#top 50 gassers

[wheelsgoroundincircles]

''Mr. Norm'' Kraus, the High Performance King, 1934 - 2021

From pump jockey to Dodge dynamo, a high-performance rags-to-riches story By Terry Shea from April 2012 issue of Muscle Machines In This Article Category: Muscle Cars [Editors note: Norm Kraus passed away on Friday, February 26, 2021 at the age of 87. This profile from 2012 sums up Mr. Norm's immense contribution to muscle car history.]Perhaps no one was responsible for more sales of Dodge performance vehicles during the muscle-car era than Norm Kraus, AKA Mr. Norm. As a co-owner of Grand Spaulding Dodge in Chicago from 1962 through 1977, his focus on high performance helped it become the biggest Dodge dealership in the world.Norm and his brother Len, his co-owner, got their start selling used cars as teenagers in the late 1940s from their father's gas station. Making just three cents per gallon pumping gas and cleaning windshields, they wanted something more. At the suggestion of a customer, "My brother and I went out and bought a bagel--a cheap car," recounts Norm. "We brought it back and put it in the corner of the gas station, cleaned it up and sold the car the next day and made $60 on it." With a steady business, the brothers broke through in the late 1950s when they sold a 1956 Chevy convertible with a V-8 and manual transmission. Paying by the character for a classified ad, they squeezed in "Call Mr. Norm," which soon became a signature for the business. But the car itself proved very popular. "The next morning," says Norm, "I must have had 25 calls. By 10 a.m., I had already delivered it. By 11, my brother, who was out buying cars, called me and I said, 'Do not buy a regular car again. Buy all four-speeds.' We got an education in performance from our customers. We got so well known in the Chicago area, that's when Dodge came in." In the fall of 1962, still with only a small office and no real showroom, Grand Spaulding Dodge opened. At just 28 years old, Norm Kraus was the youngest Dodge dealer in the country. "I think the first month we sold about 35 cars." Norm tells us. "From that day on, it was totally performance."As one of the first dealers to install a dynamometer, Grand Spaulding was able to properly tune their customers' cars, which were notoriously detuned from the factory. "The first 383 we put on our dyno registered 180hp," says Norm. "I said, 'What the hell is going on here? Let's set it up and see what she'll do.'" With a little work, they were able to get that 383 to make a reliable 325hp. Norm made a quick decision. "That's gonna be done on every car that goes out. Every high-performance customer is going to get a free dyno tune. When we sold a high-performance car, we had the car dyno'ed right in front of the customer." When a minor sponsorship one weekend turned into five sales by Wednesday, on Thursday Norm was ready to go racing. Not wanting to compete against his customers, he decided to build a match-race car. "Our first 1964 supercharged car," Norm says, "became one of the first Funny Cars in the country, because when we went out racing, we were running against all the gassers and the rails. There weren't any other Funny Cars to run." A 1965 ex-factory lightweight car allowed them to run well into the eights when the competition was in the nines, putting Mr. Norm on the map nationwide.With their booming performance business, Grand Spaulding was selling cars and parts all over the country. People from as far away as Alaska came to buy Mopars. Such was Norm's influence, he could single-handedly get Chrysler to produce a new model. When Chrysler said that a big-block Dart was impossible, Norm had his top mechanic stuff a 383 into one and he drove it to Detroit to prove it could be done; thus was born the Dart GTS. The following year, he asked Chrysler to build him a 440 Dart. They built 50 for him, which he was easily able to sell as the Dart GSS, for Grand Spaulding Sport.The Kraus brothers grew

[younglarva]

Shut Down-The Quads • Chevy Shut Down-The Jaguars • Surfin' Hearse-The Quads • Goin' 88-The Grand Prixx • Midnight Run-The Super Stocks • Rpm-The Customs • Maybelline-The Grand Prixx • A-bone-The Trashmen • My Little Surfin' Woodie-Sunsets • ’54 Corvette-The Customs •Trophy Run-The Super Stocks • Bucket Seats-The Rally Packs • Road Rattler-The Deuce Coupes • On The Move-The Trashmen • Tijuana Gasser-The Deuce Coupes • Movin' And Groovin’-The De-Fenders • Candy Apple Blue-The Deuce Coupes • Four Banger-The De-Fenders • Monkey See-The Deuce Coupes • Drag Beat-The De-Fenders • Smooth Stick-The Deuce Coupes • Top Eliminator-Darts • Street Machine-Darts • Wheelin' Home-The De-Fenders • Alky Burner-Darts • Squad Car-Eddie & The Showmen • Malibu Run-Fender IV • A Hot-Rodders Dream-Ray Burden • Hot Rod Race-Arthur (Guitar Boogie) Smith • Drivin' Down The Wrong Side Of The Road-Ricky Riddle • Automobile Song-Tennessee Buck • Hardtop Race-George Stogner • No Parking Here-Jimmy Littlejohn • Rocket "88”-Bill Haley & The Comets • Transfusion-Nervous Norvous • Action Packed-Ronnie Dawson • Bad Motorcycle-Storey Sisters • Ballad of Thunder Road-Robert Mitchum • The Bee-Sentinals • Bop Crazy Baby-Vern Pullens • Butterfly-Charlie Gracie • Buzzsaw Twist-Gee-Cees • Dirty Robber-Noblemen • Dragon Walk-The Noblemen • Flip Top Box-Dicky Doo & the Don'ts • Green Onions-Booker T & the MG's • The Last Race-Jack Nitzshe • Let ‘er Rip-Sid King and the 5 Strings • Ramrod-Duane Eddy • Real Wild Child-Ivan • Rockin' Rochester U.S.A-The Tempests • Rumble-Jack Nitzsche • Wanted For Questioning-Bob Lee • Dragnet Theme-Ray Anthony • Richard Diamond-Buddy Morrow • [download]

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I honor of events in Washington we have some  shut-down music on deck. In 50s and 60s hot rod racing parlance, to "shut down" someone means to beat that person in a race and the surf music offshoot of hot-rod songs spent quite bit of time exploring that subject. As we looked at last week, surf music had a relatively short life span  - only existing from about 1960 to 1964 and in that time period it quickly exhausted the available thematic material associated with beaches, girls and waves. In an effort to diversify, songwriters looked to other teen pastimes that they could still equate with he California lifestyle - which was still selling records - an obvious choice was cars. While cars and souped up hot rods had been a part of teen culture and pop songs since the end of WW2, surf bands now made a conscious effort to put the subject front and center. It was also and easy lift for them to swap out surfboards for cars while leaving much of the musical formula intact. As one writer put it: “Instead of slang about waxes and boards; you used slang about carburetors and pistons; instead of name-dropping the top surfing beaches, you cited the nicknames for the top drag-racing strips; instead of warning about the dangers of a 'Wipe Out,' you warned of 'Dead Man's Curve.'"

Hot rod and custom car culture can trace it’s origins back to the 1920s with the modified cars used in bootlegging operations and was a precursor to NASCAR and semi-professional track racing around the country. However, as the southwestern part of the United States does not have the weather and car eating road salt issues that we might have here in Vermont, there were many more old and cheap cars to be had in California which lowered the barrier of entry to younger and more casual car enthusiasts. When WW2 ended, there were suddenly many abandoned military airports all over the country that made wonderful ready made drag strips. Small clubs of modified car fans would have semi-legal races and meets in the desert as the hobby became larger. By the late 50s early 60s, we were at the height of the California Dream epitomized by Surf music and surfing groups adapted some of their musical tropes to fit in with the burgeoning craze. By the late 1960s and 70s, custom car culture and waned a bit as car manufacturers had began production line, ready-made street-legal versions of hot-rods as seen in muscle cars such as the mustang, GTO and Malibu SS. Hot Rodding and car culture continued though and today is experiencing a bit of a revival and this quintessentially American genre is even reaching beyond it’s sunny California roots to such unlikely locals  as Australia, the UK, and Scandinavia.

[megasweatybouquetharmony]

NEW AATROX vs KAYN FULL BUILD ( DARKIN FIGHTS ) - 200 iq - outplays ( lol - league of legends montage ) credit : https://ift.tt/2KvbbNo https://ift.tt/2N3mRZg https://ift.tt/2IwBrVK https://ift.tt/2N5Yhab https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpR1TMVzj5gTT9GkBJjVjqw https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNPuFALR9n-ebgui6IE6Ryw https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSlhAhu5WyyRp1V2lBrWP-A https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFuY_MOgMoF-DVJ9r_R3geg https://ift.tt/2IyJstc https://ift.tt/2tBvRNc https://ift.tt/2KvuW7g https://ift.tt/2N3mTjQ https://ift.tt/2IzRmCG https://ift.tt/2tBQ4Ck https://ift.tt/2IvvXdT https://ift.tt/2tBQ6Ks https://ift.tt/2IyZP9d https://ift.tt/2E7kr68 https://ift.tt/2KqXqze https://ift.tt/2N0WQKd https://ift.tt/2JO57z8 https://ift.tt/2MvfhX8 Music : Desmeon - On That Day (feat. ElDiablo, Flint & Zadik) [NCS Release] Distrion & Electro-Light - Rubik [NCS Release] Speo - Make A Stand (feat. Budobo) [NCS Release] Rob Gasser - Supersonic [NCS Release] 🛑 Watch more videos 🔔TOP 50 ULTIMATE COMBO : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Shbun5zqo4U 🔔TOP 30 ONE FOR ALL 2013-2016 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4thEJSBwHmU 🔔TOP 50 "1vs1 OUTPLAYS EVER" : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXxwSOcVeQM 🔔BEST PRO SAVES : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTm6Inle4Js 🔔1 HP YOU CAN OUTPLAY : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySZZyTzFbnw 🔔HUGE JINX ULT ONE SHOT : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0RwQxD8dME 🔔RIVEN FULL COMBO ULTIMATES : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvQABqPcCng 🔔DARIUS PERFECT COMBOS : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6ru4zKd2K4 🔔200 IQ BAIT : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWfnUvJaf70 🔔BEST PRO SNIPES : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYbsBbDdDsA 🔔LUX ULTS -200 IQ : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yV-LJUFc5so 🔔BOX BOX 😎 The king of RIVEN : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIq_joGp9Eo 🔔VIDEO FOR FAKER FANS : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_lr13nN03g 🔔LEGENDS NEVER DIE : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgqR8J-z2h4 🔔ONESHOT "Only 0.00 Seconds" : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo83nj6YNMk 🔔OUTPLAYS With STOPWATCH : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLBC3lzRnSs 🔔ADC 2018 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViIxIz84xSM Thank for watching ! ☛ If a video I have influence, or influence the company, individual or organization please inform me. We will consider carefully and oppressive conduct, edit or remove it immediately.

