc., Assembled Tri-Five FloorsThe floor of your tri-five Chevy provides the foundation that sets the tone for your restoration, as well as the driving experience. CARS Inc. now offers a completely assembled, precision replacement floor pan for ’55–’57 Chevys that will save time and help you do the restoration correctly.

The pre-assembled floor comes with all of the pans, supports, braces, and body mounts. Each component is stamped to exact tolerances with the correct appearance and the original gauge of steel. The complete assembly stretches from the front toe board to under the rear seat. Even the welds are in the correct OEM loca-tions, creating a superior restoration piece with the strength and appearance of the factory floor.

As with all replacement sheet metal pieces that CARS Inc. man-ufactures, the tri-five floor is manufactured in the U.S. from U.S. steel. There are three different complete floor pan assemblies avail-able covering hardtops, convertibles, and sedans.

carsinc.com800.227.7462

Baer BrakesBaer, 1968–1972 F-100 Brake SystemsOld Ford pickups have never been known for their stopping prow-ess, and they were never really expected to be. They’re trucks. Back in the day, trucks were only meant for work and hauling loads around town. Today, old pickups are cool and the ’68–’72 F100’s make great cruisers. There is no need to suffer with factory brakes or the need for heavy modifications to install big brakes.

The new Baer system mounts to the factory drum-brake spindles to mount their 6-piston radial mount caliper to put the squeeze on their two piece 14-inch rotor. Billet machined hubs are also sup-plied along with stainless braided hoses to complete the installa-tion. Out back, a specially designed 6-piston caliper for the rear easily mounts and even has a parking brake assembly.

Baer’s kit is available in red, black, or silver and you can also get the rotors supplied zinc-plated and drilled. Their 6P caliper accepts C5/C6 pads for easy replacement and selection of compounds.

baer.com602.233.1411


Boxing an A-BodyHellwig, Frame FX KitOne of the most effective ways to improve the stiffness and han-dling of a Chevelle is to box the factory chassis. However, this pro-cess could take considerable time with measuring, cutting, and fitting steel panels. Hellwig Products is making the task easy and even more effective with their new custom fit Frame FX kit.

The Frame FX kit is made up of 14 pre-cut 10-gauge steel pan-els that match the thickness of the factory frame and fit into the weak points of the factory chassis. Hellwig also engineered another panel that adds an extra body mount to tie the floor to the chassis, adding even more strength to the entire car. In addition, brackets are provided to mount the transmission crossmember, with enough adjustment to accommodate nearly any drivetrain configuration.

The increased strength that the Frame FX kit provides results in handling and ride quality improvements, while retaining the factory chassis and mounting points.

hellwigproducts.com800.435.5944

Breaking It UpCrane Cams, Break-In Engine Oil 10W-40Using ordinary off-the-shelf oil to break in an en-gine is like bringing a knife to a gunfight — you might last for a little while, but the end re-sult is always going to lead to your de-mise. Breaking in a new engine is more than just cranking the key. The proper break in of flat tappet camshafts and other engine com-ponents, such as piston ring seats, is a critical to longevity and perfor-mance.

Because of government regula-tions in recent years, many import-ant ingredients necessary for this longevity and performance have been reduced or removed from oils. To combat these problems, Crane Cams recently introduced a line of break-in oil which contains a heavily engineered grouping of oil additives, including proper levels of ZDDP (Zinc and Phosphorus) to eliminate harsh wear during break-in procedures and to optimize performance potential. Crane Cams 10W-40 Break-In Oil is suitable for all engines and valve train sys-tems. Give your engine a fighting chance!

cranecams.com 866.388.5120

Harness the WiresPainless Performance Products, Direct Fit Harness for 1968 ChevelleYou may not realize it, but the wiring in your ’68 Chevelle is 47 years old! Over those years it has probably been spliced in a dozen different places and is now powering components it was never meant to power. It’s now time to consider a new harness and Painless Performance offers an all new, direct bolt-in kit!

Each kit is supplied with nearly every OEM style connec-tor installed and ready to plug in. This means items like the turn signals, marker lights, and tail lamps all have the correct sockets and bulbs installed. Plus it will support modern ac-cessories like AC, electric fans, pumps, and even fuel injec-tion! There is also a 6-gauge charge wire for higher output alternators and the charge circuit is isolated from the battery through a 150 amp MIDI fuse as well. To keep these high cur-rent electrical demands in check, the ground circuit is fully inte-grated and tied directly to the battery negative circuit.

painlessperformance.com800.423.9696

BarnBarnIN THE

Shoebox



When Chevrolet introduced the ’55 Chevy along with its new 265c.i. small block, there was no way to know that they (along with the ’56 and ’57 mod-els) would become icons of the 1950s.

The cars had distinct styling and those beautiful body lines are burned into the memories of thousands. Even when they were treated as daily drivers and in the mix of other cars on the roads or racetracks, the tri-five Chevys stood out from the crowd.

Nearly six decades later, these cars still receive smiles and thumbs up from young-sters to those that saw them on dealership floors.

This ’56 two-door sedan has received a second chance to solicit the waves and grins of passersbys thanks to its gripping Matador Red and black paint along with the rumble of a well-tuned engine. Words/Photos Tommy Lee Byrd

A barn find ’56 Chevy is transformed into a cruiser


the way. The final assembly included an array of polished aluminum components, including an Edelbrock Performer intake manifold complemented by a list of finned alumi-num accessories.

Fuel and air is combined through an Edelbrock carbure-tor, while the spark from a Mallory Unilite distributor lights the fire. The small block exhales through a set of ceramic-coated, block-hugger headers and a 2-1/2-inch exhaust system, com-plete with Borla mufflers.

To keep the hot rod theme and make things more fun for the driver, a Richmond four-speed was put into use along with a classic Hurst shifter.

To bring the handling up to today’s expectations, the suspension was rebuilt from front to back, utilizing drop spindles and three-inch lowering blocks to get the ride height just right.

The original rear end is long gone, with a Ford 9-inch hous-ing taking its place. A set of heavy duty sway bars were bolt-ed on to keep the car level in the winding mountain roads, along with a set of BFGoodrich G-Force T/A rubber wrapped around 17x7- and 17x8-inch Rocket Booster wheels.

All of that go-power is fun, but the ’56 also needed to stop and a set of Baer disc brakes, featuring massive slotted and drilled rotors with six-piston calipers up front and four-piston calipers out back, handle the chore with ease.

The sheet metal was all there, but it was in need of a lot of care and massaging far before a few rounds of priming and block-sanding.

After it was deemed paint-ready, Ben Giuliano and Jonathan Myren laid down the PPG Matador Red and black basecoat/clearcoat materials, and followed suit with hours of color sand-ing, buffing, and polishing.

All of the exterior trim, including new bumpers, grille, and lighting came from Year One and are key to the highlights of a ’56 Chevy.

