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itsworn · 6 years

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Street Rod of the Year! Street Rodder’s Top Pick for 2018 Plus 10 Runners-Up

And the winner is … Bob Florine’s 1957 Ford Del Rio Ranch Wagon.

Award winners in the 2018 STREET RODDER Top 100 program, sponsored by Painless Performance Products, were selected at Cruisin’ The Coast 2017, Grand National Roadster Show, Sacramento Autorama, Detroit Autorama, Back to the 50’s, Syracuse Nationals, NSRA Street Rod Nationals (outdoor), NSRA Street Rod Nationals (indoor), Hot August Nights, and the Danchuk Tri-Five Nationals. From those 100 vehicles, we selected Bob’s completely custom 1957 Ford wagon as the 2018 Street Rod of the Year, along with 10 runners-up.

1957 Ford Del Rio Ranch Wagon | Bob Florine | Ventura, CA STREET RODDER had been monitoring the progress on Bob Florine’s remarkable wagon since its early stages and gave it a Top 100 pick at the Grand National Roadster Show. Steve Strope and his crew at Pure Vision in Simi Valley, California, handled the overall creation, starting with Steve Stanford’s concept artwork. Mick Jenkins handled much of the sheetmetal modification, bodywork, and paintwork. The numerous exterior mods include lengthened doors and slanted B-pillars, and a 1959 Thunderbird hood scoop. The raised rear wheel openings show off custom Billet Specialties wheels. The two-tone paint combines PPG Ferrari Avorio and Aston Martin Bridgewater Bronze.

A mandrel-bent frame forms the platform for the Art Morrison Enterprises custom chassis, which uses C6 ZR1-based IFS components. The rear features a Speedway Engineering 9-inch with Mike Maier rear torque arms and JRI coilovers.

Bob fulfilled his wish for a shotgun engine with a 700-plus horsepower Jon Kaase Racing Boss9 stroker engine topped with a Borla eight-stack injection system with a FAST controller. The Hughes Performance 4L80E transmission uses a Gear Vendors under/overdrive unit.

Gabe Lopez at Gabe’s Street Rod Custom Interiors covered the insides with two-tone Italian leather with woven leather seat inserts. A custom-built Redline Gauge Works instrument cluster fills the dash. The upper dash speaker grille lifts to reveal a Bluetooth-equipped iPad.

Congratulations to Bob Florine and Steve Strope at Pure Vision for this amazing 1957 Ford wagon, our 2018 Street Rod of the Year. Read more details and see more than 50 photos at https://bit.ly/2OtDWeq.

1933 Ford Coupe | Dennis Mariani Jr. | Oakland, CA The Mariani Brothers coupe, built by Steve Moal of Moal Coachbuilders in Oakland, California, is another Top 100 winner from the Grand National Roadster Show. Dennis Mariani Jr. wanted a high-end, classy, street driven coupe to reflect the look of the land speed cars he and his family have raced on the salt flats. The track nose, 3-1/2-inch chopped top, belly pans, PPG British Racing Green paint, hand-formed aluminum four-piece hood, and other elements accomplish that. A Hilborn EFI setup feeds the Dart aluminum Chevy small-block with Hilborn injection, based on a Panella Racing block. A Legend five-speed transmission delivers torque to the quick-change rear. A Moal torsion-bar suspension was built on the stock Ford frame, beefed up with tubular crossmembers. Moal custom knockoff caps distinguish the Stockton Wheel steelies with Excelsior tires. Sid Chavers stitched the beige and oxblood leather interior. For more photos and video of this car, visit https://bit.ly/2RBxnIy.

1957 Chevy Bel Air Two-Door Hardtop | Charles Baxley | Beech Island, SC STREET RODDER’s Top 100 list for 2018 includes a whopping 20 Tri-Five Chevys, 10 of which were selected at the Danchuk Tri-Five Nationals (of course). This patent-leather black 1957 Bel Air was one of our favorites from Beech Bend Raceway, but was also selected by event judges as the Tri Five of the Year. Charles Baxley kept the exterior mods appropriately mild, saving the custom stuff for the rest of the car. The car rides on an Art Morrison Enterprises front suspension and a four-link and coilovers in the rear suspending a Ford 9-inch. The 18- and 20-inch Knuckle five-spoke wheels are from Billet Specialites’ Vintage series. A modified Chevy LS2 engine is backed by a 4L60E transmission. The superclean, mega-red interior includes modern bucket seats, and a contemporary redesign of a classic 1955 dash, filled with Dakota Digital analog gauges and vents for the Vintage Air A/C system.

1947 Cadillac Series 62 | Kevin Anderson | Indianapolis, IN Kevin Anderson’s Crystal Cadillac knocked us out at the Detroit Autorama. Originally a four-door sedan, it moved from a Minneapolis museum to Gas Axe Garage in Allendale, Michigan, where Mike Boerema converted it to a coupe with 48-inch doors. A 5-inch chop and airbag suspension brings things low. The sedan windshield was reshaped to look like a convertible, with a Haartz cloth Carson-style top completing the look. Chromed sombrero hubcaps and wide whitewalls fill the front fenders; rear fender skirts are lowered and filled. Gary Brown at Brown’s Metal Mods sprayed the paint. The leather upholstery, contrasted by authentic ’40s Cadillac fabric inserts, was designed by Kevin and installed by Joe Bukrey at Buckskinz in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Door garnish moldings wear polished Crystal Cadillac badges. The original 47,000-mile 346 Cadillac flathead is backed by the original transmission. See more at https://bit.ly/2JK4yas.

1962 Ford Galaxie Convertible | Gary Gregory & Fred Graefe | Stewartstown, PA Our 2017 SROY came from the indoor display cars at the NSRA Street Rod Nationals. In 2018, two of our runners-up were discovered outside. This 1962 Ford Galaxie convertible came from the factory with superclean lines that make a perfect platform for hot rodding. The transformation from factory to Top 100 winner took place in Stewartstown, Pennsylvania, home of Lucky 7 Rod Shop. The Axalta charcoal paint is contrasted by the cloth top and the modern front and rear bucket seats upholstered in burgundy leather. Gary and Fred chose Billet Specialties 18×8 and 20×10 wheels to complete the outer impression. Underhood the engine compartment is stuffed with a dual-turbocharged 5.0L Ford Coyote built to unleash close to 700 hp and backed by a 6R80 six-speed. Chassis goodies include the QA1 shocks at each corner and RideTech rear suspension parts. For more photos, visit https://bit.ly/2Qgk00e.

1932 Ford Coupe | Bret Sukert | Montesano, WA Bret Sukert’s ’60s-style 1932 three-window coupe got our attention as soon as we entered the Suede Palace. This traditional hot rod is homebuilt from an unmodified original steel body bought from well-known rodder Dick Page. Foss’ Hot Rods handled body and paint chores before Mitch Kim stepped forward to add all that pinstriping. The suspension includes a dropped axle and transverse leafs in front and quarter ellipticals in back, built on a Deuce frame. The Chevy 350 small-block is topped with a Weiand manifold and 1965-1966 GTO air cleaner. Interior elements include Mopar van seats with white tuck ’n’ roll upholstery, an N.O.S. Grant wheel, a restored Ha Dees heater, and Stewart-Warner blue face gauges (it took 50 gauges to get eight that matched). The coupe left the Suede Palace with the Best of Show award as well as a Top 100 pick. See more photos at https://bit.ly/2AN9hFd.

1962 Chevy Impala | Jesse Lindberg | Redding, CA At the Sacramento Autorama, Scott Bonowski (who’d won the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster award a month before) insisted that we take a close look at Jesse Lindberg’s Impala. Jesse found the car in pieces, scattered all over, and built it at his automotive repair shop. He competes in Sound Quality contests, but the high-end audio system is only one of many impressive parts. Two-tone gold and green paint finish a body modified with subtle mods. Raceline 19- and 20-inch wheels fill the fenders. A carbureted Chevy Vortec 350 engine and 700-R4 trans move the Impala down the street, with airbags and CPP shocks ironing out the ride. Inside, tan leather upholstery is paired with vintage cloth inserts. The top-shelf stereo components hidden in the trunk are heard but not seen. We’ll have a full article in a future issue. For now, check out https://bit.ly/2PbyCkV for a few more photos.