[perksofwifi]

2020 Toyota Camry Hybrid XLE Review: Can It Compete With Honda and Hyundai?

Thanks to low gas prices and a growing demand for SUVs, midsize hybrid sedans aren’t the most popular vehicles on the market right now. Still, these cars deserve a second look because they boast spacious interiors and excellent fuel economy. The 2020 Toyota Camry Hybrid XLE is no exception, offering buyers an alternative to the ubiquitous Prius. But is it worth the money? Find out our thoughts below.

Is It Efficient?

In a word, yes. The Camry Hybrid is much more efficient than the regular Camry, which is rated at 29/41/34 mpg. On the base LE trim, the Camry Hybrid tops out at 51/53/52 mpg. If you opt for the SE or XLE, those numbers drop slightly to 44/47/46 mpg (the gasser XLE gets 27/38/31).

It’s a similar story for the redesigned Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, which is rated 50/54/52 mpg on the base model and 45/51/47 mpg on other trims. Meanwhile, every Honda Accord Hybrid gets 48/47/48 mpg regardless of the configuration.

Is It Fun to Drive?

If you’re looking for a sporty sedan, the Camry Hybrid is probably not your automotive soulmate. It suffers from dull steering compared to rivals like the Sonata Hybrid and Accord Hybrid. Although it accelerates smoothly from a stop, the Camry Hybrid is not particularly quick.

Under the sheetmetal, a four-cylinder engine and electric motor work together to make 208 hp. Most buyers will find this powertrain sufficient for city and highway driving, but the Accord Hybrid is zippier and generally more fun to drive.

Even more important than acceleration is braking. Fortunately, the Camry Hybrid doesn’t suffer from the squishy brake feel that many hybrids have. The brakes bite down about as sharply as you’d expect with a firm press of the pedal.

We appreciate the Camry Hybrid’s easygoing ride, which speaks to its comfort-oriented personality. The suspension on our XLE tester kneads out bumps and potholes in the road so that they’re never too sharp and disturbing. That said, rivals like the Accord Hybrid are buttery smooth. The Sonata Hybrid is likewise quiet and tranquil. Both are more engaging than the Camry, too.

How’s the Interior?

Featuring leather seats, brown accent stitching, and unique wood-tone trim, our XLE tester has a pleasant interior. Although Toyota didn’t use the softest materials, it avoided cheap-looking plastics. If we had to sum up the interior in one word, we would say “logical.” At the center of the cabin is a touchscreen that integrates with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Simple menus make the screen easy to use, and the surrounding buttons are laid out in an organized fashion. Similarly, the lower center console area remains free of extra buttons, and the shifter and cupholders are positioned so the driver can easily access them.

Options like ventilated front seats and a 360-degree camera make the cabin feel cozier. But even on a top-spec model like our tester, the interior isn’t fancy. If you’re looking for a high-tech cabin, the Sonata Hybrid may be a good pick because it offers a larger touchscreen and a massive 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster.

Most people will find there is plenty of room inside the cabin. Rear passengers have 38.0 inches of legroom, which is more than what’s offered in the Sonata Hybrid (34.8 inches) but less than the Accord Hybrid (40.4 inches). The Camry Hybrid trails both competitors when it comes to cargo space. It has 15.1 cubic feet, compared to 16.0 cubic feet for the Sonata Hybrid and 16.7 for the Accord Hybrid.

Is It Safe?

Like its key rivals, the Toyota Camry Hybrid has accrued excellent safety ratings. It earned five stars across the board in government crash tests, which include front, side, and rollover tests. Meanwhile, the Camry lineup performed well in tests from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, nabbing “Good” scores in all crash categories. The Camry Hybrid XLE’s available adaptive headlights were rated “Good” in the difficult headlight test.

How Much Does It Cost?

The 2020 Toyota Camry Hybrid starts at $29,385, making it more expensive than its rivals in its base configuration. The 2020 Accord Hybrid starts at $26,575, while the Sonata Hybrid runs from $28,725.

The SE trim, with a “sport-tuned” suspension and other upgrades, goes for $31,085. At the top of the spectrum is the XLE, which is priced from $33,685. When fully loaded with options like our tester, the Camry Hybrid XLE is more than $39,000.

Should You Buy One?

There’s a lot to like about the Camry Hybrid. Along with a comfortable interior, it boasts excellent safety scores, and particularly if you opt for the base model, top-notch fuel economy. Still, we can’t say this sedan is our top pick. Rivals offer similar practicality but are more engaging to drive.

2020 Toyota Camry Hybrid XLE BASE PRICE $33,685 LAYOUT Front-engine, FWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan ENGINE 2.5L/176-hp/163-lb-ft plus 118-hp/149-lb-ft electric motors; 208 hp combined TRANSMISSION Cont variable auto CURB WEIGHT 3,700 lb (MT est) WHEELBASE 111.2 in L x W x H 192.1 x 72.4 x 56.9 in 0-60 MPH 7.5 sec (MT est) EPA FUEL ECON 44/47/46 mpg ENERGY CONSUMPTION, CITY/HWY 77/72 kW-hrs/100 miles CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB 0.43 lb/mile ON SALE Currently

The post 2020 Toyota Camry Hybrid XLE Review: Can It Compete With Honda and Hyundai? appeared first on MotorTrend.

https://www.motortrend.com/cars/toyota/camry/2020/2020-toyota-camry-hybrid-xle-review/ visto antes em https://www.motortrend.com

[itsworn]

Adam Sorokin Repeats As March Meet Top Fuel Winner in Chevy-Powered Champion Speed Shop Slingshot

Just as nitro-starved victims of the fuel ban flocked to Famoso for their winter fix starting in 1959, thousands arrive each March to get dosed with more nitromethane than any other modern meet delivers. Six of 16 March Meet eliminator categories run on “pop” and, with one exception, superchargers. Every run lasts 1,320 feet.

Despite the continuing decline of AA/FD entries (nine here) and a relative abundance of fuel floppers and fuel altereds, the March Meet remains a “dragster race”—at least in the minds of folks old enough to remember 100-plus Top Fuelers fighting for 64 spots. A half-century after the low-dollar Surfers won it and soon retired, anyone meeting Tom Jobe invariably asks how he and late partners Bob Skinner and Mike Sorokin pulled that off in 1966. If Mike’s son, Adam Sorokin, shows up 50 years from now at Milt’s Coffee Shop, some customer will surely inquire about the crazy circumstances contributing to his unlikely 2019 victory.

Fuel altered rookie Ron Capps was properly baptized into the world of Awful-Awfuls while qualifying a brand-new chassis (wearing a Fiat body bought from Mike Sullivan). Owners John and Roxie Hertzig initially suspected somebuddy’s prank when the big show’s 2016 Funny Car champ called to ask whether he might fill the open seat—and bring along his father and brother to help wrench on both Hertzig altereds. Capps fell to perennial March Meet winner Dan Hix in Round One but made the favorite work hard by leaving first and nearly forcing a sub-6.00-index breakout by Hix, who survived with a just-safe 6.021, on the brakes (208 mph). Famed freelancer Paul Sadler, whose lenses have favored AA/FAs since their early-1970s heyday, got the shot.

Sorokin’s upset of world-champ Mendy Fry concluded a final round that produced fellow winners Bobby Cottrell in AA/Funny Car (defeating impressive rookie Jerry Espeseth); James Day in Fuel Altered (d. Dan Hix); Mike Halstead, Rear-Engine T/F (d. Billy McDevitt); Dan Hix, Classic F/C (d. Rodney Flournoy); Kin Bates, A/FD (d. Wayne Ramay); Don Enriquez, Jr. Fuel (d. Alan Hull); Steve Faller, 7.0 Pro (d. George Vanderpool); Jason Barta, Nostalgia I (d. Lloyd Harder); Terry Linblad, N/E II (d. George Chatterton); Ron Anzalone, N/E III (d. Don Morris); Jim Teague, A/Gas (d. Frank Merenda); Steve Pullin, B/G (d. Nick Kendrick); David Stage, C/G (d. PJ Glacalone); Bill Norton, D/G (d. Bob Gonzalves); and Stacy Roberts in the DYO Hot Rod bracket (d. Dan Rowley).