While skimming through the Year One catalog, the Hon-est Charley crew also found a complete interior kit for the ’56, done up in a two-tone scheme to match the paint work.

Fully Loaded Interiors installed the new upholstery kit, while Honest Charley Garage installed the new trim pieces and handled all of the tedious interior paint and detail work.

Taking a tri-five classic and giving it a hot rod-inspired driveline, along with a hunkered-down stance and comfortable interior, creates quite a cool combination. This ’56 is now ready for a new lease on the street rod life. SRL

When Corky found the ’56 Chevy, it appeared to be an easy fix that he could build, enjoy, and turn to make a few bucks. Once the Honest Charley Garage crew dug into the project, they realized it was a bit more than they bargained for, so it was time to start from scratch and do it right.

It’s hard to go wrong with the tried-and-true small-block Chevy, and this mildly modified mill is good for about 350 horsepower. Finned aluminum highlights provide the hot rod flare along with a Richmond four speed.

The sedan was discovered in a barn by Corky Coker as an un-finished project during a filming of the TV show Backyard Gold.

If you recognize that last name, you’re right — Corky is the President of the Chattanooga, Tennessee-based Coker Tire Company, and he is no stranger to searching out garage finds and backwoods projects.

At first, the ’56 looked like it would be an easy build with the car about halfway through a rebuild, but as the guys at Honest Charley Garage dug into the car, a series of unpleasant surpris-es encouraged them to start from scratch.

Some of the modifications and repairs were just not quite up to their standards, so the crew went back to the drawing board and planned a complete build that would combine the high points and design of a ’56 Chevy with just the right amount of modern flare.

A 350c.i. small block was machined and assembled by Roberts and Sons, who gave it a few modifications along


Sliding behind the wheel of this ’56 evokes a nostalgic feel, but once you hit the road, you realize there is a lot more performance and handling built into this 210. Fully Loaded Interiors installed the factory-style reproduction upholstery from Year One.


Car clubs have been around since guys started hanging out and helping each other wrench on cars. Clubs come in as many differ-ent sizes, shapes and specs as a Flathead intake, but one thing ties them all together — the street rod.

Whatever the flavor, clubs are an important part of our hob-by and culture. Some clubs are highly-organized, chartered na-tional organizations that charge dues, hold meetings, promote events, and donate to charities. Others are simply a loose knit group of folks with the same passion.

In each issue of Street Rod Life we choose a car club to spot-light. There is not necessarily a rhyme or reason for spotlighting a particular club other than to get the word out about the club, their history, and what activities they are involved in.

Who knows, maybe you will find a club located in your area that fits your interests.

If you have a club that you would like to have featured, hit us up on Facebook or send us an email to [email protected] and fill us in.

For our first installment of Club Scene, we are featuring a relatively new club (well, at least by street rodding standards) that really doesn’t have a car club sounding

name, but more of a lifestyle name — Relaxed Atmosphere, or RA for short.

RA may have an unorthodox sounding name, but they also had an unorthodox beginning leading to the name. Coming from the mini-truck movement that was all the rage in the ’90s, RA was actually started in Southern California in 1991 by Mike Shartsis, Mike Palm, and Dave May as an answer to the rules many clubs had for their members about the style of their truck.

Back in those days, the mini-truck scene was hot, and clubs had all sorts of rules, like the club logo being painted on the entire back window.

“The reason behind the start of the club was simple — to showcase the creative talent that each owner poured into their own vehicle,” Shartsis explains. “We wanted the vehicles we drove to be the stars, not our back window art. It was nev-er about the parties and good times, but about being the best show vehicles at the shows.”

As a result, RA went with a stylish, yet simple graphic that blended in rather than overpowered the vehicle.

“The only rules were to be yourself and no primer,” adds Shartsis.

That mantra still holds today. The only rule before an RA logo can go on a member’s ride is that it must be show-ready, or showing constant progress toward being show-ready. That’s not to say it has to be a million-dollar trailer queen, but it can’t be junk or under construction.

A Relaxed Atmosphere means there are no rules (except morals of course), dues, or titles, but instead everyone can have a say with no single-person dictating the show. As a re-sult, the club has grown from its humble beginnings to around 150 members in 28 chapters around the world, including Canada, Japan, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Many of the early members were/are in the automotive in-dustry, and as they evolved from the mini-truck scene, they looked to street rods as the next direction. Not only have they found a new mechanical canvas, they have bought in whole-heartedly and continue to take top honors at shows across the country.

RA takes pride in their vehicles — and it’s not just small re-gional shows we are talking about. Many of their vehicles have been finalists and winners at major events like Goodguys, Sac-ramento Autorama, the Grand National Roadster Show, and even the Detroit Autorama.

Members of the group have been responsible for an Amer-icas Most Beautiful Roadster Show finalist and even designed the’55 Ford Thunderbird that won the Don Ridler Award at the Detroit Autorama in 2012. The SEMA show wouldn’t be complete without an RA car being showcased in some manu-facturer’s booth.

On top of supporting other shows, RA hosts three chari-ty-fundraising car shows a year. They make no profit whatso-ever, but instead give it back to the community.

The 2015 fundraisers are taking place all over the Unit-ed States: Relaxing in SoCal is Sunday May 3, in Torrance, California, at the Alpine Headquarters; Relaxed All-Star Event takes place over Labor Day weekend (September 4–6) in Millington, Tennessee, at the USA Baseball Stadi-um; and Relaxing at the Rock is held June 27 in Portland, Oregon, at Rooster Rock State Park. These shows are al-ways well-attended and are often the first on people’s cal-endars as a Must-Go.

If you manage to make it to one of these events, you will see why they are called Relaxed Atmosphere — Nation’s Finest. SRL

with Relaxed Atmosphere

The only rules were to be yourself and no primer.”

“

mailto:[email protected]


LashingA PROPER


You’re almost there. You’ve installed that new Lunati hy-draulic roller camshaft in your small block. The front of the engine is buttoned up, the intake manifold is on,

and the distributor is in and timed. All that’s left to do is to set the preload on the lifters and the

engine’s ready to fire. This is where some guys think they have to run the en-

gine and perform a mad-dash lifter preload fire drill while oil splashes all over the engine compartment.

But there’s a better way, and it can be accomplished in peace and quiet with no cleanup afterward, because we’re not going to start the engine just yet.

Our procedure is easy: All you have to remember is Exhaust Opening and Intake Closing — or EO–IC.

Once we explain how this procedure works, you will be able to set hydraulic preload or mechanical lifter lash on any engine from any manufacturer — and you won’t have to memorize firing orders or cylinder numbering. Here’s how it works.

Setting hydraulic preload is about properly depressing the small piston inside the hydraulic lifter to its proper height. This preload is established to compensate for engine growth be-tween cold and warm engine operation.