1934 Ford Pickup | Danielle Lutz | Moscow, PA Danielle Lutz’s channeled and chopped hot rod pickup, built by Jason Graham Hot Rods in Portland, Tennessee, earned its Top 100 pick at its Detroit Autorama debut. Jason treated the truck cab to a 1-1/2-inch stretch and 4-1/2-inch chop with slanted A-pillars—and added flush-fit doors, a custom hood, grille insert, and bed sides—before spraying the traditional Washington Blue paint. The chassis is traditional too, with a straight axle, front and rear split wishbones, quarter-elliptic springs, and exposed Winters quick-change rear. Excelsior rubber wraps 18- and 20-inch custom wheels. An Inglese eight-stack setup delivers gas and air, and a big shot of vintage coolness, to the stroked 347 Ford small-block. The engine is paired with a TREMEC five-speed. Danielle’s truck went to Gil Vigil of Speed & Design for a complete custom interior, featuring deep tan relicate leather covering the custom buckets. For more, visit https://bit.ly/2JK4yas.

1956 Ford Victoria | Bruce & Judy Ricks | Sapulpa, OK The classic looks of Bruce and Judy Ricks’ 1956 Victoria have been subtly altered by a 4-3/4-inch wedge section. Schott Performance wheels are covered in fat Pirelli rubber. A look inside reveals custom buckets covered in two-tone brown leather. The Vicky is a driver and an Art Morrison Sport IFS chassis, Strange-equipped 9-inch with a triangulated four-bar, and RideTech shocks contribute to its great ride. A look inside reveals Wise Guys bucket seats, covered in two-tone brown leather by Gabe’s Custom Interiors. A Ford Racing 427-inch small-block is fed by Autotrend eight-stack EFI and backed with a TREMEC T56 Magnum six-speed mixing the gears. Bruce worked with Steve Cook Creations in Oklahoma City, who had teamed up with Bruce on a 1956 Ford convertible; a Ridler award was the result. The Victoria won its Top 100 prize at the Street Rod Nationals. Read the full feature at https://bit.ly/2D85Fz4.

1934 Ford Roadster | Dale Fode | Redwood City, CA In 2015, Dale Fode’s roadster was at the Grand National Roadster Show vying for America’s Most Beautiful Roadster. In 2018, it was at Hot August Nights winning a Top 100 award. The stunning street rod, virtually hand built by Mark Willis and Bob Stewart at Mark Willis Custom Painting in Grants Pass, Oregon, blends street rod attitude with ’30s coachbuilt car elegance. The jet black body has been widened, quarters moved up, and doors lengthened 6 inches. The 1935 fenders were fabricated—and cover 18- and 20-inch one-off wheels. The custom frame is the platform for the Kugel Komponents independent suspension. Gabe’s Custom Interiors wrapped the seats and doors in deep red leather. The custom components have the appearance of vintage pieces, surrounded by modern design throughout—from dash to door panels. There’s nothing nostalgic in the engine compartment, home to a Magnuson supercharged LS7. See more of Dale’s roadster at https://bit.ly/2F8eQ5l.

1965 GMC Fenderside Pickup | Jim Connerley | Carmichael, CA Jim Connerley says his father bought the GMC new and wouldn’t have understood his goals for the truck. Jeff Norene at Lee’s Vintage Car Shop in West Sacramento, California, understood them well, transforming Jim’s GMC from a stocker to the showstopper that got a Top 100 pick at the Sacramento Autorama. With a few exceptions (like 1937 taillights, oak bed floor, and a custom rear pan), the exterior is stock. Metallic brown paint is dressed up with pinstriping and gold leaf lettering. American Racing wheels were painted to match. Rex Hutchison Racing built the Vortech supercharged LS engine. A full chassis from Scott’s Hot Rods includes a tubular frame, IFS components, Aldan coilovers, and Ford 9-inch. Jack’s Upholstery used butterscotch vinyl on the 2005 Chevy pickup bench. Jim’s GMC will appear in Classic Trucks magazine soon. Until then, enjoy photos and video at https://bit.ly/2F2HogF.

The post Street Rod of the Year! Street Rodder’s Top Pick for 2018 Plus 10 Runners-Up appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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jonathanbelloblog · 6 years

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So-Cal Speed Shop Builds a 1972 Bronco

For the uninitiated, Pete Chapouris was a legend in the world of hot rodding. Being one of the founders of Pete & Jake’s Hot Rod Shop, the landmark ‘1970/80s-era hot rod aftermarket parts and chassis business, Chapouris was among the best when combining professional-level promotion and showmanship with a high-quality parts business.

Throughout his 50-year career, Chapouris not only had a knack for developing and manufacturing hot rod parts that people needed but, along the way, he also opened up many new avenues for car enthusiasts to express themselves.

His history includes building hot rods for rock stars (with multiple vehicles for ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons), restorations of iconic hot rods (including the Doane Spencer roadster), and vintage race cars, such as Alex Xydias’ So-Cal Speed Shop belly-tank racer from the January 1949 cover of HOT ROD.

It was through working with Xydias on the belly-tank restoration the next phase of Chapouris’ life would begin with the re-creation of the SO-CAL Speed Shop (located in Pomona, California), which included partnerships with GM on their Bonneville salt flat racers as well as multiple SO-CAL Shops franchises located across the United States. Cars built under Chapouris have been regularly featured for their design in museums and in retrospectives of the hobby, and one recently won the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) award at the 2012 Grand National Roadster Show, one of the highest honors for design and workmanship there is in the custom car world.

Looking at things in a new way was standard operating procedure for Chapouris, so when Sean Devine, a writer in his mid-30s, wanted Pete and the SO-CAL crew to rework his recent purchase, it opened up yet another avenue for Chapouris to become immersed.

Sean is the offspring of John Devine, a GM executive as well as a former customer of Pete’s (which included a ’66 Chevelle), and cars were always in Sean’s life one way or another. Looking for something a bit different, Sean wanted to upgrade a first-generation (1966-1977) Bronco in a way no one else had done- a job tailor-made for Chapouris. Under Pete’s guidance, Sean’s 1972 Bronco would become a hybrid of both the off-road and hot rod worlds.

Devine bought the truck online and, though worn out and under powered, its bones were pretty good, with straight metal and no rust to speak of. The build would encompass every aspect of the Bronco, from the suspension and drivetrain to body modifications, custom paint, and one-off upholstery.

Work began by boxing the frame with 3/16-inch plate and re-welding factory welds on the chassis. A new factory rearend went in, augmented with a limited slip differential, 31-spline axles, and a Hellwig anti-sway bar. Pro-Comp shocks and the rear brakes remain at stock specification, but the fronts are a retrofit using pieces from Tom’s Bronco Parts.

The spindles and steering are OEM (the box is a rebuilt ABS unit), though the brake master cylinder is upgraded with a CPP Hydra Stop unit, used in conjunction with Wilwood’s adjustable proportioning valve and an OEM pedal assembly. The gas tank is a 25-gallon unit from Tom’s Bronco Parts, and the hot rod steering column comes via Flaming River. It is topped with a factory steering wheel refurbished and redesigned by Gabe’s Custom Upholstery. The truck rolls on black Robby Gordon XD Series 17×9 wheels, wrapped in Toyo MP295/70R17 rubber.

For the powerplant, John Beck, a record-setting Bonneville and dry lakes racer who works at Vintage Hot Rod Design & Fabrication in Chico, California, started with a 5.0 block, and set it up for a displacement of 347 cubes using a 3.400-inch Eagle crank and 4.030-inch KB Performance pistons with Mahle rings. Comp Cams provided the timing set, ARP handled the main and head bolts, and the V-8 was topped with an Edlebrock intake, an MSD Atomic EFI, Spectre’s cold air intake tubing, a K&N air filter, MSD ignition and wires, Ford Motorsport valve covers, and a 100-amp alternator.

SO-CAL Speed Shop fab’d the exhaust system, and this Bronco’s exhaust note sounds like no other. The transmission is a C4 outfitted with a Dana transfer case, assembled by Remac Transmission in San Dimas using a B&M Pro-Ratchet shifter, a Tom’s Bronco Parts twin-stick, and a driveshaft from Reel Driveline.