Undefeated in NHRA’s Hot Rod Heritage points series for a full year since runner-upping at the 2018 March Meet, Fry’s title defense got off to a rocky start belied by results sheets listing two world-record runs, overall low e.t. (5.49), top speed (265.43), and another second-place finish. Earlier, during qualifying, a freak failure of the drive coupler had the predictable effect on a Donovan Hemi that reportedly zinged past 12,000 rpm. One engine and run later, the coupler’s culprit revealed itself when a cracked rearend mount separated from the chassis at speed, taking out the brakes. Her ’chutes alone couldn’t keep Mendy from bouncing into the rain-hardened sand trap. Owner Tom Shelar and his veteran crew thrashed ’til 3 a.m. Sunday to clean out the mud and install a fresh axlehousing that friend Bruce Dyda fetched from his L.A. chassis shop two-plus hours south then drove straight back to deliver.

A huge upset saw Ron Capps’s teammate, James Day, wrestle the Hertzigs’ traditional, short-wheelbase, wingless American Bantam to a rare defeat of Dan Hix’s dominant “transformer” (i.e., a slow NHRA Funny Car rebodied as a roadster and planted by two big wings fore and aft). The difference was a holeshot (6.22-6.16) that prevented Hix, whose Mustang topped the 5.90-indexed, six-car Classic Funny field, from scoring possibly the first fuel “double” at a major nostalgia meet.

Entering eliminations against friendly archrival Jim Murphy, Fry had yet to make a full pass. She promptly uncorked a winning 5.518, the quickest in slingshot history, at 265.43, the top speed overall (just edging Dan Horan’s 265.22-mph Funny Car). Fry broke through the 5.40 barrier in the semis, but left so uncharacteristically late (0.219 r.t.) that she needed most of the 5.490 and a top-end charge of 259.71 to overcome Bret Williamson’s event-best (0.051) r.t. and 5.85 e.t. Fry’s lousy light was traced to worn throttle parks that got replaced just in time to warm the Hemi for what, on paper, figured to be a mismatch with a wounded Chevy car fully 3.5 tenths and 50 mph slower on the day.

Instead, an overlooked screw in that hastily assembled throttle linkage backed itself out somewhere between Fry’s burnout and staging; at the hit, nothing happened. For her second straight year, the favorite watched from the left lane while a longshot opponent drove away to nostalgia racing’s biggest prize. As winner Adam Sorokin understated afterward, it was lucky for him “that they don’t run ’em on paper.”

One new build always seems to steal the casual pitside shows that accompany Famoso’s two big races (the other being NHRA’s California Hot Rod Reunion, upcoming October 25-27). Jason Brown didn’t let wet roadways derail a long-planned maiden voyage for an LS-powered, Tremec-shifted ’28 Ford under construction for four long years. Only the metal above the belt line originated in Detroit; the rusty rest was replaced with sheet steel shaped by Bakersfield’s TL’s Rods. The one-stop shop also trimmed 9 inches of ugly air from all window openings, created a cowl-firewall assembly, and applied the paint. That oh-so-low roof makes McLean’s rear wheels look ever taller than their 20 inches. Note how the headers and radius rod follow the arc of TL’s fabricated frame, which tapers down from 4×2 tubing at the 9-inch Ford rearend. Brandon Gross of TL’s Rods slid behind the wheel for Hot Rod Deluxe to demonstrate the low-down, set-back seating position that comfortably accommodates his six-foot customer.

At once one of the darkest yet most colorful early pickups on the planet, the blacked-out ’41 Ford belongs to Mike Brown, brother of the chopped Model A’s owner. TL’s Rods added a Chevy LS and Mustang II suspension while subtracting 8 inches of bed length. Shop owner Brandon Gross personally painted both brothers’ hot rods.

Mendy Fry experienced a whole season’s worth of drama in the season opener, highlighted by the quickest and second-quickest slingshot e.t.’s ever. She’d been in record territory before, as a teenager driving two cars built together with her father, the late Ron Fry. Their full-fendered roadster was the world’s fastest street-legal car. The teenager’s unprecedented 6.15 in 1988 tentatively claimed NHRA’s Top Alcohol Dragster national record until the car slowed to 6.27 on her next, last chance for the mandatory backup. This time, the veteran, who describes herself as “the son that my dad never had,” made sure it stuck with back-to-black blasts of 5.518 and 5.490.

Here’s the Rick Dore build that launched the second season of his Rusted Development series. Marc McCaslin’s two-year search for an unmolested ’36 paid off in a complete, two-owner coupe suffering nothing worse than two small dents and the blown head gasket that sentenced it to decades of covered storage outdoors. Surprisingly stock below the windows, the car even retains both original bumpers, swapped end for end. A crate 350 Chevy and TH350 keep the show rolling. McCaslin (wearing the dark jacket, rear) drew smiles by cruising into and out of the Famoso Grove at approximately this ride height. The fourth-generation Bakersfield farmer relies on adjustable, poly bumpstops in all four corners to safely maintain as little as 1/4 inch of clearance “on a road that’s real smooth; no bumps!”

Here’s another way to extract exhaust from a tight overhead conversion. Philipp Meyer didn’t drive his Chevy-powered coupe all the way from his home in Germany, but he’s covered much of this country in the Model A built by Mackey’s Hot Rods. Local tube bender Sean McDougall formed the sexy stainless system.

Lewis Milmich (shown), who spends weekdays restoring early Cadillacs and C10 pickups for customers, got talked into helping build a shop truck by his son Lee, who also recruited father-in-law Bill Lynch. Over eight months their family affair progressed from a disassembled ’56 stocker to what you see here. They left the body and paint as found, except for fabricating the firewall, adding an aftermarket rear-window kit to the standard cab, minitubbing the inside of the bed, and installing a donor truck’s running boards and bed sides, painted and aged to match the surroundings. A coat of satin clear preserves the patina. A 460 plucked from an F-250 benefits from a Comp cam and Holley Sniper injection. Detroit Steel supplied the 20×9 and 20×11 rims.

Reminders of engine builder and Pro 7.0 racer Cub Barnett appeared on Juggers club mate Boyd Schafer’s ’40 Olds gasser and one of several pitside benches recognizing California Hot Rod Reunion honorees. He raced in Southern California and operated the dyno at Scotty’s Muffler Service prior to moving north to work for Ted Gotelli in 1961. He later partnered with Andy Brizio in Champion Speed Shop and operated his own engine shop until the end. Cub, the younger brother of pioneer racer Bud Barnett, suffered a heart attack while undergoing cancer treatments the week of the March Meet, just shy of his 85th birthday.

Saturday’s surprises included back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back exhibition runs by five wheelstanders, ranging from the ancient stagecoach of Ed and Wendy Jones (pictured) to Mike Kunz’s spunky and fast PT Cruiser. The wheelie rivals staged an impromptu, side-by-side header burndown on Sunday. The coach took the main stage immediately after the Mopar’s last pass and was circling at midtrack when Nitro Mike came down the return road and stopped, directly opposite, to unleash an extended firestorm that the Outlaw returned across the guard wall. As usual, the candy man later strolled the fence line and had screaming fans eating out of his hand. As far as kids are concerned, nobody keeps up with the Joneses. The Idaho couple’s 17-year, two-vehicle deal with family-owned Jelly Belly is among drag racing’s longest-running sponsorships.

Adam Sorokin never saw his final-round opponent but wasn’t taking any chances, keeping the hammer down even after his blower gave up the fight. A slowing 5.84 at just 212 mph clinched a second March Meet title for the son of 1966 champ Mike Sorokin. Paul Sadler’s photo illustrates why top-end shooters challenge each other to capture the 377-inch minimouse motor with a belt still intact at 1,320 feet.

Ask Bobby McLennan why he continues shoving pressurized nitromethane through a limited engine design abandoned by Top Fuel racers before the original slingshot era ended and he’ll answer, “Because the Chevy was my dad’s deal.” Father and son both appear in a previously unpublished Petersen Publishing image that HRM editor Wally Parks composed during a 1962 summer meet at Pomona. The late Jim McLennan (left), whose injected and blown slingshots were frequently featured in manufacturers’ late-1950s and early-1960s “hero” ads as the world’s quickest Chevys, is seen talking with longtime NHRA tech director Bill “Farmer” Dismuke. McLennan never won the March Meet, but his youngest crewman (who has already learned that nitro is for racin’ while gas is good for washin’ parts), his son Bobby, grew up to build the billet small-blocks that made Adam Sorokin the Top Fuel Eliminator of 2010 and 2019.

The post Adam Sorokin Repeats As March Meet Top Fuel Winner in Chevy-Powered Champion Speed Shop Slingshot appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

from Hot Rod Network https://www.hotrod.com/articles/adam-sorokin-repeats-march-meet-top-fuel-winner-chevy-powered-champion-speed-shop-slingshot/ via IFTTT

[the-gwalla]

Ed “Big Daddy” Roth (1932–2001) was a car customizer and cartoonist who gained fame in the late ‘50s/early ‘60s for his wild hot rod designs and his goofy and grotesque monster characters (frequently depicted bulging out of the top of a hot rod, one hand on the wheel and the other on an oversized gearshift) such as his signature character Rat Fink, a deformed parody of Mickey Mouse.

At the height of his popularity in the early ‘60s, he put out a few albums of hot rod themed, surf-ish novelty tunes under the name “Mr. Gasser & The Weirdos”. The sleeve copy on the first record claimed that the music was played by a combination of professional musicians and local teens in the L.A. hot rod scene in an impromptu jam session; in reality, it was played by top-flight L.A. session musicians the Wrecking Crew. It is...not their best work. But it is pretty fun.

[gaugemagazine]

Beatersville 2017

Beatersville 2017 was held on May 27, 2017 in Louisville, Kentucky.  Beatersville 2017 is a traditional car and bike show for pre-1968 vehicles.  The show features traditional rods and customs, pin up contests, live bands and many vendors!  Who would want to miss out on all the fun that this show has going on?!