You may not have thought about it, but an engine physically grows as it transitions from startup to its normal operating tem-perature. This growth may be as much as 0.010- to 0.015-inch or more depending upon the amount of aluminum in your engine.

To compensate for this growth, the specification for hy-draulic lifter preload is usually 1/2- to 3/4-turn on the adjuster to push down on the piston in the lifter. This creates enough clearance to allow the top of the engine to grow, while maintain-ing sufficient preload in the lifters to keep them quiet.

If your engine has a rocker shaft, then you don’t need to worry about this procedure, because the preload is set when the shaft is torqued in place.

Adjusting the preload with a shaft requires spacing the shaft up or down, or by changing pushrod length.

On individually-adjusted rockers like a small-block Chevy or Ford, the preload is set by adjusting the rocker arm nut. In order to do this, the lifter must be on the base circle of the cam lobe.

This is where our EO–IC technique comes into play. To begin, we prefer to remove all the spark plugs to make

turning the engine over easier. You can bump the engine with the starter motor, but turn-

ing the engine by hand with a long ratchet allows more accurate movement of the crank.

We prefer to start with the front cylinder on the driver side and run through each pair of valves for each cylinder going down the row of valves. This way we don’t get confused.

Once all the valves on the driver side are preloaded, we then run all the valves on the passenger side. This will require turn-ing the engine over several rotations.

Now let’s get started. When you rotate your engine in its normal clockwise direction, the exhaust valve will usually be the first to open (EO).

Turn the engine until the exhaust valve is roughly halfway to full lift. This will place the intake lobe on its base circle so we can adjust the preload on that lobe.

As you begin to tighten the intake adjuster, you are looking for zero lash, which is when all the clearance has been removed between the rocker arm, pushrod, and lifter.

You can tell when this occurs by gently twirling the pushrod between your fingers — the pushrod will tend to tighten up slightly.

On new lifters, often the tiny piston in the lifter is very easy to Words/Photos Jeff Smith

A simple solution for a sometimes complex procedure


Setting hydraulic valve lifter preload is easy once you’ve run through the procedure a couple of times. The beauty of this procedure is that it works on any four-stroke engine of any origin. When an idea is universal, you know it’s good.

Setting preload is as simple as tightening the poly lock another 1/4- to 3/4-turn, while locking the small Allen lock, just as the poly lock arrives at the intended preload. Use the torque of the poly lock to tighten the Allen lock.

Now rotate the engine until the intake rocker is past maximum lift and is approximately halfway closed — IC. This will place the exhaust lifter on its base circle.

We like to start from the front of the engine on the driver side. In the case of the small-block Chevy, the first valve in line is the exhaust. Ro-tate the engine until the exhaust valve begins to open roughly a quarter of full lift. This is exhaust Opening — EO.

EO means we set the lash on intake side because the intake lifter is on the base circle of the lobe. While adjusting the poly lock on the intake rocker, rotate the pushrod between your fingertips until there is no clearance between the rocker and the pushrod. This is zero lash.

If you are relatively new to engines, looking at a row of inline valves you might not be sure which is intake and which is exhaust. No worries — just line up the valves with their respective ports.

depress. This can make finding zero lash difficult, especially if the intake manifold is already in place.

We like to set lash on a new camshaft with the intake removed, so we can see exactly when the pushrod cup starts to depress in the lifter.

If the intake is in place, you can also jiggle the pushrod up and down against the rocker arm to test clearance. This is a great way to determine zero lash.

Once zero lash is achieved, you can now turn the adjusting nut to the re-quired amount of preload.

Depending upon manufacturer, the preload can vary from 1/4- (roughly 0.010-inch) to 3/4-turn (roughly 0.030-inch) of lifter preload. You can exper-iment with different preloads, but this rarely produces any appreciable differ-ence in the way the engine runs.

With the intake preload set and the poly lock tight, continue by rotating the engine while watching the intake rock-er. The exhaust rocker will finish its lift curve as the intake begins to open.

Continue turning the engine until the intake rocker is roughly 1/2- to 3/4- closed. This is intake closing — IC.

Now the exhaust lifter will be on the heel, or base circle, of the lobe and we can adjust the preload on that lifter. Perform the same technique for finding zero lash, set the preload, and tighten the poly lock.

You’ve now completed setting lifter preload on the first cylinder and can move on to the rest of the lifters, front to back.

You may find that while rotating the engine the intake closing (IC) occurs first. That’s okay. This just means you’ve come into the middle of the sequence.

After finding zero lash for the exhaust rocker, you can set the preload. With this accomplished, you have completed setting preload for the first cylinder. Now you can begin the process with the next cylinder in line.

Once you’ve completed the preload on all the cylinders on one bank, you can move to the opposite bank. Then just reinstall the valve covers, spark plugs, and wires and you’re ready to run.

If you are at IC first, then set the ex-haust preload. You don’t have to turn the engine over until EO begins. This proce-dure can be done in any sequence you like.

Once all the valves have been set, we like to go back over all the poly locks to make sure we didn’t miss one.

This same procedure can also be used to set valve lash for a mechanical cam. The only difference is setting the lash — or clearance — between the rock-er arm and valve tip with a feeler gauge. Other than that, the procedure is exact-ly the same.

If at a later time you can’t remember the sequence of EO–IC, just watch the

valve sequence. Slowly turn the engine over and watch the valves.

After top dead center (TDC) on the firing stroke, the exhaust valve will open first and then run through its lift curve. As it closes, the intake valve will begin to open and then run through its lift curve.

The sequence of valve events is ex-haust opening (EO) followed by intake closing (IC). So if you forget, the engine will remind you.

Now that you’ve got your valve lash procedure down, you’re ready to but-ton up that engine, fire it up, and test out that new cam. So let’s get to it. SRLSource: Lunati, lunatipower.com

A Higher Level Of Transmission Quality& PerformanceStreet Rodder Transmission Packages™

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Part # Popular Transmission ApplicationsGM311038P1 TH350 Street Rodder™ Package371038P1 700R4 Street Rodder™ Package371016P1 4L60E Street Rodder™ Package For LS Engines271600P2 6x Six Speed™ Transmission Package For GM Engines

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Inglese strives to give any street rod the look of classic in-duction combined with modern technology. Known in the performance aftermarket as “induction jewelers,”

the Inglese team provides everything from fully custom-ized, turnkey EFI or carbureted systems, to expert rebuild and tuning services, along with a full line of parts and ac-cessories.

Custom-matched paint, chrome finishes, and polish are available on all systems as well.

Here you’ll find just a small sampling of Inglese’s re-markable craftsmanship.

EXXXOTICINDUCTION

’68 CamaroThis 1968 Camaro is owned by Bruce Paul and utilizes a fuel-injected, eight-stack system from Inglese on a 355c.i. small block. The black, low-profile fuel rails are included with each kit and sit between the throttle bodies for for an unobtrusive fit.