One of the tricks Chapouris designed into the body was using a second set of front fender wheel openings that were sectioned into the opposite rear quarters (using the driver’s front on the passenger rear, and the passenger’s front on the driver’s rear). It stretches up the wheel openings just enough without being overtly noticeable, and SO-CAL’s Evin Veazie performed the meticulous metalwork. Other tricks include narrowing the bumpers, so the ends don’t extend beyond the edge of the body, and relocating the mounts so the bumpers now tuck in tight to the body.

After the body work was done, the Bronco was rolled next door to Mick’s Paint in Pomona, California, and several coats of PPG Mercedes Iridium Silver was applied. Once finished, a subtle goldenrod pinstripe was added by Murietta’s Dr. Design down the side just above the top reveal line, as well as some classic hot rod lines added to the glovebox door.

More hot rod influences can be found in the interior, with the aircraft gauges mounted on top of the dash’s face (rather than behind it), the light bar and Vintage Air AC controls hidden inside the glovebox, and nine more toggle switches mounted in three panels above the driver attached to the SO-CAL fab’d six-point roll cage.

Chapouris designed the interior, and the dash pad is covered in the same Ultra brown leather as used by Gabe’s Custom Upholstery on the outboard portion of the custom bucket seats. The inboard seat material is vintage Vietnam-era US Army canvas, with its minor color flaws intentional in their placement. Gabe’s also created the soft top for the Ford, though there is also a removable hardtop that Sean can use at his discretion.

Diamond Rubber Products made the Bronco’s floor covering and a ‘197 Chevy’s rear mirror was utilized, too. SO-CAL’s Justin Veazie wired up the ride, which included the Marshall amp converted into the bluetooth-based stereo’s speaker box that’s mounted under the dash. Before its final delivery, the Ford was turned over to Jon Ciauri, who added an external oil cooler to the transmission to help it run cool. He aldo did the final “tuning” on the truck’s wiring to get everything running as good as possible.

Once finished, Sean says “It was worth the wait.” Hoping to get it up on some Park City off-road trails near his home in Utah, Sean is aware of the truck’s historic pedigree because of Chapouris’ involvement, and the Bronco is something he’d like to give to his son one day as a fitting family heirloom.

The Bronco also proved to be the last project Chapouris would complete, as he passed away just three weeks after these photos were taken. But Pete’s legacy burns as bright as was his talent, and it’s vehicles like Sean’s that will be a perfect way to remember him for many years to come.

One of the body mods some folks don’t notice include using a second set of front wheel openings on the rear of the Bronco (the passenger front to the driver’s rear, and the driver’s front to the passenger’s rear).

A 347 Ford stroker motor built by John Beck was squeezed into the engine bay, allowing enough room for an MSD Atomic EFI system and Spectre air intake topped with a K&N air filter. The V8 mates to a C4 transmission outfitted with a Dana transfer case, assembled at Remec Transmission.

Ground clearance is aided by a lift kit. Pro Comp shocks are used on each corner, and a Hellwig anti-roll bar is used.

Seating was custom-made by Gabe’s Upholstery, who also covered the bench and buckets with Ultra leather around the edges and Vietnam-era Army canvas on the inner portion. A Marshall amplifier box was converted to the speaker box for the stereo.

Aircraft-style gauges mount to the face of the dash (rather than behind it), and a redesigned three-spoke steering wheel was stitched at Gabe’s Upholstery. The pinstripe color on the glovebox is carried over to the truck’s exterior, just above the body reveal.

A B&M Pro Ratchet shifter connects to the C4 transmission, while twin sticks from Tom’s Bronco Parts controls the four-wheel-drive. The mini Marshall amplifier was converted to a speaker box for the stereo.

Four-point latch-type safety belts were custom made by DJ Safety in Los Angeles, and used on both the front and rear seating. Canvas tote bags on the back of the buckets helps keep important papers intact.

A myriad of switches overhead control everything from starting the engine, the fuel pump, hazard lights, turn indicators, and a pair of dome lights.

The Mercedes Iridium Silver paint from PPG was sprayed at Mick’s Paint in Pomona, CA. The truck rolls on 17 x 9 Robby Gordon XD Series wheels wrapped in Toyo rubber.

Gabe’s Upholstery also created the canvas top for the Bronco, and full doors and a hardtop was also made for the vehicle.

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itsworn · 6 years

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Junkyard Find: 1973 Plymouth Road Runner

The year 1973 was an important one for the Plymouth Road Runner. For the first time since 1969, the base price dropped below $3,000. By slashing the price to $2,987, a full $252 less than 1972 (which was priced at $3,239), sales nearly tripled from 6,831 to 17,443! And remember, in the early seventies muscle car sales were in a freefall. Plymouth really performed a miracle.

To get under the $3K threshold and tickle sales, the lowly 318 2-barrel economy mill replaced the 340 as the standard engine. That’s right, Road Runners were available with a single 2-barrel carb for the very first time. But get this, instead of the lame single exhaust used in other 318 applications, Road Runner retained the full dual exhaust system used on the (now optional) 340 small-block. Better yet, out back, every Road Runner got the cool slotted chrome and orange bazooka exhaust tips first seen in 1971.

Here, we present the remains of a Basin Street Blue 340 4-speed Road Runner discovered in a dormant Pennsylvania boneyard. Its future is undetermined but luckily the yard’s owner knows enough never to crush it. Let’s crawl…

The original roof was wrecked so one was harvested from a Satellite Sebring Sport. The donor, parked a few rows away, was an equally rusty 318 2-barrel car. While other 318 2-barrel applications were rated at 150 horses, Road Runner’s dual pipes bumped it to 170 with no other changes.

Once home to an H-code 340 (a $153 upcharge over the base 318), the engine bay still wears its original TB3 Basin Street Blue, also known as Corporate Blue and Petty Blue. Chrysler added donut-shaped rubber isolators between the K-member and forward frame rails on all B-Bodies in 1973. Oddly, the similar E-Body (Barracuda, Challenger) never got this detail. The bolt-on tin fender wall panels were also new for 1973 and improved access to the upper control arm pivots for quicker alignments.

The floor shift hump elevates this Road Runner far above its two-pedal cousins. After 1969, Plymouth took the rugged A833 4-speed off the Road Runner’s standard equipment list and replaced it with the new all-synchro A230 3-speed, which was strong enough to handle the 383 big-block. The fender tag is missing here so we cannot tell if it was born a 3-speed or if the original buyer spent the extra $201.85 for the D21 4-speed. The 4-speed would have had a Hurst Pistol Grip shift handle while the 3-speed got a simple plastic ball. Surprisingly, the 4-speed could be had with the base 318.

Despite the severe rot, this ’Runner’s status as a Petty Blue 4-speed recommends it for restoration. 1973 saw the introduction of the light-duty 8 ¼-inch Salisbury-type rear axle (removable inspection cover) rear axle on base Road Runners. Mostly seen on 318 and 340 automatic cars, the 400 and 440 big-blocks still got the 8 ¾-inch Hotchkiss-type axle (drop-out center section). As a manual transmission car, it is possible this one got an 8 3/4 axle. We’ve seen them both ways.

Well preserved, the RM prefix on the LH door’s VIN sticker verifies Road Runner muscle status. The “H” in spot number five signals the zippy 340. The RM VIN prefix appears on every B-Body Road Runner up to 1975. When Road Runner transferred to the F-body Volare in 1976, the RM VIN designator gave way to option code A57, stamped into the fender tag. F-Body Road Runners certainly warrant respect. You want rare? Only 496 Road Runners were made for 1980, the final year.

Groovy Factoids • Oddly, at $153 the 240-horsepower, E55 small-block 340 (H code) cost $31.85 more than the E68 big-block 400 wedge (P code). We’d take the 400 any day. • For $241.90, torque junkies could still get the 280-horsepower E86 440 big-block (U code), but the 4-speed and attendant Dana 60 axle were finally removed from the menu. The heavy duty D34 Torqueflite was the only way to fly. A mere 117 440s were sold in 1973. • As in 1972, when the 440 was specified, a Road Runner automatically became a “Road Runner GTX.” It was Plymouth’s way of burying the GTX without killing it. The last stand-alone GTX models were built in 1971, the final 440 Road Runner GTX appeared in 1974.

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itsworn · 7 years

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What You Need To Know When Selecting Wheels and Tires

Of all the elements involved with street rod styling, the combination of wheels, tires, and stance may very well be the most critical. Use the wrong combination of rolling stock and it’s difficult, if not impossible, to ignore and may cause all the other cool elements of the car to go unappreciated.