Beatersville 2017 has been known as a massive party for anyone who enjoys old school traditional customs rides and the hot pin-up women. Even if you aren’t into the old rides, don’t worry! There are still some not so traditional cars and trucks that will be sure to catch your eye.

Mikey Brown 1953 Ford F100

Mikey Brown 1953 Ford F100

Mikey Brown 1953 Ford F100

This year, Mikey Brown won Beater of the Year with his 1953 Ford F100.  This ride is a beautiful white with purple as its accent color.  This ride is something we have never seen before, and we are loving it!  Congrats Mikey!

Other winners for this years show were:

Beater of the Year – Mikey Brown – 53′ Ford F100 Miss Beatersville – Miss Tempest Top American Bike – True Love Speed Shop – Harley Panhead Top British Bike – Triumph Top Asian Bike – Kacey Elkins – Yamaha RD350 Top Pick – Dave Gray – 32′ Ford Top Pick – Ben Smithson – 31′ Ford Sadan Top Pick – “Weirdo” Jim Walden – 55′ Chevy Gasser Top Pick – Anthony Lamas – 59′ VW Beetle Top Pick – Don Martin – 65′ Chevy C-10 Top Pick – Glenn Fagin – 30′ Ford Model A Coupe Top Pick – Jeremy Begda – 59 Ford Custom 300 Top Pick – Taylor Inge – 60′ Brookwood Wagon                                                                                                                                                                  #BestofBeatersville Award winner – Shane Lile – Model T Sadan Strait Axel Mafia Club Pick – Andrew Blair – 50′ Chevy Grease Knuckles Car Club Pick – 47′ Chevy Pick-up

Congratulations to all winners!

Interested in more Beatersville Coverage?  We have years of this shows coverage for you to check out!

Looking for more information of Beatersville 2017?  Check out their website!

Photos by: Todd Atkins

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”1797″ gal_title=”Beatersville 2017″]

Beatersville 2017 had some amazing rides! Check out to see who won Beater of the Year! Beatersville 2017 Beatersville 2017 was held on May 27, 2017 in Louisville, Kentucky.  Beatersville 2017 is a traditional car and bike show for pre-1968 vehicles.  

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Bollinger B1, B2 Price and Specs: 9 New Details on the Electric Truck and SUV

A month ago we were all wondering what a largely hand-built Class 3 fully electric go-anywhere pickup truck and SUV would cost, especially as they’re likely to be sold alongside some pretty high-buck hardware from Aston Martin, Bentley, Koenigsegg, Pagani, and Porsche. Well, wonder no more: Bollinger B1 and B2 prices will start at $125,000. That price includes the 120-kW-hr 200-mile battery pack, 5,000-pound payload capacity, portal axles and cross-linked hydropneumatic suspension affording 10–20 inches of ground clearance, and four-wheel drive courtesy of two electric motors powering locking differentials good for a total of 614 horsepower and 668 lb-ft of torque. The 2021 Bollinger B1 SUV and B2 pickup will be built in the U.S. (The company has yet to disclose exactly where or by whom). Here are eight other fun facts disclosed along with the prices.

22.5:1 Crawl Ratio

Engaging low range provides a 22.5:1 torque multiplication through all the gears. That is only about half what a serious off-road vehicle like a Wrangler might offer, but because electric motors produce peak torque at 0 rpm, this gearing allows the B1 and B2 to carefully and slowly creep over any obstacle a 50:1 gasser can climb with similar or greater ease.

True Neutral for Flat-Towing

Tow-behind RVers, rejoice! The Bollinger-designed front and rear two-speed transaxles include a neutral setting to safely allow flat-towing.

Plenty of Room

The “frunk” of both trucks can hold 14 cubic feet of stuff, and there’s a 16-by-14-inch pass-through to the cabin, through which long items can be passed. How long? It’s 13 feet in the SUV, 16 feet in the truck, with the front and tailgates closed. Much longer if they hang out. (Bollinger has a patent pending on this full-truck pass-through concept.) The rear bed and cargo areas measure 4-foot-1-inch wide for your sheet-goods hauling pleasure. The length is 5 feet, 1 inch on the SUV (with the rear seats removed) and 5 feet, 9 inches long on the truck, which extends to 8 feet, 2 inches if you lower the mid-gate and remove the quick-disconnect rear seats.

  Hose-Out Interior

Bollinger floors and walls are coated in “Dura-texture” black paint, with rub strips on the floor that can be made of wood or easily swapped out for other fun materials. The interior is sealed for fording and to withstand hosing out. Even the “dome light” LED light strip is IP68-rated water resistant. Rear seats offer quick-release mounts for cargo flexibility.

  Cassette-Style Windows

The side windows click to latch shut and slide to open, but they also remove in a jiffy for a true open-air feeling. Just press two tabs and the glass, tracks, and sliders pop out as a unit for easy storing, leaving a “half door.”

Four Identical Roof Panels

It may not offer a Wrangler/Gladiator-style soft top, but pop out the side windows, remove the windshield and rear lift-glass (by removing a series of nuts), and remove the four roof panels, and you’ll feel like you’re in a convertible. And the four roof panels are functionally identical between both trucks, though they can be ordered in transparent or opaque materials.

  Four Identical Seats

Everyone shares the same comfort level, with heat and adjustable thigh support length. Seats can be covered in cloth, leather, and vegan leather.

  Triple-Duty Hydraulic Pump

One pump provides pressure for the hydropneumatic suspension when load leveling or compensation is needed, but the same pump also pressurizes the power assist for the brakes and steering, helping make the suspension system extremely compact.

  Fully Charged

The trucks will offer Level 1 and 2 charging via the standard J1772 port, which will take 10 hours (Level 2); DC fast charging via the CCS port can trim that time to a claimed 75 minutes.

The post Bollinger B1, B2 Price and Specs: 9 New Details on the Electric Truck and SUV appeared first on MotorTrend.

https://www.motortrend.com/news/bollinger-b1-b2-prices-specs/ visto antes em https://www.motortrend.com

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"1HP / AMAZING NOT DIE" lol / league of legends Montage ) Credit : http://ift.tt/2foyAlm http://ift.tt/2wjkdWA https://plays.tv/u/Lexs http://ift.tt/2fp99jU http://ift.tt/2wjk4Cw http://ift.tt/2foyASo http://ift.tt/2wjk59y http://ift.tt/2frGFGj http://ift.tt/2xCqfEJ http://ift.tt/2wjk5GA http://ift.tt/2foyBWs http://ift.tt/2wjk6dC http://ift.tt/2foyDxy https://plays.tv/u/170 http://ift.tt/2wjkf0E http://ift.tt/2fpOD2t http://ift.tt/2wjkfxG http://ift.tt/2foyE4A https://plays.tv/u/Aoii http://ift.tt/2wjk6KE http://ift.tt/2foyEBC http://ift.tt/2wjk7hG http://ift.tt/2foyF8E http://ift.tt/2wjk7OI http://ift.tt/2fpOD2t http://ift.tt/2foyFFG http://ift.tt/2wjkhFO http://ift.tt/2frboD4 http://ift.tt/2foyFFG http://ift.tt/2wjk8SM http://ift.tt/2fpIwLt http://ift.tt/2wjk6dC http://ift.tt/2foyBWs Music : NoCopyrightSounds → Rob Gasser - Supersonic [NCS Release] → Phantom Sage - Hollow [NCS Release] → Blazars - Northen Lights [NCS Release] → Desmeon - Hellcat [NCS Release] 🎬🎬🎬 Watch more LoL videos ! 🎮 TOP 30 "Amazing ONE FOR ALL 2013-2016" : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4thEJSBwHmU&index=18&list=PLRzx20HXWCqk-VfomSGdL8XXJN3wdAQYD 🎮 1 HP - YOU WILL NOT DIE IF YOU CAN OUTPLAY : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySZZyTzFbnw&index=8&list=PLRzx20HXWCqk-VfomSGdL8XXJN3wdAQYD 🎮 BEST PRO SAVES : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTm6Inle4Js&index=24&list=PLRzx20HXWCqnQn3qM1HQiFmaqCLylQLLt&t=25s 🎮 TOP 50 "AMAZING PREDICTIONS" : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N82jla9ARvI&index=72&list=PLRzx20HXWCqnQn3qM1HQiFmaqCLylQLLt 🎮 URF MODE "BEST MONSTERS IN HISTORY" : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brTYr6j2zYs&index=62&list=PLRzx20HXWCqnQn3qM1HQiFmaqCLylQLLt 🎮 TOP 50 "1vs1 OUTPLAYS EVER" : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXxwSOcVeQM&index=21&list=PLRzx20HXWCqnQn3qM1HQiFmaqCLylQLLt 🎮 "FLASH KICK 200 IQ & 0000 IQ" : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fj8jpShbsj0&index=55&list=PLRzx20HXWCqnQn3qM1HQiFmaqCLylQLLt 🎮 WHEN YOU MEET DARIUS PERFECT COMBOS : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8xUSEP3Q2I&index=38&list=PLRzx20HXWCqnQn3qM1HQiFmaqCLylQLLt 🎮 "RIVEN FULL COMBO ULTIMATES" : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvQABqPcCng&index=60&list=PLRzx20HXWCqnQn3qM1HQiFmaqCLylQLLt 🎮 TOP 50 "PREDICTIONS - LUCK OR CALCULATED" : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDzeOz6eazA&index=7&list=PLRzx20HXWCqk-VfomSGdL8XXJN3wdAQYD 🎮 ONE COMBO "ONE SHOTS , FOUR KILLS" : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4UV-TUXZQ0&index=20&list=PLRzx20HXWCqnQn3qM1HQiFmaqCLylQLLt 🎮 IF LUCKY , YOU CAN OUTPLAY WITH 1% CRITICAL : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nc-IKb2cLY&index=25&list=PLRzx20HXWCqnQn3qM1HQiFmaqCLylQLLt 🎮 WHEN YOU CAN DODGES LIKE A SCRIPTER : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMHVz0vRGaY&index=11&list=PLRzx20HXWCqnQn3qM1HQiFmaqCLylQLLt 🎮 200 IQ JHIN : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1jbrat4oWg&index=13&list=PLRzx20HXWCqnQn3qM1HQiFmaqCLylQLLt 🎮 200 IQ ULTIMATES : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibH4SHF1jp0&index=2&list=PLRzx20HXWCqnQn3qM1HQiFmaqCLylQLLt 🎮 200 IQ LEESIN : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cgc6R09MsuA&index=8&list=PLRzx20HXWCqnQn3qM1HQiFmaqCLylQLLt 🎮 WHEN LUX USE ULTS -200 IQ" : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yV-LJUFc5so&index=4&list=PLRzx20HXWCqk-VfomSGdL8XXJN3wdAQYD 🎮 HOW TO ESCAPE KARTHUS ULTS : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUaXEmUHDXY&index=3&list=PLRzx20HXWCqnQn3qM1HQiFmaqCLylQLLt 🎮 Top 50 "AMAZING ASSASSINS" : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZRUFEmzlyU&index=2&list=PLRzx20HXWCqk-VfomSGdL8XXJN3wdAQYD 🎮 BEST PRO SNIPES : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYbsBbDdDsA&index=1&list=PLRzx20HXWCqnQn3qM1HQiFmaqCLylQLLt&t=775s Thank for watching ! ☛ If a video I have influence, or influence the company, individual or organization please inform me. We will consider carefully and oppressive conduct, edit or remove it immediately.