’67 MustangOne of the more unique Mustangs in exis-tence is equipped with Inglese induction. Dino Rossi owns this fuel injected, right-hand drive ’67 coupe. Although they may seem simple, the snap-in filters that adorn the stacks are actually an award-winning product designed to keep out dust, dirt, and other debris.


’34 Ford RoadsterDan Lettshek’s ’34 Ford Roadster is equipped with a carbureted, eight-stack induction system from Inglese. Note the chrome stacks and custom red paint to match the overall motif of the vehicle.

The setup also includes Inglese’s durable black-wrinkle, die-cast alumi-num valve covers — which are designed to be tall enough to accommodate aftermarket valvetrains.


’55 Chevy BelAirMark Lopez brought his gorgeous ’55 Chevy BelAir hardtop to the Grand National Roadster Show featur-ing an Inglese eight-stack system utiliz-ing FAST EZ-EFI on his Dart 400c.i. Chevy rated at 435 horsepower.

The two-tone paint is tinted bronze and dark brown that really shimmered under the lights. Lopez also won the Stitch of Excellence award for the interior.


SWAPMaking the


It rings loud and clear that street rods are never finished. Owners are always looking for updates and new

ways to improve the performance or ap-pearance of their rod.

Thanks to non-stop research and development, along with forward thinking upstarts and ingenuity, the hot rod market continues to provide new and exciting components that

Thanks to advancements in technology, EFI is now easier than ever

deliver power, reliability, safety, and performance.

One area of engine performance and driveability that has really evolved in the last few years is the acceptance and use of electronic fuel injection (EFI).

Not that EFI is a new technology by any stretch in the OEM world, but the acceptance of the advanced electron-icsas well as the longing for the driving benefits of EFI is higher than ever in the street rod world.

This isn’t a passing fad or style with-in our industry. EFI swaps are grow-ing by the demand of the enthusiast and there are many solutions available with self-learning throttle body kits and multi-port systems, and more.

Many garage BS sessions have cir-cled around the topic of the expense and labor to install fuel injection versus a well-tuned carburetor.

It poses a great debate, but remember that many hot rodders today are not well versed in carb tweaking.

Also take into consideration the fuel quality at the pumps these days, includ-ing additives that are not cooperating with carbs.

Fuel injection systems can adapt to fuel variations and additives (to an ex-tent) making them less susceptible to driveability issues. EFI can deliver in-creased economy, better starting, and will provide improved overall perfor-mance throughout most operating con-ditions and environments.

One of the early turn-offs about swapping to EFI has always been about programming the system for a specific application.

This used to mean the need to use complicated software and a computer to tune the system to meet the vehicle’s re-quirements and performance goals.

When you add PC, software, and the ability to tune to the equation, you lose most of your do-it-yourself rodders and even a lot of shops.

This isn’t much of an argument any more, as most of the bolt-on kits avail-able today do not require a PC.

Thanks to self-learning technology, all these kits need are a few simple de-tails about your application to get start-ed and running.

The majority of carb-to-EFI systems on the market all incorporate a heated wide-band oxygen sensor (WB02).

This sensor constantly monitors the exhaust gases and makes adjustments to the fuel delivery in order to achieve a tar-geted air/fuel ratio. That means the user


only needs to input a target air/fuel ra-tio and the ECU does the adjustments to achieve that goal rather than having to plot a complicated fuel map from a PC.

When you’re planning an EFI instal-lation, it is recommended to start with the WB02 sensor installation as this is the only part that requires welding.

Generally, a plug is supplied so you can install the bung and plug the hole if you need to drive or use the car before completing the EFI installation.

One of the leading companies in the carb-to-EFI swap market is FAST, which devel-oped the EZ-EFI Fuel throttle body system several years ago and has been converting rodders over to EFI in record numbers.

The system incorporates a throttle body that mounts in place of a carbure-tor on most square-bore intakes and is nearly universal in their use on 4-, 6-, or 8-cylinder engines.

The EZ-EFI Fuel throttle body re-quires only a few sensors, such as the coolant temp, manifold pressure, and throttle position, so the wiring of the system is kept as simple as possible.

The kit is supplied with a wide-band 02 sensor and bung, which does require drilling and welding, but any exhaust shop could handle the small job of in-stalling the bung.

No PC RequiredOne of the most common barriers that kept enthusiasts from making the swap to electronic fuel injection was the pro-gramming.

Just a few years ago, most EFI swaps required that the system be programmed through software and a PC, which put the intimidation level much higher for the do-it-yourself rodder.

Skip ahead to present time and two things have changed.

First, the aftermarket has developed EFI systems that do not require any PC programming, and secondly, PCs are being replaced with tablets and smart phones, which are much more receptive to the masses and shops.

FAST incorporates an easy to nav-igate color touchscreen programmer that will guide you through some sim-ple car-guy questions about your en-

The other area that should be con-sidered when moving to EFI is the fuel system. Since EFI systems require high-er fuel pressure (average of 45 psi), a high pressure pump is required.

Not only the pump, but the filters and fittings all need to be up to the task.

For the most part, an inline pump can be added under the vehicle but the ideal location is in the tank.

gine, such as the number of cylinders and cubic inches, cam type, idle rpm target, air/fuel ratio targets, and the type of fuel system being used to get the en-gine fired up.

Once running, the self-learning tech-nology takes over and constantly monitors and adjusts the fuel delivery to achieve the target values.

No laptops or complicated software to sift through.


The next generation of throttle body in-jection systems from FAST, the EZ-EFI 2.0 Fuel + Ignition, can handle nearly twice as much horsepower as the original version (up to 1,200 hp).

An inline pump may be noisy and in high heat climates, the pump — and therefore the fuel — will run hotter.

Also, if you plan to run a returnless (single line) fuel system, the pump must be mounted in the tank.

Running an in-tank pump will cost a little more, but the pump will be quieter and run cooler.

When it comes to setting up your fuel delivery system, there are several options available to help make the up-grade as simple as possible — from drop-in fuel pump assemblies, to new tanks built for EFI with internal pumps, and even sump systems that operate with an original mechanical pump.

Whatever fuel solution is right for you,

the important point is that making the move to EFI on your rod is easier than ever.

Think about it, your cruiser will start, idle, and run like your daily driver and won’t have that annoying over-rich fuel smell following you around after a day out cruising. SRL

SOURCES: Aeromotive, aeromotiveinc.com; Edelbrock, edelbrock.com; FAST, fuelairsparktechnology.com; Rick’s Tanks, rickstanks.com; Tanks Inc., tanksinc.com

HYDRAULIC ROLLER & FLAT TAPPET CONFIGURATIONS

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LUNATI® BOOTLEGGER CAMSHAFTS GIVE YOU THE MUSCLE FOR YOUR OUTLAW STREAK.This aggressive series of cams is designed for hot rodders who play by their own rules. It’s the most powerful series of street cams we’ve ever produced. Building on technology from the popular Voodoo® Series, these cams feature even faster opening rates, a controlled closing and far more area under the lift curve.