Although the look of the wheel and tire combo is important performance is part of the package as well. There are growing numbers of builders who want more rubber to meet the road to enhance their car’s grip, but regardless of what you’re after, traditional bigs ’n’ littles or the latest in fat and sticky low-profile rollers, the challenge is figuring out what will fit before buying wheels and tires that won’t fit. One of the best methods to do that is with a tire-mounting fixture that Dean Livermore, at Hot Rods by Dean uses called the Tire Mount Mate.

Available from WheelWorks, this clever tool allows tires to be testfit by simulating a wheel’s diameter, width, and backspacing. Kits are available for a variety of vehicles, including eight-lug trucks, however, the most popular kit for street rodders simulates wheels from 14- to 20-inch diameter up to 16.5 inches wide with up to 12 inches of backspacing.

Once you’ve figured out what will fit in the space available there is some basic information about wheels you should be familiar with before making what is often a substantial investment.

Bolt Patterns This consists of two numbers, such as 5-on-4.5. The first number is the number of mounting holes; the second is the diameter of the circle the holes are laid out on. In this example there would be five holes in a 4.5-inch circle. Some wheels will have two sets of boltholes, 5-on-4-.5 (often referred to the late Ford/Mopar pattern) and 5-on-4.75 (found on many Chevrolets).

Wheel Width This simple measurement can be confusing. It’s the width of the wheel from bead seat to bead seat and does not include the flanges that are outside the tire.

Diameter Like the width of a wheel, the diameter is from bead seat to bead seat and does not include the outer flanges on each side.

Wheel Offset This is the distance from the mounting surface of the wheel and the wheel’s centerline. Zero offset means that the wheel’s mounting surface and the centerline are the same. Positive offset means the mounting surface is toward the outer edge of the wheel. Negative offset means the mounting surface is toward the back of the wheel. (A classic example is a “reversed” wheel.)

Center Register Wheels must be centered on the hubs—this is done by two different methods. With hub-centric designs (most often used with OEM steel wheels) the center hole in the wheel fits tightly on (and is supported by) the hub as well as the studs. Lug-centric wheels have a larger center hole than the hub (or axle protrusion) and are located by the lug nuts.

The X-Factor The X-Factor is the amount of clearance between the wheel and the disc brake caliper. This has become increasingly important with the popularity of large-diameter aftermarket brakes.

Lug Nut Style There are several different types of lug nuts available and it is very important to match them to the wheels being used. Conical seat lug nuts are available with 60- or 45-degree taper with 60 degrees being the most common—they are found on most OEM and aftermarket wheels. What’s called an ET-style lug nut also has a 60-degree conical seat with a short extended shank to allow for more thread engagement. Because 45-degree lug nuts have a wider surface contacting the wheel some racing organizations (such as NASCAR) require them.

Shank-style lug nuts, often referred to as mag wheel nuts, have an extended portion that fits into straight holes in the wheel and uses flat washers. When using mag wheel lug nuts make sure the shanks are not so long that they bottom out against the hub. Also, when using any lug nut with a closed end, make sure the stud does not bottom out in the nut, as in both cases the wheel will be loose.

Ball seat lug nuts look similar to the conical style, but their seating surface is rounded rather that straight—they are normally found on import vehicles. The important thing to remember is the lug nuts and wheels must be compatible.

Interpreting Tire Speak At one time about all there was on the sidewall of a tire was the brand name and size. When numeric tire sizing was used a 6.50-15 tire was 6.5 inches wide and fit a 15-inch wheel. Today there is much more information in the tire code found on the sidewalls: The first letter in the size code indicates the intended use of the tire. P stands for passenger vehicles; LT means light truck tire, vehicles towing trailers or have 3/4- and 1-ton load capacity; ST stands for Special Trailer, as the name implies they are for trailers. If there’s no letter before the first number the tire is a metric or European load–rated tire.

Tire Size Using a P225/50/R17 as an example, the P stands for passenger car; 225 is the tire’s section width from sidewall to sidewall in millimeters. The next number, 50 in this case, is aspect ratio or the percentage of the tire’s sidewall height compared to its width—50 means that the tire’s section height is 50 percent of the tire’s section width. The larger the aspect number, the taller the tire’s sidewall.

Construction A single letter indicates the internal construction of the tire: R is for radial tires, D is for tires built with diagonal plies (bias-ply construction).

Wheel Diameter This two-digit number specifies what size wheel the tire fits.

Load Index and Speed Rating Example: P225/50/R17 98H The load index and speed rating come after the tire size. Load indicates the weight the tire can carry and is represented by a number that refers to a load index chart. In this case 98 indicates 1,653 pounds.

Speed ratings are represented by letters ranging from A to Z. At the time this rating was devised 149 mph seemed adequate. But thanks to some supercars W and Y tires are now available.

Rating Maximum Speed Q 100 mph S 112 mph T 118 mph U 124 mph H 130 mph V 149 mph W 168 mph Y 186 mph Z Over 149 mph

Tire ID The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requires that tires be identified by the letters DOT, followed by letters and/or numbers that identify the manufacturing location, tire size, and manufacturer’s code, along with the week and year the tire was manufactured. Since 2000, the last four digits of the code indicate the week and year the tire was produced—the first pair represents the week, the second pair indicates the year. Tires manufactured before 2000 used a three-letter code at the end of the id numbers; two numbers to indicate the week followed by a single number for the year.

Tire Grading NHTSA developed tests to grade tires in three areas: Treadwear: This is the wear rate of the tire compared to other tires offered by the same manufacturer, with 100 being the baseline number. A tire with a wear rate of 200 should last twice as long. Traction: Traction grades are AA, A, B, and C (with AA being the highest grade)—they represent stopping distance on wet pavement. Temperature: The temperature grades are A, B, and C from the lowest to the highest and indicate the tire’s ability to dissipate heat.

Replacement Due to Age Over the past few years many tire shops have begun refusing to mount, balance, or repair any tire that is over 6 years old. Although there is no law or regulation we have found that addresses this, the reason given for the policy is liability since a number of auto companies have suggested that tires be replaced after six years. Ironically several major tire manufacturers tell us that tires should be good for up to 10 years if they are not damaged.

The perfect street rod stance is difficult to describe, but you’ll know it when you see it. This Ford Fairlane was built for the Road Tour by Hot Rods by Dean. (Photo by Robert McGaffin.)

We wanted as much rubber under the Fairlane’s fenders that would fit so HRBD used a Wheel Fit fixture to check clearances.

The popularity of large disc brake rotors and calipers requires careful measurement of the “X-factor” to ensure the wheels will clear.

With the suspension at ride height the fixture is bolted to the hub and adjusted for the diameter of the wheel.

This is one of the four clamps (arrow) that hold the tire in place. The fixture is adjusted to the suggested width for the tire, then the beads are clamped in place.

With support under the lower A-arms the car can be “jounced” to check fender clearance.

With the assembly in place and fender clearance verified the wheel offset is measured.

Backspacing can be checked on the floor with the fixture removed.

Before removing the fixture and tire, the X-factor was double-checked.

Tire clearance is checked at full steering lock full left.

Here tire clearance is checked with the steering at full right.

Coker Tire supplied this reference chart for converting from alphanumeric bias and bias belted ply tires top radials.

When determining the width of a wheel the measurement is made inside the flanges. Diameter is also measured from the tire bead surface not the flange.

Using the correct lug nuts is vital. This vintage aluminum wheel uses straight holes with flat surfaces for washers.

Typical “mag wheel” lug nuts with shanks. It’s critical that the shank does not bottom out on the hub before the wheel is tight.

Conical 60-degree lug nuts are commonly used with aftermarket wheels (top) or OEM steel wheels (bottom).

The post What You Need To Know When Selecting Wheels and Tires appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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itsworn · 7 years

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These Top 10 Mopars Are Blowing Minds At SEMA! #TENSEMA17

The annual SEMA in Las Vegas is arguably the most important car show of the year, not just for the massive number of cars and people, but because of the unique confluence of high-end car builders and the newest hot products. When you combine each manufacturer’s desire to get their products noticed with the drive each car builder has to top his competitor, you get an explosive combination that produces the nicest hot rods on the planet. The pageantry and prestige of the SEMA show isn’t lost on Mopar lovers either, as some of the best cars at SEMA happen to be Mopars. As the SEMA show is not open to the general public like many of the top Mopar shows you’re familiar with (such as MCACN, Mopar Nats, or Chryslers At Carlisle), the only real way to look at these Chryslers is through our media lens, so we made sure to cover every square inch of the Las Vegas Convention Center to bring you the very best Pentastars in attendance. Here’s our Top 10 favorites from 2017!