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2019 Chevrolet Cruze RS Rumor, Review And Price

New Post has been published on http://www.autocarnewshq.com/2019-chevrolet-cruze-rs-rumor-review-and-price/

2019 Chevrolet Cruze RS Rumor, Review And Price

2019 Chevrolet Cruze RS Rumor, Review And Price –  The Chevrolet Cruze had not been damaging for fans. As its original technology neared the stop of its work in 2014, Cruze product sales arrived at their strong position, with more than 273,000 copies distributed. Wondering, then, that the Cruze sustained a setback in revenue in the event it was redesigned in for the model year. Having expended a week from it recently, I can point out that confuses me.

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2019 Chevrolet Cruze RS Future

The Chevrolet Cruze RS obtained sexy new sheet aluminum, a much more-efficient powertrain, a new hatchback model, and better journey and handling if it was remodeled. However, it distributed less than 200,000 replicates for the first time actually in, if you never matter its past due intro in 2010 in the event it was discounted only for ninety days. So, what gives?

2019 Chevrolet Cruze RS Exterior And Interior

The Chevrolet Cruze RS may be considerably far more general hunting compared to its competition now. The very first-gen Cruze got the form of good looking good looks most in the compact sedan segment could only dream of in 2011, but time has made it possible for those dynamic models to remember to brush up on their models. Now the Chevrolet Cruze RS  is all swoopy and not as easily recognizable as a Chevrolet. One individual asked me whether it was a new Honda. Presumably, that person hasn’t gone to a Honda dealer in an although, however, i could forgive them for not seeing the bowtie from 50 feet out. My Chevrolet Cruze RS Premium tester possessed the model’s sportiest accessible design cues. From the front, they have a reduced, lean appear with two grille openings. Front lights seem to arrive at their exterior boundaries if you look at them mind-on, supplying the front side of the car a virtually mischievous persona.

The examination car possessed fog lighting beneath, with a chin spoiler tying the design together and passing it on a dose of sportiness. From the part, the front lights cover about and reach in the direction of the entrance axle series. The hood is short and considerably sloping. The garden greenhouse is relatively little for the segment, giving the car a “faster” appear than some rivals. A virtually fastback roofline provides method to a little trunk area cover. The RS I evaluated experienced terrain effects together with the underside of the part sills. 18-in . Machined-Experience lightweight aluminum wheels from the RS package round out the sporty look. At the rear, the Cruze RS has a delicate trunk area top spoiler. The taillights cover all around the rear fenders but are a lot less hostile than the headlights. The rear bumper fascia changes upward at its outside sides. Red reflectors are incorporated into the rear bumper in cutouts that match the foglight nacelles at the front of the car. Within, the Chevrolet Cruze RS Superior I drove experienced a nice dashboard with stitches and plenty of gentle-effect areas. There is a no-nonsense gauge bunch that had an easy-to-read through TFT screen involving its speedometer and tachometer. On the other hand, the center segment of the dash was entertained by the 8-” MyLink touchscreen. The front side bucket car seats inside my tester have been natural leather and warmed up. Rear chairs have been limited for grownups when modified to suit half a dozen ft .-large me in the front side row. Total, the car seats in the new Cruze appeared to rest lower than some competitors, this kind of as the Nissan Sentra. That almost certainly assists the Cruze to offer you a sporty-seeking user profile in comparison with the fairly frumpy, large design of the Sentra. Interior convenience was among the best in this class, for individuals who don’t brain climbing out of the car when the trip is above. Like other Chevrolet sedans, I felt like the Cruze was between the quietest within its sector. Just never count on Buick degrees of quietness.

2019 Chevrolet Cruze RS Engine

Also of taking note, the Cruze has one of the greatest included engine commence-cease solutions I’ve observed in a non-high end car. It was not intrusive in everyday use, may be disabled with a button on the dash, and helped conserve fuel when driving a vehicle in the city. After more than 300 miles of traditional auto journalist direct-footed driving a car, the plucky microscopic Cruze RS was nonetheless averaging just timid of 31 MPG. That is not thoughts-blowing, although not bad, both. EPA affirms the most fuel-successful Cruze is the Diesel, which includes a nine-pace auto box that helps it accomplish 47 miles per gallon road, 31 mpg city, 37 mpg merged. The greatest fuel economy you can expect from an automated-equipped Cruze gasser is 40 miles per gallon freeway, 30 miles per gallon city, 34 miles per gallon merged. The best cut takes a little struck – presumably just because of included excess weight – and will common 29/39/33, as outlined by EPA.

2019 Chevrolet Cruze RS Price And Release Date

Chevrolet receives a whole lot of points in the Cruze. The dealing with is on-stage, the infotainment is exquisite, the cabin is calm and may be comparatively high-class, and the powertrains are competitive in both economy and power. My only real knock on the car was its interior size experiencing little. The amounts never specifically have this out. Thus I believe it could be mostly linked to the sum of daylight entering the cabin – the Cruze’s sharply sloped entrance and rear cup possibly playing an artistic technique on me. The only central aspect in which the Cruze drops considerably short in comparison to the competitors over is its trunk space.

[itsworn]

Gasser Wars Veteran Del Wiesner Is Still Wheels-Up in His Olds-Powered 1933 Willys

In the early 1960s, Del Wiesner and Dean Seevers were a couple of guys from Loveland, Colorado, who built a ’33 Willys to drag race. It wasn’t long before they and another partner, fellow Loveland racer Harold Owens, found themselves in the thick of the Gasser Wars.

The trio spent several years on the circuit, towing their Olds-powered coupe all over the country to race the likes of Doug Cook, K.S. Pittman, Bones Balogh, George Montgomery, and other warriors of the era. Some weekends were spent match racing at local events, others put them in the national spotlight with fellow A/GS competitors in the NHRA. At their peak, e.t.’s were in the low 10s with trap speeds over 140 mph. In 1964, carrying 400 pounds of ballast to compete in B/Modified Gas, the Seevers/Wiesner/Owens Willys held the AHRA record at 136 mph.

Del Wiesner’s tribute to his Gasser Wars days is no static display. He built the new Seevers/Wiesner/Owens ’33 Willys to be legal for nostalgia racing. “About quickest that car has gone is 5.70 at 118 to 120 miles per hour in the eighth-mile.”

Fifty-plus years later, the Seevers/Wiesner/Owens A/Gas Supercharged ’33 Willys is still pleasing the crowds, albeit in an updated version. “People really love seeing the car. That’s what keeps me going,” Del says. “They love it because it has an Olds Rocket engine in it. That’s not something you see all the time, much less the original owner and driver in it.”

Asked about racing today, Del says, “I do still love it, but I look at it different now. I’ve been in some bad wrecks. I about wrecked this thing at a nostalgia event a year or so ago. I’d hate to wreck it now, so late in life. And I made a promise to my wife that I wouldn’t drive it so fast. So rather than running 8 seconds at 155, I’m content to go 115 in the eighth at 5.70, which is what it will run on a good track. That’s plenty of thrill for this old feller.”

Del will be 80 on his next birthday.

Pic: Bob D’Olivo Comparing the tribute to this photo Bob D’Olivo took at the 1964 Winternationals illustrates how closely Del replicated his old Willys. Dean Seevers was driving here; Del drove at the 1964 NHRA Nationals and wheeled the car from then on.

1962

Dean Seevers had a “wild” ’39 Chevy coupe with a blown Olds motor that he drove on the street and raced at the drags as the 1960s dawned. Dean, Del, and Harold Owens were founding members of the local hot rod club, the Loveland Zephyrs, and part of a group of guys who raced in NHRA Division 5.