With a 108˚ lobe separation angle and a 104˚ intake centerline, this extremely ag-gressive design provides tons of low- and mid-range power – perfect for back road adventures and stoplight-to-stoplight performance. When dyno-tested, Bootlegger Cams provide proven gains of up to 40 hp depending on the engine combination. Of-fering the perfect mash-up of today’s design advancements and old-school attitude, these are the perfect cams for harnessing your outlaw spirit.

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Fuel System Solutions With laptop-free EFI systems available, the once common issue of needing laptop tuning is no longer a major hurdle. Instead, the most popular question now comes in preparing the fuel sys-tem of your vehicle to support EFI. Remember, EFI systems require much higher fuel pressure making an electric fuel pump a neces-sity. Also, even though many of the EFI systems available are ‘re-turnless’ compatible (meaning only one line), most EFI companies recommend going with a return fuel system and an in-tank pump. This can present a challenge, but again, the aftermarket is coming up with solutions.

The benefits of an in-tank pump are the reduced temperature of the pump and fuel, as well as a reduction of noise. Frame mounted external pumps generate a lot of noise and dropping the pump into the tank quiets things down immensely. We had an external pump on a Biscayne for several years and finally made the move to an in-tank. The lack of the fuel pump morning growl at stoplights made a huge difference in the day-to-day driving.

There are several solutions available to help make the move to an in-tank pump easier these days. Each design serves its purpose and will help you make the swap.

AeromotiveAeromotive’s Phantom Kit is nearly universal in its fit and function and can be done by most anyone in their garage with basic tools (you’ll need a 3.25-inch holesaw). The kit comes with everything you need including a new fuel pump, in-tank sock, the sump foam, and detailed installation instructions. The key is the billet aluminum hat that mounts to the top of the tank and secures the fuel pump sur-rounded by a foam fuel-cell like material. Installation was straight forward. We spent more time cleaning our tank than the entire as-sembly process when we made the move from a noisy (and failing) external pump to an in-tank model. At first turn of the key, we were amazed at how quiet the pump operation turned out to be.

EdelbrockAnother alternative to adding high pressure fuel lines and modi-fying your rod’s fuel tank is with Edelbrock’s Universal Fuel Sump system. This unique sump system mounts under the hood and is fed fuel from the engine’s mechanical fuel pump. The sump has an internal high pressure fuel pump, regulator, and internal bypass to meet the high pressure demands of the EFI system.

The only high pressure line runs from the sump to the throttle body or fuel rail. If you have room under the hood, this solution will save you a lot of time and hassle when making the jump to EFI, since you don’t need to run high pressure fuel lines to the tank. Also, this is an ideal solution for trucks or vehicles with dual fuel tanks.

TanksOne of the advantages of having a popular car or truck is the avail-ability of aftermarket parts such as the fuel tank. Tanks Inc. offers a number of their quality replacement fuel tanks in a design that is available with an internal electric fuel pump assembly. No drilling or cutting on your brand new tank — just bolt-in and flow!

One cool aspect of these tanks is that the area where the fuel pump sending unit installs in the tank is recessed so the tank still fits properly, and the high pressure connections are accessible with the tank installed. For rods that are speed bump challenged, this is a big advantage plus the installation of the lines and wiring is much easier.

Custom TanksIf you’re building a unique rod that doesn’t have a replacement tank available, or you just want something custom built to your ap-plication, you may need to go with a handmade tank such as the stainless steel models from Rick’s Tanks. Need a tank with dual pickups for cornering and a pump that can support 1,500 horse-power? Rick’s Tanks has been there and done that.


Our goal at Street Rod Life is to deliver a publication — whether in print or online — with fun features, current news, and tech stories that will help you with your project.

We believe being involved in the life that is street rods is a fun place to be, and welcome more people to get involved in the hobby.

Being a car-person is almost a behavior with its own peculiar traits and customs. Chances are that many of your friends are likely car-folks. If you have kids or grandchildren, you’ve probably taken them to a car show, cruise, or race on more than one occasion.

How many of you have planned a vacation that happened to be around a major car event — just by luck (wink-wink)?

But it’s not all cars, all the time — though many significant oth-ers may disagree. We understand that cars are a hobby for most of us and there are many other things that are more important in our lives. Let’s face it, being able to mess around with cars is more of a privilege than a need.

The nice thing about car-folks is that we’re also good at help-ing out where we can — from helping a friend tow his new project home, to volunteering, or helping in the community — which is ex-actly why we’re going to share with you a Street Rod Lifer of the Month with each issue.

For our inaugural issue, we’d like to introduce you to David San-chez of Clovis, New Mexico.

We first met David, and his wife Jan, quite a few years ago on one of the Hot Rod Power Tours. They were cruising a ’62 Chevy wagon that drew attention thanks to its perfect stance and bright purple paint. Despite being smack in the middle of New Mexico they have made it through two complete Power Tours and several others for a few legs. That’s commitment. He also was a part of the Desert Cruisers car club and even a board member.

David’s “non-car-guy” life is that of a school nurse at Mesa El-ementary School. When he’s not patching up scrapes and taking care of sick students, you can find him in the garage, lending a hand with friends or helping with local events around Clovis.

A few years ago, he helped build a truck bed into a lunch table that is now in the school cafeteria where students get to sit for spe-cial days. There’s also a large Ford front-end transformed into a 3D school bus and mural on the wall thanks to David.

He’s also showing his 7-year old son Joaquin, and his friends, the car-guy ropes with frequent road trips to events in the south-west region in their ’60 Rambler wagon (on a 2002 Blazer chassis) or ’54 GMC. They still have the ’62 and Jan also drives a sweet little ’63 Falcon. Talk about a family of rodders.

Congrats to David and his family and keep spreading the Street Rod Life.

Got someone to nominate for a Street Rod Lifer? Send us a note at [email protected] explaining why you’re nominating them.

David Sanchez, our Street Rod Lifer of the Month poses with the truck bed he worked on and installed in the elementary school. To the left is the school bus mural he added.

David’s son Joaquin, rides shotgun to a number of events throughout the year, collecting Hot Wheels along the way.

The most recent project is a ’60 Rambler wagon.

ROD SHOTSMoments that capture the true essence of the street rod life.



It used to be simple. You fired up the ’32, woke the neighbors up on your way to the local auto parts store,

purchased five quarts of oil and a filter, and that Saturday morning oil change party was quick and easy.

But while your street rod is still the same hopped-up small block, nearly ev-erything else in the performance world — including engine oil — has changed, and some not for the better.