Ringbrothers 1969 Dodge Charger

Unveiled at the BASF booth, the Ring Brothers pulled the cover off their 1969 Dodge Charger. This is actually the first restomod Mopar from the Wisconsin-based shop. While this car looks proportionally correct, the trunk has been shortened two inches and the wheelbase lengthened three inches. Underneath the stock looking body is a hydro-formed subframe from Detroit Speed along with their four-link rear suspension. Power for the Charger comes from a Wegner Motorsports-built 6.4 Hemi mated to a Bowler 4L80E transmission. It rides on nineteen-inch custom wheels from HRE wrapped in Michelin rubber, and stops with Baer brakes. The interior has a decidedly old-school flavor but is fully customized. This car we hear is headed to England.

Roadster Shop 1964 Dodge Polara

The Roadster Shop unveiled this 1964 Dodge Polara built for Jesse James at the Honeywell Garrett booth. While it looks like a finely aged B-Body, it sits on a custom Roadster Shop Fast Track Chassis with Penske coilovers and splined rear sway bars. Power for this old-school Mopar originates from a 426ci Wegner Motorsports-built Hemi with a one-off intake and stainless turbo manifold. Forced induction is delivered from a pair of Honeywell Garrett turbochargers, and an air-to-water intercooler. Shifting comes courtesy of a Tremec T-56 transmission modified by Bowler Transmission, coupled with a Driveshaft Shop driveshaft and a Strange Engineering rearend. It rides on 19-inch Forgeline wheels wrapped with Nitto NT505R tires, and stops with 14-inch Baer brakes. The interior is stripped down and fitted with a set of bespoke fiberglass seats mounted to custom bead-rolled floors, inner fenders, firewall, and transmission tunnel.

Classic Car Studios Speed Shop 1962 Chrysler 300

This slammed 1962 Chrysler 300 was on display at the Centerforce booth, and was featured in the Velocity Channel reality show “Speed Is The New Black.” Built by Classic Car Studio Speed Shop in St. Louis, MO, it is a marriage of two generations of Chrysler products. Propulsion for this aged behemoth comes via a stock Gen 2 Viper 8.0L V10 engine mated to a T56 6-speed gearbox. It sits on an air suspension, stops with Wilwood disc brakes at all four corners, and rides on massive US Mags wheels. The interior has also been heavily modified, with only the original dash and steering wheel left in place. The low-back seats are Procar units by Scat Enterprises that have been wrapped in leather, while the rest of the interior is finished in diamond-patterned metal panels.

American Racing Headers 2005 PriuSRT8 Hellcat

Perhaps one of the most irreverent cars at SEMA, and not technically a Mopar, we couldn’t pass on this 1,000-horsepower Hellcat-propelled 2005 Toyota Prius sitting in the American Racing Headers booth. Dubbed the PriuSRT8, it is built on a fully legal NHRA-approved tube chassis. Tucked under the hood the diminutive hood is a 6.2-liter Hellcat engine mated to a 4.5-liter Whipple blower. Shifting for not-so-green vehicle is accomplished by a Tremec Magnum 6-speed transmission that continues back to a custom-built Ford 9-inch rear. The interior is fully caged, while the rest of the interior looks to be a mix of OEM and custom pieces.

Vintage Hot Rod Shop 1971 Dodge Demon

On display outside, but tied into the IHI Turbo display, this tricked out 1971 Dodge Demon has been built by the Vintage Hot Rod Shop in St. Charles, Mo. Propulsion for this A-Body comes via a stock 6.2-liter Hellcat engine that is topped off by a stock Demon blower. We were told that this is the only Demon blower out in the wild that is not mounted on a Challenger. For those not aware, IHI Turbo is the supplier of the Demon blowers. Shifting this engine combo is a Gearstar 2L85E transmission that pushes the power back to a modified Chrysler 8 ¾ rear with a Strange center section housing 4:88.1 gears and Strange axles. The interior is a mix of stock and custom pieces.

RTR 1968 Dodge Charger

On display in the CTEK booth, this 1968 Charger is actually an import from Sweden. It is by far the most radical Charger build on display. Power for this heavily modified B-Body comes from a twin-turbo 2007 Dodge Viper Gen 2 V-10 backed by a Tremec 6-speed gearbox putting out an estimated 1,500 horses. Every surface on this Charger has been massaged; the top has been chopped and the windows were redesigned. The chassis has also been modified with custom subframes and is riding on an AirREX digital air suspension system. Front brakes are from a Bentley Continental GT, while the rears are Corvette ZR1 units. It rolls on massive custom machined aluminum wheels and Michelin Pirelli P Zero tires. Like the exterior, the interior is also heavily modified using extensive amounts of custom billet aluminum. The 2+2 bucket seats along with the rest of the custom interior have been wrapped in leather.

Automotion Classics 1970 Dodge Challenger

On display in the ADDCO swaybars booth was this 1970 Challenger built by Automotion Classics in Troy, NY. The body is vintage 1970 while under the hood lies an aluminum 426 Gen 3 Hemi punched out to 7 liters, and crowned with a Whipple blower. It is mated to a T56 6-speed gearbox. Suspension upgrades include a Reilly Motorsports AlterKtion front assembly, while the rear is a Street –Lynx four-link unit. Braking is handled by a set of Wilwood calipers at all four corners. The interior is a mix of Challenger, ’Cuda, and custom items. The door panels are ’Cuda pieces that have been covered in black leather and Alcantera. The Sparco SPX front seats and custom rear seat also received the same treatment, while the dash housing is custom fabricated and houses a set of vintage looking custom gauges.

BBT Fabrications 1969 Dodge Charger

Revealed at the ARMO booth, this Charger is the creation of BBT Fabrications in Mahomet, IL. They started with a 1969 Charger body that has been mated to a Roadster Shop chassis, which was then heavily modified with many of the bodylines altered. The hood and bumpers have been recreated and are made from aluminum. Under that hood lies a Hilborn-injected 426 Gen 3 Hemi backed by a Tremec T56 Magnum 6-speed gearbox. In keeping with the custom theme, the wheels were one-off pieces made by Greening Auto Company for this project. The interior has also been heavily massaged but is described as a refinement of the OEM interior.

Speedkore 2018 Challenger Demon

For 2017, Speedkore pulled the wraps off this full carbon-bodied 2018 Dodge Demon. This new offering is a follow-up to the carbon-bodied Hellcat Challenger they unveiled last year. While we weren’t given any specifics on weight savings as a result of the lighter panels for the Demon, we can tell you that the Hellcat shed just over 600 pounds, so it should be very similar. We were also told that for those taking delivery of a Demon who would like the full carbon treatment, Speedkore can do the conversion for about 90 grand. In terms of performance gains, while no specific numbers were given, the claims are that the existing OEM numbers have been surpassed with this car.

AVS 2017 Challenger

Unveiled at the Lund International booth, this 2017 Dodge Scat Pack Shaker edition has been equipped with an all-new AVS widebody kit that includes bolt-on fender flares, rocker panel extensions, rear spoiler and front splitter. This kit will allow anyone with any f2015-up Challenger to get the Demon or Hellcat Widebody look without the Demon price tag, and is geared for ease of installation for anyone wanting to tackle the conversion at home. Under the hood of this Challenger lies a 6.4 Hemi with an Edelbrock E-Force Supercharger that ups the power to 550 horses. Of special note is that this car will be given away on the 2018 Hot Rod Power Tour (you can register to win it at www.GetAVS.com).

The post These Top 10 Mopars Are Blowing Minds At SEMA! #TENSEMA17 appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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itsworn · 7 years

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The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon Runs 9s, Makes 840 HP!

We had somehow cornered the man with all the answers the world wanted. What was the new coupe from Dodge? Another Hellcat? An all-wheel-drive Lamborghini slayer? A VIN-less stripper designed for COPO and Cobra Jet shootouts? As we sat across from Tim Kuniskis, president of Dodge, in a conference room atop the Chrysler Headquarters and Technology Center in Detroit, he spooled it out. Dodge’s new production monster is intended to create American-muscle believers. It’s a supercharged Challenger variant that will launch with the wheels in the air, will knock down a 1.36 sixty-foot time, holds a Guinness World Record for wheelies, was banned by the NHRA, and will be the quickest production car from any factory—ever. And you can buy it in America as a 2018 only and, in fact, is called the Demon. He then threatened that it’s one and done, making these statements while slapping an open palm on the desk Nikita Khrushchev–style.