When they built the Willys, Dean and Del put in it a ’57 Olds mill with a 4-71 supercharger backed by a B&M Hydro. The Willys hit the track in 1962, running “around 120 in the 11s,” Del says. “We won a lot of trophies at all the tracks in Division 5.”

Harold mustered out of the Air Force a year later, and he wanted to join the team. He had an engine he wanted to build. “It was his baby motor, a ’49 Olds Rocket at 303 cubic inches,” says Del. When it was done, it displaced 308 inches and was fed by a 6-71 blower and Scott fuel injection. The “itty-bitty engine” put the Willys into B/Gas Supercharged.

Dean Seevers poses with his hot ’39 Chevy in the early 1960s. Olds powered, it ran hard at the strip.

“We went out to Pomona racing some of the biggest names in the country,” Del says of their trip to the 1963 Winternationals. The three friends from Loveland ran “131 miles per hour at 10.75, and we didn’t have to apologize to anyone for anything.”

What they did have to do, though, was be quicker. Doug Cook, running 10.60s, beat them in Pomona.

So in the winter of 1963, the Willys went on a diet. The steel front end was replaced with a liftoff fiberglass nose. The factory doors with their glass windows were pitched in favor of fiberglass doors with Plexiglas. Out, too, was the baby Olds. In went a 324-inch Olds motor bored and stroked to 396 ci. Lighter and more powerful, and with a new Dean Kennedy Hydro, the Willys showed “a dramatic improvement in e.t.,” remembers Del. Times dropped to the low 10s, and speeds increased to 140-145 mph. The Willys’ appearance in 1964, with the Seevers/Wiesner/Owens lettering and the assigned number 239, was the template for the tribute Willys, as that was the last year the trio raced as a team.

Dean and Del’s Willys in 1962, when a ’57 Olds engine earned them “a lot of trophies” in NHRA’s Division 5.

“Dean decided he wanted to build one of those Mark Williams dragsters, and he wanted to put his Olds in the dragster,” Del says. “So he went his separate way. That left Harold and me to run the Willys.”

By 1966, Del had moved on, too. He and Harold built a “super light” ’23 T roadster with an Olds capable of sending the car to 150-plus top-end speeds. But the car “nearly killed” him in a bad accident that ended his racing days.

“I still have the scars,” he says.

Pic: Randy Holt At the 1963 Winternationals, the Seevers/Wiesner Willys beat the Mallicoat Bros. ’41 Willys in the first round of B/GS, but lost to Doug Cook in the next. They were using Harold Owens’ “baby” Olds mill.

2008

Scars, and memories, too. “I had two wonderful partners in this car back in the day. In 1964, we did the entire NHRA Division 5, in the points chase right up to the end. We ran every event: Omaha, Minneapolis, Great Bend, Continental Divide, Green Valley Raceway in Texas, Amarillo, plus the Winternationals in Pomona and the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. It wasn’t unusual for us to be in L.A., then Minneapolis, then Texas. We flat-towed this car all over the country until we finally got a trailer.”

Decades later, “I couldn’t shake the thrill the race car had given me. Even though I had quit racing long ago, I always loved the Willys gassers. Once you get that in your blood, it’s hard to let go. It was the most exciting time of my life, so I decided to rebuild a part of history.”

He considered another go-around with the original car. “I found the original ’33. Someone had converted it to a street machine with a Chevrolet engine. I called, but once they found out about the history of their car, they decided they didn’t want to sell it.”

The Willys went through major changes before the 1964 season. That’s Del lifting off the car’s new fiberglass nose in the pits at Pomona, and the little motor was replaced by a 396-inch Olds. Del called the improvements to the car’s performance “dramatic.”

He opted instead to build a Willys from scratch, with a fabricated chassis and cage, a fiberglass repop body, and the help of a young car builder named Bobby Anderson, who runs Sleds Customs in Apache Junction, Colorado. Bobby modified the frame for the Willys using 2×4 rectangular tubing, and mounted a straight front axle from Speedway Motors and a Ford 9-inch rearend. Within the 10-point polished cage are aluminum seats Bobby fabricated after the fiberglass racing seats Del bought for the project “were thrown in the junk pile,” Del says.

They weren’t the only pieces that didn’t pass muster. Much of the fiberglass Willys body Del bought was either “too heavy or poorly done,” so Bobby fashioned a rear decklid, dashboard, floors, fenderwells, and other parts from aluminum.

The engine had to be an Oldsmobile. “I have a number of blocks,” Del says, preferring those out of a ’62 Starfire. “The 394-inch Olds motors were made from 1959 to 1964, and the blocks from the ’62 Starfire have a unique configuration compared to the other engines. They have a wider main bearing boss, so you could run a heavier-duty main bearing. It’s the strongest 394 Olds block.”

Pic: Eric Rickman Del remembers this round of the 1964 Winternats well. Dean went up against Bones Balogh driving Big John Mazmanian’s Willys. “We were out on Bones by three car lengths when we broke a rocker arm. We ran a 10.34, but Bones ran the first 9.99, at 151 miles per hour, in supercharged class history and beat us in the lights.”

Del built two different engine combinations for the Willys. One has a stock crank with steel billet Crower rods and 8:1 compression pistons. The other, his “quickest engine,” has 9:1 compression and aluminum rods. “I went to the aluminum rods so I could use a pinned rod bearing to keep the rod bearings in place. The steel rods had a tendency to tear the tangs off the ends of the rod caps. Pinned bearings eliminated that problem, but it means a trick crank situation. The crank is undersize 300-thousandths—that’s a lot—then resized to use Chevrolet main bearings. That’s a unique situation for an Olds to have that.”

As Gasser Wars veterans, Del and Howard were used to being courted by camshaft makers. “Several companies gave us camshafts back then.” Jack Engle ground cams for the SWO Willys, and 50 years later, Del again went to Jack, even after the cam maker had retired, for grinds for the tribute car. But with two engines in play, Del also uses a billet Isky 505-C roller cam in his other engine.

Dean left the team after the 1964 season, so the SWO Willys became the Wiesner/Owens car in 1965. Here Del is racing at Mickey Thompson’s invitational 200 MPH meet in Fontana. “We drew K.S. Pittman in the first round and got beat, but we were allowed to grudge race the other A/GS cars the rest of the evening between rounds of Top Fuel and A/GS. Our top time was a 10 flat e.t. at 146.69 miles per hour.”

“I like both cams,” he says. “Both those manufacturers treated us really well. The Engle definitely has more lift. It’s a more modern camshaft. The 505-C is like it was ground in 1960. I bought a pair of them unused at the Bakersfield swap meet. It has 100-thousandths less lift than the Engle, but I can make the car run just as hard for the first 300 to 400 feet as with the big cam. That’s what I do with the car, run hard out of the hole to give them the show.

“People come out to see cars drive up to the starting line and carry the front end for 100 feet. That’s the show, right there. I don’t run the car at top speed any more. These aren’t real stable at 150-plus.”

With some concessions to NHRA regulations, Del worked to keep the outside of the engine “looking like it was running the old stuff, nostalgia stuff.” Feeding the fire is a vintage Hilborn two-port fuel-injection system “that’s probably from the early 1960s,” says Del. Igniting the fire is a Joe Hunt Vertex magneto.

The start of the SWO tribute. Bobby Anderson fabricated the frame out of 2×4 rectangular tubing, “much stronger and less flexible” than the original Willys frame, says Del. The straight axle “is probably four times heavier than in the 1960s car, because we weren’t as concerned with weight as getting the right look for the new car.”

The headers, too, with their distinctive wraparound collectors, were built by Bobby to mimic the pipes on the SWO Willys. “At the time it was a convenient way to pull the tubes together, and it looked neat on the weed burners,” Del explains.

Another carryover from the original Willys is the tribute car’s shifter, which is on the column. “We always ran a column shifter on them, even though everyone else had it on the floor. In the old days we’d run a Powerglide shifter, a ’53 or ’54 column shifter, but you can’t race one of those anymore since there’s no reverse lockout on them.”

Del admits it “took a lot of work” to graft the B&M ratchet shifter onto the column. “It was a lot harder than putting it on the floor. Everything is handbuilt around the shifter.”

The Ford 9-inch is filled with 35-spline Moser axles, 4.56 gears, and a spool. The ladder bars here are mockups; the finished versions were machined from billet aluminum stock. “They’re probably 50, 52 inches long, go about halfway up to the front of the car,” Del says.

In the 1960s, the B&M Hydro was the transmission of choice for the SWO Willys as well as many of the other gasser teams. It wasn’t Del’s favorite, though. “I’m not a Hydramatic guy. We ran them back in the day, because that was the transmission to race. Everyone ran them until people started using the Chrysler TorqueFlites. But we had a lot of trouble with the Hydros. We lost races because of transmission problems.”

The tribute Willys, too, started with a Hydramatic, but Harold Owens had another idea. “Harold was running a Hughes Performance Powerglide in his dragster, and he recommended it. So I went with it. It matched up to the early Oldsmobile and works slick.”

The cage is certified to just an 8.50 e.t. “because of the way we built the bar in the driver’s side of the cage. It will hinge to let me in.”

Both of Del’s former partners are still around. “Dean Seevers, the top engine man and driver, is very ill, but Dean and Harold Owens are my biggest supporters of the car. When I started, I was the gopher guy, the polish guy. I painted the original A/Gas Supercharged car and kept it looking great. But then I started driving in mid-1964, so I got to run Doug Cook a number of times, Bones, K.S. Pittman, Chuck Finders, and the big-name racers.”