Several years ago, the American Pe-troleum Institute (API) made some seri-ous changes to the oil lining the shelves at all the big chain auto parts stores. You may have heard about the API stan-dards. For gasoline engines, the current standard is API SN, and each bottle of oil will carry a little API “donut” that states its current standard.

The reason this is important is because the standards have changed several times over the last 15 years and not all of them are good for older performance engines.

The API will tell you that their test-ing confirms that the current API SN oil is completely compatible with older engines, including those equipped with flat tappets.

But their testing is performed on old-er V6 engines equipped with flat tappet cams using relatively soft valve springs.

The big issue for performance en-thusiasts with these later generations of oil is the reduction of levels of zinc and phosphorous.

These two materials are part of a compound called Zinc Dialkyl Dithio-phosphate (ZDDP), and it is a very use-ful anti-wear additive.

If we go back nearly 20 years ago, a common standard engine oil package would have included roughly 1,200 to 1,500 parts per million (ppm) of ZDDP, a standard concentration for many years.

But long-term durability testing on catalytic converters found that high concentrations of ZDDP compound in engine oil contributed to coating the in-sides of the converters with these addi-tives, reducing the converter efficiency.

The easy solution was to reduce the concentration of ZDDP in produc-tion oil down to 800 ppm, or rough-ly half of the previous concentration. Since very few (if any) current pro-duction engines use flat tappets, this wasn’t a serious concern.

Current SN oil uses a newer, less-ac-tive version of ZDDP that has less im-

Parts store oil could leave your street rod at risk

OILEDFinely

Words Jeff SmithPhotos Driven Oil, Jeff Smith


Performance camshafts generally produce much higher lifter acceleration rates than stock camshafts. This is how the cam designers are able to increase valve lift, while keeping the duration rea-sonable for street engines.

These higher acceleration rates de-mand a more aggressive valve spring to maintain control of the valve at higher engine speeds. Plus increased opening rates reduce the contact area of the lifter to the cam lobe.

All of these performance camshaft design requirements contribute to in-creasing the load on that contact patch between the lifter and the cam lobe.

What our street engines need is oil with higher concentrations of ZDDP to protect the cam and lifters from wear.

A few years ago, the quick answer was to use oil intended for diesel engines that still utilized higher ZDDP concentra-tions. But that solution is no longer valid, because diesel oil has also recently been subjected to similar ZDDP reductions.

The real solution is performance street engine oil that increases the ZDDP concentrations to the 1,200 to 1,500 ppm levels that will protect older engines.

There are race oils that do this job, but they are intended to be used in rac-ing applications and generally are blend-ed with lower levels of detergents that are necessary for street engines.

One company that has addressed this specific hot rod need is Driven Racing Oil.

Among the different formulations that Driven offers, the Hot Rod 10W-30, 10W-40, and 15W-50 versions are the ones that are best suited for a street-driven vehicle.

These are mineral-based oils that are specially blended for increased protec-tion when the engine is stored to mini-mize oxidation.

This is especially important because acids form in the oil as a result of normal combustion, and the additive package in Driven’s HR oil is specially blend-ed to counteract the corrosive nature of these acids.

This is helpful for engines that are only driven for short runs where the en-gine oil may not achieve sufficient tem-perature to boil off accumulated acids.

Driven’s HR oil is also available in a full synthetic as well. The ZDDP pro-tection levels are actually slightly better with the synthetic, because the base oil package is greatly improved over nearly all other synthetics.

Driven’s HR synthetic mPAO base oil package is exactly the same as all of Driven’s race oils (the same oil used in NASCAR racing).

mPAO is a next-generation synthetic based oil that features a higher viscosity index, which allows for the formulation of multi-grade motor oils that are less dependent on traditional viscosity index improver additives.

The synthetics are more expensive, but if you’ve invested $10,000 in a kill-er street engine, Driven’s HR synthetic is certainly among the best street oil you can buy.

There’s much more to the story about engine oil than just ZDDP and wear rate protection, as we’ve only touched on viscos-ity selection, but in this case you don’t need to be a lubrication expert on the subject.

All you need to know is that there are far better oils out there than the stuff on the shelf at the local auto parts store for your street rod.

The question becomes whether all this information is motivation to do something before that cam goes flat. We’ll leave that call up to you. SRLSource: Driven Racing Oil, drivenracingoil.com

Parts store oil could leave your street rod at risk

How dangerous are low ZDDP levels for

a high perfor-mance camshaft?

These concaved lifters are

supposed to be slightly crowned,

but reduced ZDDP levels contributed

to their demise.

pact on catalytic converters, but the con-centrations have remained low.

The issue for performance enthu-siasts is the durability of high perfor-mance flat tappet cam engines using API designation SJ, SL, SM, or SN oil.

Sliding type flat tappet lifters create friction — especially when the camshaft and lifters are new — and it’s the higher levels of ZDDP that protect these lifters from failure.

Stock engines with stock spring loads can continue to use current SN oil with no problem, but performance en-gines are a different issue.

T-bucketCENTURY21st

Detroit Speedcraft brings confidence, contemporary egonomics to classic ride


T-bucket

Story and photos by Barry Kluczyk

T-buckets are traditional hot rods. And as anyone who’s lived with one for any length of time will likely attest, they’re typically known for their marginal driving experi-

ence — especially once you put a little power to them. Poor designs that yielded less than desirable ride and han-

dling characteristics, combined with a relatively high center of

gravity, with that traditional “cartoon-character” seating posi-tion, were the norm in the mid ’60s and early ’70s.

In an age of uncompromising factory performance sedans that deliver Autobahn-blistering performance, the not-so-quaint compromises of the traditional T-bucket can be hard to accept, even for short cruises.

Words/Photos Barry Kluczyk


That’s where Detroit Speedcraft comes in.

The Motor City-based street rod startup company developed a T-buck-et-style hot rod that is engineered to per-form with the directness and confidence of a contemporary car.

“The Detroit Speedcraft platform is an engineered system with a wide array of components that are designed to work to-gether to deliver excellent ride, handling, braking and steering dynamics,” explains co-founder Tom Kuhr. “In designing our front and rear suspensions, steering, and ergonomic package — radius rods, ladder bars, steering linkage, steering column angle, seat angle, etc. — function drove the design, not appearance.

“We do not have bump steer, axle hop, ride, drive, or braking response that is un-predictable or uncomfortable. All sus-pension hard points, bushings, spring and shock rates, suspension articulation swings, were carefully designed and engi-neered together to make a happy car.”

A unique, Speedcraft-designed and built dual kick-up frame is the figura-tive and literal foundation for the com-pany’s cars.

It not only enables the confident, predictable handling characteristics, but delivers optimal ergonomics.

There is also a decidedly modern axle location and suspension geometry that give the car its rock-solid handling.

Using a dual kick-up frame design, the body is mounted on top of the frame rails without the body being channeled over the frame.

That frees up more space and allows a significantly lower seating position in the body than other traditional T-buckets.