What It Ain’t

You’ve heard of the COPO Camaro, Cobra Jet Mustang, and even the Drag Pak Challenger. Those cars lack VINs and are really just an awesome collection of parts ready for your paint and specific aftermarket parts to race in the Factory Stock Showdown or Stock Eliminator classes in the NHRA. With a talented driver and professional prep, these race cars will run 8 seconds in the quarter-mile after you swipe your credit card, but they are comprised of only 60- to 75-percent factory parts and aren’t going to do it on radials. If you think Stock cars are stock, you need to rent Days of Thunder.

The Demon is not an FS/AA car, although it easily could be. It’s in a class of its own. It was intended to be a factory door-slammer built to drive from the dealership to the racetrack, run all day after a tire-pressure adjustment and some button pushing, and drive home using a parts list from Mother. It has A/C, wipers, a touchscreen and electronics, and was designed to look and act like a showroom Dodge.

To prove these claims, Dodge invited the NHRA and Guinness World Records to witness the car in action at Gainesville Raceway in Florida. As a factory, turnkey, dealership showroom car, it earned a certificate for the longest wheelie from a standing start in a production car and a letter from the NHRA both verifying the 9.65 e.t. at 140.9 mph quarter-mile run and outlawing it for violating Section 4 of the NHRA Rulebook because it is too fast.

The promise, handed to us by Dodge, was no slicks and no tricks. Using the OE-equipped Nitto P315/40R18 drag radials that are on the car, the Demon will go 9.90s. With a front wheel and tire swap, and 100 octane, it will go 9.60s. The goal was to eliminate any question that this car can handle its power.

What It Is

To the average consumer or mainstream minivan tester, this is a Dodge Challenger with a caricature of Satan on the fender. So how do you build a car with parts for the drag geek and still push 3,300 versions into the marketplace? Visionary marketing, that’s how.

The story begins with the Challenger: a 425hp, 6.1L, Hemi-powered, new-era muscle car. The car sold well and looked great with its SRT accoutrements, throwback paint schemes, and familiar long-hood and short-deck layout. They moved off the showroom floor and moved pretty fast on the street as well. Everything about the car was a success, except for the automotive journalist part. And Tim Kuniskis was listening. “Journalists would always write, ‘It’s big, it’s heavy, it doesn’t brake as well as the Camaro and the Mustang,’” Kuniskis says. “We put the 6.2 in it, put 700 horsepower it in, and guess what? Everyone stopped talking about being heavy, it doesn’t handle…it all went away.” The original muscle-car formula still works to this day: put the most horsepower under the hood that you can, make it fun, and people will love it. The 707hp Hellcat Challenger and Charger concepts worked.

At the same time, Dodge was working on the newest Viper ACR (American Club Racer). “Take the pure DNA of the Viper—it’s a track car—and make it the purest, rawest, most out-of-control track car ever, and break as many track records as you could against any competitor, at any price,” Kuniskis says. After the ACR was launched, it broke records at 13 racetracks and now holds more records than any other production car in the world.

With two successful product launches behind them, Dodge began work on what was called the ADR, or American Drag Racer, to have the fastest road-course car and the fastest drag car together in one brand as a marketing message. Using the same ethos behind the Viper ACR, the ADR was to be the boulevard street/strip car the Challenger always wanted to be. That decision was reinforced when both Mustang and Camaro went toward being road-course cars, leaving a nice sandbox all alone for Dodge to play in.

When Kuniskis organized the funding, he needed to make the business case to FCA. “Everyone builds a factory drag car,” Kuniskis says. “It’s a non-VIN package car, you buy it from the parts department.” The Challenger Drag Pak was available to people in the know, but it was a purpose-built race car with a $100,000 price tag, low production volume, and it needed a trailer to get to the track. “What if we did that, but put a VIN plate on it, a factory warranty, and it was purpose-built as a drag car?” Kuniskis won approval.

The Demon

With a big list of functional objectives to deliver, members of the SRT engineering team and Kuniskis had another meeting to talk about the program’s execution. The first thing they discovered is that even if they delivered all of the objectives, there was no guarantee anyone was ever going to remember this car. The list contained phenomenal gearhead accomplishments that did not bridge the gap between the enthusiast and the general market like the Hellcat did. “Even if you were driving a regular Challenger, people would ask if it was a Hellcat,” Kuniskis says. Dodge needed to make your neighbor ask if that thing in the driveway was the new car they had heard about. It has to be the car that leaves the starting line at 1.8 g’s, pulls a wheelie, and does 0–60 in 2.3 seconds (2.0, if you factor in rollout) and runs mid-9s at 140 mph, making it the quickest production car ever at any price. And it needed a memorable name. That is when the ADR became the Demon. It’s new and it’s different, and now it has personality and identity. The subsequent ad campaign released information to the public in 14 individual video segments that were loaded with Easter eggs containing clues and riddles about the performance and features of the upcoming car. Dodge PR claims 1-billion social impressions.

Special Parts

Now for the car-guy stuff. To make this car a legit street/strip car you can drive to the track, run a 9.60, and go home on the freeway, you need specialized drag-race parts. The Demon provides them all.

First, you need traction. The Hellcat was equipped with a set of P275/40R20 Pirelli P Zero Nero all-season tires, making for quite a smoke show with proper throttle jockeying. The Demon will be the first factory car to arrive with a set of P315/40R18 Nitto NT05R drag radials on all four corners to be street legal. Dodge added the fender flairs to balance the look front-to-rear. At the track, a set of 18×4.5 skinnies will be waiting in the trunk to be swapped on the front if needed. We’re big bias-ply baloney fans when it comes to drag rubber, but have slowly come to appreciate the drag radial for its stability and ease of use. When we compared them on a small-tire car, the radials were just as good as the slicks.

To warm the tires for traction, the Demon uses a factory line-lock that’s built into Drag Mode. When the coolant temp is less than 250 degrees, the vehicle speed is less than 10 mph, and the line-lock button is selected through the touchscreen, the OK button on the steering wheel will lock the front brakes and release the rear for a burnout. The line-lock will automatically release when the gas pedal is lifted, the brake pedal is pushed, or the wheels reach 400 revolutions.

If you’ve been staring at the hood and grille, you are going to see a nod to the early Hemi Dart days with a big inlet to drive cold air to the driver side of the engine compartment and into the cold-air box. Called the Air Grabber, it is the largest hood vent currently in production. The grille area is just a really large opening with a small bumper strip and a front splitter designed to cram as much cooling air into the engine compartment as possible. What appear to be inside headlights are actually clear, hollow cones with the Demon insignia called Air Catchers. They act as running lights, blinkers, and feed supplemental air into the cold-air box.

On the subject of cooling, heat-soaking the blower is a great way to kill power, and sitting in traffic on the way to the dragstrip for hot laps is a great way to heat-soak the blower. The Demon is equipped with the Super Chiller, a system that reroutes refrigerant from the cabin to the charge air cooler while in Drag Mode. Dodge engineering told us the system can take 45 degrees Fahrenheit out of the intake air charge between rounds by running both the radiator fan and the intercooler pump for up to 10 minutes with the engine off or until the target temperature is reached.

According to the timeslip, the Demon can cover 60 feet (the first timer at a dragstrip) in 1.36 seconds. To get there, it uses a rev limiter called Torque Reserve (you know it as a two-step) that retards spark and cuts fuel, and a factory transbrake that engages clutches A, B, and C when generating engine power, then D and E when the transbrake is released and the car operates in First gear. The transbrake operates using the steering-wheel paddles. Pull both paddles and stage, then release one to engage and rev to the preselected target launch rpm. When the second paddle is released, the car is launched. For you newbies, it’s like dumping the clutch.

If you are still a skeptic of this car’s potential, the Demon has a version of the Hellcat’s 6.2L Hemi with a 2.7L supercharger that makes 808 hp and 717 lb-ft on pump gas and 840 hp and 770 lb-ft at 6,300 and 4,500 on 100 octane, respectively. To get to the big power number, you’ll need the red key fob and be switched into high-octane mode. The car weighs 4,250 pounds, so if you do the math, that number conservatively puts the car in the 9s.