Re-creating the Willys that meant so much to him took a full five years. “It was a challenge, largely because all the parts we needed are now considered antiques.” But with Bobby Anderson’s help, Del now enjoys running and showing his tribute Willys for “all the past drivers, owners, and fans who truly loved these kinds of cars.”

The Willys being mocked up. During its construction, several body parts—the rear decklid, firewall, inner fenders—were “put on the junk pile” because they were either too heavy or poorly made, Del says. Bobby fabbed aluminum replacements for those parts.

The firewall and dash were among the pieces Bobby made from scratch for the Willys. “He’s quite a sheetmetal worker,” Del says of Bobby.

The engines Del uses in the Willys are ’62 Olds Starfire blocks bored 0.030 over and fitted with number 23 cylinder heads from 1963-1964 Olds 394s. Dave Sarno of SCH Racing Heads in Arvada, Colorado, “is my head guy,” Del says. “They aren’t ported or relieved as extremely as they were in the 1960s, since Dave says the extreme polishing we used to do doesn’t make that much difference. But deep pockets work.”

Topping the 6-71 blower is a two-port Hilborn injection system that Del modified to accept a four-port scoop. “I wanted more volume going to the injector,” he says. “The two-port scoop has considerably less frontal area than the four-port scoop.” So he fashioned an adapter to join the two.

Mad Mike the Striper out of Greeley, Colorado, lettered the original Willys. “When I rebuilt the car I contacted him. He’s still in business in Denver,” Del says. “He did a lot of signs and posters for the car, stuff like that, gratis.” Mike did not letter the new car, though. Del and Bobby took photos of the original Willys to a sign shop, “and he did the cutouts, like vinyl letters. But we didn’t want the lettering—we wanted what was left over, to use as a stencil to paint the lettering on the car.” Bobby then applied the graphics.

More of Bobby’s handiwork is found inside the Willys, where he fashioned the floors, the seats, the dashboard, the cage, and more.

The toughest part of the interior build was getting the B&M ratchet shifter up on the steering column, Del says. The eagle-eyed among you will spot two tachometers in the car, an original Sun tach in the dash and a new Auto Meter tach on the column. Del wanted “something bigger” than the Sun tach for racing. Plus, “I never had much luck getting a Sun tach to work with a magneto.”

“I got to know Marv Rifchin, from M&H Tire, late in life. I didn’t know him from the 1960s, but I got to know him later. He was such a gentleman, so that’s what I have on the car. That’s all I’ll run because of that.”

“Bobby [Anderson, right] did the painting on car. He does it all, the little sh*t. I knew him when he was just 4 years old. People ask, ‘Who did the work?’ That young guy, he did it. He does it all.”

“Sometimes the front end is off the ground, sometimes it’s rubbing against the wall. I never know which direction it’s going to go, but the crowd loves it.”

The post Gasser Wars Veteran Del Wiesner Is Still Wheels-Up in His Olds-Powered 1933 Willys appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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[the-gwalla]

Ed “Big Daddy” Roth (1932–2001) was a car customizer and cartoonist who gained fame in the late ‘50s/early ‘60s for his wild hot rod designs and his goofy and grotesque monster characters (frequently depicted bulging out of the top of a hot rod, one hand on the wheel and the other on an oversized gearshift) such as his signature character Rat Fink, a deformed parody of Mickey Mouse.

At the height of his popularity in the early ‘60s, he put out a few albums of hot rod themed, surf-ish novelty tunes under the name “Mr. Gasser & The Weirdos”. The sleeve copy on the first record claimed that the music was played by a combination of professional musicians and local teens in the L.A. hot rod scene in an impromptu jam session; in reality, it was played by top-flight L.A. session musicians the Wrecking Crew. It is...not their best work. But it is pretty fun.

[record-super-chart]

Best Drum & Bass Top 50 Hits Vol. 29 (2017)

Genre: Drum & Bass Quality: 320 kbps Format: MP3 Date: 26.04.2017 Type: Compilation Size: 576 MB 01. The Mighty Dreadnaut - Junglist Ronin (DJ Hybrid Remix) 02. RaidCall - Crystal (Original Mix) 03. Teenage Guerilla - Inside Out (Original Mix) 04. Bobby - Execution 05. Dj Vantigo - Morning Light (Original Mix) 06. One Reflex - 2 Step (Original Mix) 07. Rob Gasser - Adrenaline (Original Mix) 08. Zen Dub - All That Could Have Been (Original Mix) 09. Craggz & Parallel Forces - Love Insane (feat. CP... Читать дальше »

[perksofwifi]

Bollinger B1, B2 Price and Specs: 9 New Details on the Electric Truck and SUV

A month ago we were all wondering what a largely hand-built Class 3 fully electric go-anywhere pickup truck and SUV would cost, especially as they’re likely to be sold alongside some pretty high-buck hardware from Aston Martin, Bentley, Koenigsegg, Pagani, and Porsche. Well, wonder no more: Bollinger B1 and B2 prices will start at $125,000. That price includes the 120-kW-hr 200-mile battery pack, 5,000-pound payload capacity, portal axles and cross-linked hydropneumatic suspension affording 10–20 inches of ground clearance, and four-wheel drive courtesy of two electric motors powering locking differentials good for a total of 614 horsepower and 668 lb-ft of torque. The 2021 Bollinger B1 SUV and B2 pickup will be built in the U.S. (The company has yet to disclose exactly where or by whom). Here are eight other fun facts disclosed along with the prices.

22.5:1 Crawl Ratio

Engaging low range provides a 22.5:1 torque multiplication through all the gears. That is only about half what a serious off-road vehicle like a Wrangler might offer, but because electric motors produce peak torque at 0 rpm, this gearing allows the B1 and B2 to carefully and slowly creep over any obstacle a 50:1 gasser can climb with similar or greater ease.

True Neutral for Flat-Towing

Tow-behind RVers, rejoice! The Bollinger-designed front and rear two-speed transaxles include a neutral setting to safely allow flat-towing.

Plenty of Room

The “frunk” of both trucks can hold 14 cubic feet of stuff, and there’s a 16-by-14-inch pass-through to the cabin, through which long items can be passed. How long? It’s 13 feet in the SUV, 16 feet in the truck, with the front and tailgates closed. Much longer if they hang out. (Bollinger has a patent pending on this full-truck pass-through concept.) The rear bed and cargo areas measure 4-foot-1-inch wide for your sheet-goods hauling pleasure. The length is 5 feet, 1 inch on the SUV (with the rear seats removed) and 5 feet, 9 inches long on the truck, which extends to 8 feet, 2 inches if you lower the mid-gate and remove the quick-disconnect rear seats.

  Hose-Out Interior

Bollinger floors and walls are coated in “Dura-texture” black paint, with rub strips on the floor that can be made of wood or easily swapped out for other fun materials. The interior is sealed for fording and to withstand hosing out. Even the “dome light” LED light strip is IP68-rated water resistant. Rear seats offer quick-release mounts for cargo flexibility.

  Cassette-Style Windows

The side windows click to latch shut and slide to open, but they also remove in a jiffy for a true open-air feeling. Just press two tabs and the glass, tracks, and sliders pop out as a unit for easy storing, leaving a “half door.”

Four Identical Roof Panels

It may not offer a Wrangler/Gladiator-style soft top, but pop out the side windows, remove the windshield and rear lift-glass (by removing a series of nuts), and remove the four roof panels, and you’ll feel like you’re in a convertible. And the four roof panels are functionally identical between both trucks, though they can be ordered in transparent or opaque materials.

  Four Identical Seats

Everyone shares the same comfort level, with heat and adjustable thigh support length. Seats can be covered in cloth, leather, and vegan leather.

  Triple-Duty Hydraulic Pump

One pump provides pressure for the hydropneumatic suspension when load leveling or compensation is needed, but the same pump also pressurizes the power assist for the brakes and steering, helping make the suspension system extremely compact.

  Fully Charged

The trucks will offer Level 1 and 2 charging via the standard J1772 port, which will take 10 hours (Level 2); DC fast charging via the CCS port can trim that time to a claimed 75 minutes.

The post Bollinger B1, B2 Price and Specs: 9 New Details on the Electric Truck and SUV appeared first on MotorTrend.

https://www.motortrend.com/news/bollinger-b1-b2-prices-specs/ visto antes em https://www.motortrend.com

[itsworn]

Back to the 50’s. Action From America’s Largest Street Rod Show.

There is no angel hair at Back To The 50’s. No velvet ropes and stanchions. No carpeted display areas or mirrors. Nobody goes home with a 3-foot-long cardboard check for $10,000 in prize money. In fact, there are no awards, trophies, plaques, or prizes at Back To The 50’s. There are street rods and street rodders—more of them than at any other enclosed event in America. In 2018, approximately 12,000 cars and trucks rolled into the Minnesota State Fairgrounds for the Minnesota Street Rod Association’s 45th annual party in St. Paul.

All those participants, combined with the commercial vendors, the Sunday swap meet crowd, and all those spectators, guarantee that for three days every summer, Back To The 50’s is basically the third largest city in Minnesota.

Back To The 50’s is not strictly limited to street rods. The show also welcomes customs, classic trucks, sports cars, Gassers, street cruisers, exotic cars, and a few that defy categories—as long as they are of 1964 and earlier vintage.

The 1964 cars and trucks that make up the newest participating vehicles were only 10 years old when the MSRA held the very first Back To The 50’s show back in 1974 in a shopping center parking lot. That premiere event, with approximately 150 vehicles, is a familiar part of Minnesota street rodding history now. It didn’t take long for the show to outgrow its original venue.