The seating position is designed with a comfortable angle so it feels like the car you drive daily.

The right amount of foot space area is possible with the incorporation of a contoured speed blister on the driver’s side of the body (also available as an op-tion for the passenger side). That allows the pedals to be positioned with the cor-rect side-to-side spacing and step-over.

The steering comes at you through the dashboard, like a normal car, and not through the floor like an antique bus.

“T-buckets and proper ergonomics have never been used in the same sen-tence, much less designed into a vehi-cle such as a T-bucket,” says Kuhr. “We have invested considerable time and ef-fort in our car’s feel and function. Most T-buckets have very odd pedals, seating, and steering arrangements that require re-learning and new instincts in order to drive the vehicle. In a panic situation, such a lack of proper ergonomic design could be dangerous.”

The brains behind the unique frame, suspension, and optimal interior design

is Dave Nedock, president and chief en-gineer for Detroit Speedcraft.

Retired from Ford Motor Compa-ny, Nedock spent his 27-year career as a hands-on design engineer and proj-ect manager on vehicles including the Mustang.

His design expertise includes, sys-tems integration, chassis systems, sus-pension, brakes, steering, powertrain, and ride and handling. He also raced a multitude of vehicles over the past 30 years, from quick door slammers to blown altereds and alcohol funny cars.

In short, Nedock is a guy who knows the importance of confidence and stabil-ity in a high-powered vehicle.

“It’s not fun to drive something that feels unbalanced or unsteady at speed,” he says. “When you feel the car is capable and confident, you re-ally enjoy the experience — and it’s so much more fun to explore the car’s performance capability.”

We can attest to his qualifications and eye for detail, having driven one of the Detroit Speedcraft cars fast enough to re-alize its handling, composure on bumps, and stopping traits, all were spot-on.

These sentiments were echoed by customer Blake Bandusky, from Lom-bard, Illinois, who says of his Speedcraft T-bucket: “The headline here is the han-dling. Zero, I mean zero bump steer. Your suspension tracks absolutely straight over bumps and potholes. The steering for be-ing non-assisted is light and nimble.

“Many vehicles like this are fast, and many look good. There are very few that handle this well, and fewer still that com-bine handling, speed and good looks.”

Like many hot rod kit vehicles, the Detroit Speedcraft cars are all about in-dividuality and personalization.

For turn-key cars, they’ll do just about anything you ask and power the cars with just about any power plant. Most have been small-block Chevy-powered, but they’ve done LS- and Ford-powered cars as well.

When it comes to their kits, the Speedcraft cars are more complete than most on the market.

“Many kits are a collection of parts that are thrown together to make a pack-age, but require a lot of special fitting and welding,” says Kuhr. “In many cas-es the components in the kit were nev-er designed to work together and pretty much don’t.”

Indeed, a Detroit Speedcraft kit at first glance may seem more expensive, but it’s very thorough and complete in its parts list, including the fuel tank and mounting hardware, radiator, wind-shield, complete brake system, com-plete steering system, interior kit, bat-tery mount, pedals, seats and seat risers, complete rear axle, seat belt mountings, headers, and more.

A ballpark figure for a kit which in-cludes a full chassis and body package starts at $15,900, with no engine or trans.

A turn-key car, delivered and ready to rumble, starts at $26,900. That’s a pret-ty good value in our book, considering the demonstrated capability of the car and its build quality.

Detroit Speedcraft has also been pro-active with YouTube-based videos that help with the assembly process for DIYers. This effort has pushed the completion rate for their kits to nearly 100-percent.

They’re also continually refining their products, including the recent in-troduction of a new 23T-X body, which features a 3-inch addition to the cowl for

a better driving position and comfort, dual-contoured speed blisters that cre-ate more foot space for the driver and passenger, and a steering column with a steel cross-car beam for extra rigidity, strength, and steering response.

Of course, it’s hard to put a number on the fun factor — and in that regard, Detroit Speedcraft cars might be the street rod value of the decade.

They’ve revamped the T-bucket into a relevant, confident, and thoroughly road-worthy modern street rod.

No more compromises. SRL

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HIT THE ROADSCHEDULES EVENTS PLACES

It’s a great time to be a street rodder! There have never been so many events, races, and avenues to attend . . . even as a spectator. Whether you’re into car shows, driving events, tours, or racing, there is something nearly every weekend. Here’s a few upcoming events to put on your calendar.

If you have anything you want to tell us about — let us know at: [email protected]

Sloan Museum Auto FairThis show features an eclectic mix of muscle cars, hot rods, and vintage race cars with an emphasis on Buick history, since the show is smack in the heart of what used to be Buick City.

All years, makes, models, and descrip-tions are welcome so you will see every kind of car and truck you can imagine.

sloanautofair.com

June 27–28Flint, Michigan

Back to the FiftiesThousands of street rodders take to the Minnesota State Fairgrounds for a weekend celebration of hot rods and fun at this staple event for the northern region.

msrabacktothe50s.com

June 19–21Minnesota State FairgroundsSt. Paul, Minnesota

Goodguys Rod and Custom AssociationWe previewed the Goodguys 2015 on page 32, but here’s the schedule through May. The April 17–19 stop in Raleigh, North Carolina, is a new event on the schedule and we know the Tar Heel state has to be excited. We’ll post more dates in the next issue of Street Rod Life.

good-guys.com

March 20–225th Spring Lonestar NationalsTexas Motor SpeedwayFort Worth, Texas

March 28–29All American Get-TogetherAlameda County FairgroundsPleasanton, California

April 10–1215th Del Mar NationalsDel Mar FairgroundsDel Mar, California

April 17–191st North Carolina NationalsNorth Carolina State FairgroundsRaleigh, North Carolina

April 24–262nd Florida NationalsOsceola Heritage ParkKissimmee, Florida

May 15–1710th Nashville NationalsLP Field (Tennessee Titan Stadium)Nashville, Tennessee

May 30–3122nd Summer Get-TogetherAlameda County FairgroundsPleasanton, California

Street Machine NationalsThe Street Machine Nationals offers up a huge gathering of street machines, hot rods, muscle cars, rods, and more. The events are open to all years, makes, and models that are powered with American iron. Participants get to display their rods, compete in events, compete for awards, and hang out with our editors!

streetmachinenationals.net

March 14–15Street Machine and Muscle Car Nation-als Pomona, California

June 26–28Du Quoin Street Machine Nationals Du Quoin, Illinois

July 17–19Street Machine Nationals St. Paul, Minnesota

Sept 25–26Springfield Fall Nationals Springfield, Missouri

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.good-guys.com


HOT ROD Power Tour The 21st running of the HOT ROD Power Tour takes place June 6–12 with a run from Madison, Wisconsin to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Pack up the family, some tools, and the dog for a week of horsepower fun!