As drag racers, we know that simply adding a bunch of power doesn’t make you go fast. In addition to the drag radials, line-lock, and transbrake, the Demon has plenty of suspension mods designed for drag racing. In Drag Mode, the front suspension utilizes soft rebound dampening to help lift the front end and keep it there for weight transfer and firm compression to slow the rate at which the front end returns to ride height. The rear firms up compression and rebound for high-speed stability. Think of the suspension acting like an electronically controlled version of 90/10 shocks. In Drag Mode, the system shuts off traction control and Launch Mode, but still utilizes yaw control that splits torque distribution between the drive wheels—like a computerized limited slip.

The Demon uses the factory IRS instead of having a live axle swapped for drag racing. To support the power, the torque capacity has been increased by using larger halfshafts and a larger cross-glide joint (think U-joint with radial ball bearings). The final drive ratio is 3.09:1. It’s not a lot of gear because the ZF eight-speed transmission has a 7.03:1 First gear ratio! The tried-and-true, drag-race ideal is 10.0:1 overall.

Inside the car, there is no NHRA-certified cage. There is also no back seat. Instead, there is a formed carpet area with netting and a package tray with removable inserts that allow access to brace points for installation of bracing required for NHRA certification. The rest of the interior has a “sinister” gloss-black theme and the dash has white-face gauges. The front seats are bolstered with inserts to keep you from sliding out the door. They’re in cloth, but you can upgrade them to leather from the SRT and Viper lineup. All around the interior are model-specific references to production numbers, ownership, and special backgrounds that appear in the instrument cluster and, of course, the red key fob.

The Pre Stage Kit

It might be a secret, but Tim Kuniskis is a drag racer with real experience in Buick Grand Nationals and other beloved street/strip cars from the 1980s and 1990s. This becomes apparent when you study the Pre Stage Kit, the coolest part of the Demon package. Using the concept of a golden ticket, owners of the Demon can order this kit by phone and have it delivered at home in a crate. Inside is a personalized name plate with the owner’s name and VIN number, 18×4.5 front wheels and tires, a floor jack, electric impact gun, torque wrench, air pump, and other sundry Snap-on branded items. All of these parts fit into a molded foam container form-fitted to the trunk to prep the car without a trailer or crew. The crate is also how owners get access to the high-performance powertrain module and air filter, and center-console switches to take the car from street to strip. When these parts are dealer-installed, the car will continue to be under warranty.

How Do I Get One?

At the time of this writing, Dodge didn’t have an MSRP or a dealership list. But we were told there will be a total of 3,300 Demons for sale to the public just like a standard Dodge would be at the dealership. No parts-department codes or special handshake needed. Kuniskis predicts that buyers will be a split of collectors, Hellcat owners, and racers who will use the car for its intended purpose: glorious drag racing. Dodge has also primed Hagerty as the preferred insurance company so you won’t need to waste time explaining wheelies, Satan, and 800 hp to your insurance rep. Call your credit union now and set up the loan.

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itsworn · 8 years

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This Handbuilt 1934 Ford Convertible Is Perfect and It Only Took 23 Years

The town of Humphrey, Nebraska, has about 800 people, a couple schools, a bank or two, no traffic lights, and a hot rod shop called Boesch Auto Body where nationally known street machines and street rods are built.

Seventy-plus years ago, Harry Boesch returned from World War II and opened Boesch Bros. Body Shop. It was where people in Humphrey went for automotive repairs. In 1978, Harry’s son, Dale, bought the shop, renamed it, and eventually expanded from collision repair work to hot rod fabrication. Today, people from all over the country have their dream cars built in Humphrey at Boesch Auto Body.

This deep black 1934 Ford convertible was built there, but it’s not a customer car. It belongs to Dale and his wife, Joan. We have to go all the way back to 1993 to get to the beginning of the story. All Dale had to start with then was a cowl from a Fordor sedan and a pair of doors from a Tudor. He completely reshaped the doors to create a roadster look. The doors and cowl were sectioned 1 inch below the beltline and 2-1/2 inches above to match the style of shorter roadster doors. An additional 2-1/2 inches was cut from the door bottoms, which have been arched to continue the hood line and to that they don’t appear to droop when they’re open. New roadster quarters were sectioned 1 inch and the front edge was shortened and curved to match the doors. The decklid came from a 1940 Ford Tudor top, shaped to fit; it’s about 3 inches wider than a 1934 roadster lid so the quarters were cut to make it fit. The taillight lenses were transplanted from an 1986 Taurus. The license plate is mounted on a hitch receiver, so Dale can tow a trailer with the 1934.

The rear fenders were bobbed 3 inches and widened the same amount to cover some stout rear rubber. Front fenders were raised 2 inches, moved forward 3-1/2 inches, and molded to the running boards as a single piece.

At the front, the modified 1933 grille shell with a Dan Fink insert has been dropped 1-1/2 inches to fit perfectly between the extended fenders. Dietz headlights are encased in 1939 Cadillac housings. The top of the hood was sectioned and peaked to blend with the grille, and the sides were cut to accommodate the “shaker” blisters attached to the valve covers.

The Recovery Room created the cloth top, stretched over top bows built by Dale. The top is designed to fit inside the rear quarter sheetmetal, instead of over it, for a clean look. The side glass includes smaller rear quarter windows for a touch of class. Dale did his own final bodywork and shot the paint. The flawless black finish was accomplished with Axalta ChromaBase with urethane clear.

Dale built the frame from a combination of 10-gauge steel and 1-5/8-inch round tubing. He extended the ’rails in front to stretch the wheelbase about 4 inches beyond stock and kick them up 2-1/2 inches in front to give the car its crouching panther stance. Kugel Komponents provided the independent front and rear suspension packages, supported by RideTech ShockWave air springs. Inboard Wilwood brakes are controlled by an ABS electric master cylinder and a custom pedal assembly. B&B Fabrication stayed busy doing all the polishing, and Industrial Plating handled the chrome, ensuring that underneath shines as bright as everywhere else. Dale designed his own wheels—with input from his son, Dustin, and from Scott at E-T Wheels, where the one-off five-spokes were produced. It took fat 315/40R19 Goodyears to wrap around the 19×11.5 rear wheels; 205/35R17s are mounted on 17x7s in front.

Powering the car is a 1996 Ford 4.6L modular engine that literally bursts through the hood sides. This four-valve version is packed with Manley rods and pistons and COMP Cams dual-overhead camshafts—and is crowned by an 8-stack EFI setup from Imagine Injection, with a FAST control system. The ported heads are topped with Sullivan Performance valve covers, custom milled and engraved by Jerry Conwell (who also engraved the rearend housing). It’s fired by an MSD ignition and cooled by a radiator from Long Custom Radiators. Dale built the headers and exhaust system, with Flowmaster mufflers delivering the desired tone. The TREMEC TKO five-speed features a Tri-Ax shifter with a Hurst handle. At the rear is a 4.11-geared Ford 9-inch.

Climb inside and you’re as likely to think you’re sitting in a muscle car or a sports car as in a street rod. The seats and door panels were constructed by Dale and covered in dark tan leather by The Recovery Room. The leather-wrapped 1966 Mustang steering wheel is installed on a 1968 Cougar column.

Gauges were extracted from a Porsche, gauges were reworked by Classic instruments, and added to the center of a reworked 1932 Ford roadster dash. The Deuce dash was modified to curve into the upper door panels. The piece continues to flow around into the seat surrounds and down around the custom console, until it ends underneath the dash. The consoles house the controls for the Vintage Air A/C system and the Sony audio head unit.

The street rod that was started in 1993 was finished about a year ago. In its first five years, the 1934 was hand-fabricated and assembled in bare metal, with work accomplished during the off-hours at Boesch Auto Body. Dale says he wasn’t able to work on the car much in the 15 years that followed. During that period, he built a lot of cars for a lot of customers, including the 1938 Chevy coupe that was Goodguys’ Street Rod of the Year in 2006 and the 1969 Camaro that was a 2012 Street Machine of the Year finalist. In 2013, Dale’s on-again, off-again convertible project started to get some attention. The finished car was shown at last year’s Goodguys Nationals in Columbus, where it was picked as a Top 5 finalist for Street Rod of the Year. STREET RODDER shot these photos at that same event. Those honors don’t come with the luxury of time off. There are more cars to be built for more customers who want one of those award-winning hot rods that keep coming out of Humphrey, Nebraska.

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itsworn · 8 years

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Painless Performance/STREET RODDER Top 100 Winners From Grand National Roadster Show

We had a blast picking our Painless Performance/STREET RODDER Top 100 award winners at the 68th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Grand National Roadster Show presented by Meguiar’s Premium Car Care Products. Seven buildings of the Pomona Fairplex were packed with some of the greatest hot rods, customs, street cruisers, lowriders, classic trucks, and race cars in the country. Our selection includes one of the contenders for America’s Most Beautiful Roadster, another from the Suede Palace, one car that was originally built a participant at this show in 1954 and others that have were barely finished in time to make the the 2017 show.

Enjoy our selection and look for us soon at the Sacramento Autorama and the Detroit Autorama where we will continue to pick winners in the Painless Performance/STREET RODDER Top 100 program.

1938 LaSalle Convertible Coupe | Brando & Erin Massei | Huntington Beach, CA

When Brando got the car, it hadn’t been running for 20 years. His goal was to transform it into a one of a kind custom that he could drive anywhere. Customizer Keith Dean at South End Kustom came on board to build the car, now chopped, channeled, and sectioned, and rolling on an ’84 Olds chassis. Garnet Red with candy apple paint and Marana pearl with varigated gold leaf covers the convertible. Powering the car is a carbureted Chevy small-block tied to a 200-4R transmission, Keith Dean designed the interior and Joel’s Upholstery covered the buckets in brocade fabric. Brando named the LaSalle Lana, in honor of the actress Lana Turner.

1937 Ford Coupe | Dan Wathor | Rio Linda, CA

This bronze ’36 Ford coupe with cream colored one-off billet wheels made a big impression at the 2016 Detroit Autorama. Dan Wathor and builder Kenny Welch from Kenny’s Rod Shop started with rough raw material and finished with a Ridler award contender. A custom chrome- tubular frame forms the foundation, with modified Heidt’s and RideTech suspension parts. The body is finished with PPG paint and a single front to rear pinstripe. The engine is a Ford 351 Windsor stroked to 427 cubic inches, with Arias Hemi heads, and Holley EFI with a four-port Hilborn look. The interior is finished in toffee brown leather. The original gauge cluster was updated with Auto Meter workings.

1932 Ford Three-Window Coupe | Buck Boze | Denver, CO

This Deuce coupe has been a street rod since the Eighties. When Buck got the car, he teamed up with Tom Stark at Precision Designs to have it transformed into a well-performing and elegant rod. Body mods include a filled roof, front horn covers, custom splash and much more, all covered in custom-mix green paint. A custom intake feeds the LS3 engine,backed by a 4L65E and a Ford 9-inch rear. Sid Chavers handled the interior, which features a Glide bench and Classic Instruments gauges.Underneath, the front dropped axle and rear tranverse springs and Pete & Jake’s ladder bars add tradition suspension style. Custom wheels roll on 205 and 245 Diamondback tires.

1928 Ford Roadster | Bill Grant | Upland, CA

The ’28 Model A highboy roadster from Stoker’s Hot Rod Factory was an AMBR contender, but has a heritage like many of the hot rods found in the Suede Palace, and the personality of a rods seen in the earliest issues of Hot Rod Magazine. The stock Model A rolling chassis was left over from a previous build. Most of the rest of the car, with the exception of the Brookville body, was built from already-owned parts. The ’35 Ford wire wheels are 16-inchers, with Firestone piecrust skinny tires. The seats and panels are upholstered in two-tone leather and cloth. Our favorite part of the car was the 1932 B 4-banger engine, topped with a Zephyr two-barrel carb, built in 1947 and never fired.

1949 Ford Custom Truck | Bob Dron | Isleton, CA

It was exciting to see the restored “Betty Elizabeth Shampoo Truck,” originally built by Joe Bailon 65 years ago and displayed at the Oakland Roadster Show in 1954. It had been is storage for 28 years and was in bad shape when Dron found it. Jeff Nickell at Nickell’s Customs salvaged the worn sheetmetal, Ron Mangus built the beautiful interior, and Kandy Man Ramirez sprayed fresh paint. The hardtop convertible truck has been chopped, channeled, and sectioned—and runs a ’57 Cadillac engine. The stock 15-inch wheels and Diamondback whitewall tires look just the way Bailon built it. The new chassis was built for modern driving, which is what Dron has planned for this survivor.

1940 Ford Sedan | Mike & Marcia McAuliffe | Moraga, CA

Mike and Marcia bought the car four years ago and drove it for a couple years before making the move to have it completely rebuilt by Brandon Flaner and his team at East Bay Speed & Custom. That’s when it went from black with a mohair interior and mild Flattie to ’50 Merc Everglade Green with a two-tone tuck ‘n’ roll interior and a French Flathead with Navarro heads and triple Stromberg 97s on a Cyclone intake. Wide whites are paired with 16-inch ’40 ford wheels with flipper hubcaps. Custom mods include the Crestliner steering wheel and ’46 truck gauges on the inside, and reshaped sheetmetal, modified hood trim, ’40 Merc bumpers, and ’41 Studebaker taillights on the outside.

1958 Packard Custom | John D’Agostino | Discovery Bay, CA

D’Agostino’s newest in a long line of show customs is “Rita.” This radically redone 1958 Packard is named after Hollywood icon Rita Hayworth, who would be flattered. D’Agostino calls his chopped windowless two-seater a Kustom Sportster and worked with Oz Welch at Oz Kustoms to turn the concept into reality. Additional mods include an extended hood and body panels, chrome bullet grille,’55 Olds headlights, and ’56 Packard tailligjhts. Modified T-Bird wire wheels wear bullet center caps from Coker. The paint is an infinite number of shades of candy and pearl lavender. The rebuilt ’62 Cadillac are covered with lavender pearl diamond tuck ‘n’ roll and white pearl.

1928 Ford Roadster | Thom Van Pelt | Piedmont, SD

The Model A was found in a scrap pile by Van Pelt’s son, Tim, back in 1990. The build eventually began with the goal of creating a Fifties era open air time machine, and progressed on a pay as you go basis, with work split between the Van Pelts, Kell Kustom, and Badlands Trading Company.The stock body sits on a pinched ’32 frame. The 1946 59AB Flathead engine is fed by Stromberg 97s atop an Offenhauser intake manifold, with a ’39 Toploader trans and Culver City Halibrand rearend to back it up. Every component was selected with nostalgia in mind, from the ‘40n Deluxe steering wheel to the ’35 Ford wire wheels with bias-ply Firestones. The roadster was displayed in the Suede Palace.

1932 Ford Five-Window Coupe | Pat Thomas | Boise, ID

Like many of our Top 100 picks, this Deuce coupe sat ignored for decades, in this case from 1963 to 2012. It was almost restored to original at one time under a previous owner, but Thomas wanted a rod and turned over the project to Kenny’s Rod Shop. The result is a chopped and smoothed body with a filled top, and bobbed rear fenders, riding on a TCI chassis. A Roush Ford 427 engine with 8-stack injection is tied to an AOD trans with a Ford 9-inch at the rear. A deep brown leather interior complements the jet black paint, and 17- and 18-inch Billet Specialties wheels with Michelin rubber fill the fenders. Pat has contacted the original owner, who can’t wait to take a ride.

1940 Ford Coupe | Gregg and Linda Lowry | Fallbrook, CA

As the owner of Jalopy Shoppe in Escondido, California, Lowry has built a bunch of top shelf rods. This time, his customer was his wife Linda, who had always wanted a ’40. The car was a 5-window shell on a stock frame when it was purchaseed in 2001. Work began in 2005 and was finished in 2016. T.J. Gillispie and Gillispie Garage performed much of the bodywork, including a 3-inch chop, lengthened ’39 Ford sedan doors, sectioned and narrowed hood, and more. It sits on a beefed-up stock frame with Kugel front and rear suspension, and power from a 4.6L Ford. Ron Mangus supplied the upholstery and Intro provided 19- and 20-inch wheels. Linda calls it classically elegant.

The post Painless Performance/STREET RODDER Top 100 Winners From Grand National Roadster Show appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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