hotrod.com

Saturday, June 6Alliant Energy CenterMadison, Wisconsin

Sunday, June 7Parkland CollegeChampaign, Illinois

Monday, June 8Gateway Motorsports ParkMadison, Illinois

Tuesday, June 9Memphis International RacewayMemphis, Tennessee

Wednesday, June 10Hoover Metropolitan StadiumHoover, Alabama (near Birmingham)

Thursday, June 11Surprise! Location coming soon

Friday, June 12Lamar Dixon Expo Center Gonzales, Louisana (near Baton Rouge)

Pomona Swap MeetIf you can’t find it at the Pomona Swap Meet, held at the Fairplex, maybe you just don’t need it. If you’re looking for an adventure, fly out with a pal, bring a wad of cash, and road trip home in a rust-free project of some sort!

pomonaswapmeet.comSunday, April 19Sunday, June 7Sunday, Aug 9thPomona, California

National Street Rod AssociationThe NSRA produces 10 great events in 2015 welcoming all 1985 and older vehi-cles to take part in the weekend festivities. Has your rod been through the NSRA safety inspection? Now’s your chance.

nsra-usa.com

April 10–12, 2015State Fair ParkOklahoma City, Oklahoma

April 24–26, 2015Kern County FairgroundsBakersfield, California

May 1–3, 2015Chilhowee Park & Exposition CenterKnoxville, Tennessee

May 22–24, 2015Ozark Empire FairgroundsSpringfield, Missouri

June 5–7, 2015York Expo Center York, Pennsylvania

June 26–28, 2015Colorado State Fairgrounds Pueblo, Colorado

August 6–9, 2015Kentucky Exposition CenterLouisville, Kentucky

Lonestar Round UpThe Lonestar Round Up is a huge Austin, Texas, outdoor car show and live music festival featuring vintage hot rods and custom cars that drive from all over the country as an annual pilgrimage for pre-’64 rodders.

lonestarroundup.comApril 17–19Travis County Expo CenterAustin, Texas

http://www.nsra-usa.com

Behind THE DOOR Ever wonder what’s happening behind a garage door? We were able to roll up the door on Bill Avilla’s shop to see what the long-time El Paso, Texas, hot rodder was working on. Bill’s owned well over 150 cars (with 75 being Corvettes) and has done it all from drag racing to off-roading, slalom, rods, and more, with nearly everything wearing a bowtie save for a few Pontiacs and Olds. He’s got more than a few cool rides in his shop and we salute him as a street rod lifer!

Bill paid $100 for his first car, a ’57 Chevy two-door

sedan. That first one is long gone, but this LS-powered

shoebox fills the void.

This ’57 has been with Bill for over

20 years and back in the late ’60s it was

raced by his good friend Mike Griffin. See

more on this one at StreetRodLife.com.

Out of over 100 Chevrolets that Bill has

owned, this is his first Chevelle! The ’67 has a built LS with a 6-speed trans, CPP suspension

and brakes, Vintage Air, and paint by Street Toys

of Juarez, Mexico.


Don’t Drive Until You’ve DRIVENStreet rods make their own rules. They stand apart in age, performance, and seasonal enjoyment and these unique features demand qualities that today’s fuels and lubricants simply do not possess. Putting “the motor ahead of the molecule,” Driven Racing Oil has specifically formulated products that street rodders can count on to protect their cherished machines. The Zinc-fortified Driven Hot Rod Oil and system-cleansing Driven Carb Defender fuel additive were both specially developed for street rods and older engines.

CARB DEFENDER FUEL ADDITIVEThe growing trend of using Ethanol to bring lower-rated fuels to a higher octane creates problems even under regular usage. Lower octane hy-drocarbons are typically less stable and more likely to varnish. Added Ethanol not only absorbs water by nature, it’s chemically corrosive to carburetor metals like Aluminum and Zinc. Independently tested, Driv-en Carb Defender was proven to outperform national leading additive brands in cleaning and preventing deposits, inhibiting fuel system corro-sion, and stabilizing fuel, all without changing the properties of the fuel. Whether in use or in storage, Driven’s Carb Defender’s cleans, protects, and stabilizes like no other. It restores performance, extends engine life, and eliminates costly repairs - and that means more miles of fun.

• Fuel stabilizer• E85 corrosion prevention • Eliminates deposits

Modern engines and oils have done a great job of reducing emissions and protecting sensitive emissions equipment. However, these reduced emissions come at the expense of traditional wear additives like Zinc Dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP) in modern oils. Simply put, you shouldn’t use modern oils in older style engines.

Driven Hot Rod Oil is specifically formulated with high levels of ZDDP to protect older engines. Since many of them are not driven daily, Hot Rod Oil has also added unique military-spec rust and corrosion inhibitors to prevent dry starting and corrosion caused during storage. Driven Hot Rod Oil meets the latest SAE J300 Cold Cranking requirements and passed a rigorous 1000-hour severe storage simulation test with NO signs of rust or corrosion. Reduced cold start wear means longer engine life.

HR HOT ROD MOTOR OIL

• Dry start prevention• Zinc additives • Storage protection

LONG PERIODS OF STORAGE CAN DAMAGE OIL & FUEL SYSTEMS.

Corrosion Test Results*

*Not ASTM verified. Testing was conducted by an independant lab using steel.

Driven

Stabil

SeaFoam

Startron

Join Us: #DRIVENTOWIN1.866.611.1820 | DRIVENRACINGOIL.COM

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VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PROTECTING YOUR HOT ROD.

COMPCAMS.COM CAM HELP® 1.800.999.0853

The streets are full of commotion and it’s easy to get run over unless you make some noise. The hard-hitting Thumpr™ Series from COMP Cams® will give your hot rod or street machine an aggressive note that lets them know you mean business. More than all bark and no bite, they were specifically de-signed to create impressive horsepower gains and broad torque curves while maintaining streetability.

From mild to wild, Thumpr™ offers three levels of thump to suit any engine: Thumpr™, Mutha Thum-pr™, and the Big Mutha Thumpr™. Though nostalgic-sounding in note, the designs are compat-ible with the latest in valve train advances, including COMP® Beehive™ Valve Springs, Ultra Pro Magnum™ Roller Rockers, and Magnum Pushrods. EFI-compatible versions are also available. You choose the engine, Thumpr® will make it roar.

Choose one of four levels of component-matched kits, including the all-inclusive K-Kit for a complete, trou-ble-free installation. Complete K-Kits include a camshaft, lifters, springs, timing chain set, valve stem seals, retainers, locks and assembly lube.

The asphalt jungle is a noisy place. Make sure you’re heard.Spintron® and dyno tested

Available for both carb and EFI

Retro-fit hydraulic roller and hydraulic flat tappet versions

GM - Ford - Chrysler - even Ford flathead and Buick nailhead

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Street Rod Life Spring 2015

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Transcript of Street Rod Life Spring 2015