STREET RODDER was there in 2018, as we are every year, to take in all the fun and enjoy the cars, in addition to finding 10 outstanding rides for the Painless Performance Products/STREET RODDER Top 100 program and one Blue Oval vehicle for the Best Ford In A Ford program. Back To The 50’s is also a popular location for the STREET RODDER Road Tour every year.

Sunday Swap Meet The swap meet is a one-day-only part of Back To The 50’s. For sellers, it’s a chance to unload some unfinished—or unstarted—project cars. For buyers, it’s a chance to find parts for a homebuilt project, or to find something they didn’t know they were looking for until they saw it on a table or on a trailer. For us, it’s a chance to see potential rods of the future. We hope the raw material in these photos will be finished cars someday, displayed at shows and driven on the street.

See much more swap meet treasure at hotrod.com/articles/back-50s-2018-swap-meet.

STREET RODDER Best Ford In A Ford A Coyote-Powered, Homebuilt, Factory Five 1933 Roadster

When it comes to choosing Ford power for his street rod, Greg Root, our Best Ford in a Ford winner from Back To The 50’s, didn’t need persuading. Greg, from Lake Elmo, Minnesota, worked for Ford and Roush building prototype vehicles. His Factory Five 1933 Ford replica is the most recent of many Ford-powered FoMoCo vehicles he’s built and driven.

We encountered Greg’s Coyote-running roadster next to the Ford Performance Parts rig. With its pearl white ’glass body, contemporary wheel and tire combination, race-inspired cockpit, and modular engine, it’s a modern interpretation of a classic hot rod.

Greg likes Factory Five’s offerings and originally intended to build a 427 Cobra reproduction. Instead, he decided on the 1933 Hot Rod, which has a little more room inside. He said the styling and the fact that you don’t see many of them around, is part of the appeal.

Along with the body, Greg used Factory Five’s chassis setup, featuring a tubular frame, A-arm and coilover independent front suspension, and three-link rear suspension with coilovers. The Ford 8.8-inch rear with 3.86:1 gears and brakes came from a 1989 Mustang. Wide 255- and 305-series ZR-rated Nitto tires roll on 18- and 20-inch Super Nova 5 wheels from American Racing—complementing the contemporary classic theme of the roadster.

The interior features Factory Five’s race bucket seats and banjo-style steering wheel on an ididit column. Greg built the center console and dash and added the Racepak digital instrument display, push-button ignition switch, Vintage Air controls and louvers, USB ports, and Pioneer Mixtrax AV receiver.

Greg pulled the Ford 5.0L Coyote and six-speed from a 2014 Mustang. Troy Knutson fabricated custom mounts to perch the engine and transmission on the Factory Five ’rails, and DP Performance used SCT Performance tuning hardware to get the engine running perfectly. An active online community of Factory Five owners helped with suggestions when questions came up.

Greg enjoys showing and driving the roadster—but what he enjoys even more is turning wrenches in his basement shop. His mind is already onto the next project car. Maybe a GT40. Maybe with a Coyote engine. Definitely Ford in a Ford.

See more of Greg Root’s Factory Five 1933 Ford at hotrod.com/articles/2018-back-50s-best-ford-ford.

Painless Performance Products Presents STREET RODDER Top 100 Tech Tip: EFI Injectors If you have acquired an engine that has sat for 6 months or longer, be sure to remove the injectors and have them tested before attempting to start the engine, as the reformulated fuels of today will cause the injector solenoids to stick closed.

1932 Ford Roadster | Dennis Van Kleek & Kay Larson | Vadnais Heights, MN

Dennis Van Kleek and Kay Larson wanted a timeless, unique Deuce, and this Dearborn Deuce roadster, built by Jim Petrykowski at Metal Fab, is it. Tangerine Pearl paint, dark tan custom upholstery, and Budnik wheels enhance the appearance. A carbed 351W engine supplies power. The car has covered 24,000 miles across 19 states. Vintage Air and Classic Instruments add to the success of those road trips.

1950 Mercury coupe | Les & Sue Severin | Hutchinson, MN

Les Severin found his Merc in a junkyard 36 years ago. Inspired by the famous Bettencourt Merc from the ’50s, its custom cues include the healthy chop, radiused corners, 1951 Merc front bumper, 1953 Kaiser rear bumper guard, 1951 Kaiser grille, vinyl tuck ’n’ roll, and wide whites on Wheelsmith wheels. The paint is Oriental Blue paint over white. The engine is a 4V 455 Olds.

1941 Willys coupe | Mike Hughes | Faribault, MN

A Willys Gasser is the car everyone wants, Mike Hughes says. His is packed with a blown 410ci Hemi. Mickey Thompson rubber rolls on 15-inch five-spokes. The vintage drag race interior features fiberglass buckets, a Grant steering wheel, and Stewart-Warner gauges. Creative Metal and Vescio’s Restoration participated in the project. House Of Kolor provided the Candy Red paint.

1947 Chevy Fleetline | Wayne & Pat Hassemer | Bloomer, WI

Wayne Hassemer bought three rusting Chevys to create this metallic green beauty. Custom mods include Frenched headlights, V-butted windshield, shaved sheetmetal, and a relocated “foot scraper” plate. A Demon carb tops the Chevy 406 small-block. Interior features VDO gauges, a Premier stereo, and lot of Ultraleather. The 15-year build was interrupted by family life, but now it’s driving time.

1949 International pickup | Joseph Ackerley | Forest Lake, MN

This International sat in a Minnesota body shop for 20 years before being built in Joseph Ackerley’s home shop. He shaved the door handles and driprails, welded the hood into a single piece, and added a Chevy box. A 383 stroker Chevy is fed by a Demon carburetor. Tan leather and vinyl complements all that Viper Red paint. VDO gauges and a Pioneer audio system are cab upgrades.

1947 Cadillac convertible | Jack DeJoy | Prior Lake, MN

Jack DeJoy built the 1947 Cadillac he had always wanted with a pancaked hood, filled cowl, shaved handles, and bright paint. The owner-designed interior wears leather-covered seats facing a 1949 Cadillac dash. It’s a Cadillac underhood, too, with a 500ci injected engine. Colorado Custom wheels are wrapped in Hankook radials. Impressive work from this 80-year-old street rodder.

1959 Chevy Impala | Kyle Severin | Alexandria, MN

The Crown Sapphire 1959 Impala was stock and partially restored before Kyle Severin rebuilt it as a ’60s-inspired restomod cruiser. The original-looking interior is updated with Vintage Air A/C, Dakota Digital gauges, and modern audio components. The tri-power 409 is packed with plenty of hi-po internals. Chrome reverse Wheelsmith wheels are matched with Diamond Back whitewalls.

1932 Ford pickup | Mac McCullough | Wayzata, MN

Mac McCullough’s truck was original, numbers-matching, rust-free, and had been apart for years when he began building it into a ’60s-style hot rod. A Corvette 327/365 engine with camel hump heads features Porter mufflers to maintain the vintage-style Mac wanted. The interior is distinguished by a pleated vinyl–covered bench, an original 1932 steering wheel, and Classic Instruments gauges.

1964 Chevy C10 | Stack Calhoun | Forest Lake, MN

Nuff Sedd Customs honored Stack Calhoun’s request to build something “timeless” and “classy;” ’70s-era C10 olive green paint and cherry bedwood add to the exterior appeal. Two-tone pleated vinyl covers the bench seat. A 450hp 355 Chevy moves the C10 down the road at 2,000 rpm at 75 mph with the A/C and stereo blasting. “It sounds like a muscle car but drives like a Cadillac,” Stack says.

1934 Ford Fordor Sedan | Gary & Lisa Beskau | Hastings, MN

Gary and Lisa Beskau commissioned their son-in-law Greg Spakow of Master Blastings, to undertake the frame-off rebuild of their Fordor. Body mods include one-piece front fenders and running boards, filled roof, and hood louvers—and Cinnamon Candy paint over copper. Suede and leather bench seats fill the interior. A 450hp Chevy 350 is dressed up with an Edelbrock air cleaner and valve covers.

The post Back to the 50’s. Action From America’s Largest Street Rod Show. appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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[itsworn]

Bright & Snarly 1952 Henry J Gasser Is a Tribute to His 1960s Drag Racing

If you were born before 1955, you might well remember building the famous Revell Henry J kit. Like most models of that era, it was highly detailed with many small, fragile parts. It may have taken two or three tries before you successfully built, painted, and applied decals to an example that you would be proud to add to your display case. At least that’s the way it was for me more than five decades ago, long before I knew I would make a career out of photographing and writing about cars, especially fullsize editions of cars I built as 1/25th scale models as a kid.

Fast-forward more than five decades. On a foggy spring morning in Southern California, I’m hanging out the passenger-side window of my buddy’s 1967 AMC Rambler Rogue convertible, trying to properly frame a fullsize version of one of those models.

The orange 1952 Kaiser Henry J is a tribute to the straight-axle gassers, the precursors of the Funny Cars that would dominate professional drag racing decades later.

Randy and Jodell Zeal estimate they put about 500 miles a month on their Henry J gasser, or about 6,000 miles a year. That’s a lot of enjoyable time behind the wheel for the couple, who have been together for more than 50 years.

Deluxe readers know more about the appeal of the Henry J for the drag racers of the late 1950s and into the 1960s than most folks. The formula was always simple: a big engine installed in the lightest possible body. But some might not know that the Henry J was the brainchild of industrialist and shipbuilder Henry J. Kaiser (who pioneered employer-provided health insurance that still today bears his name). He was one half of the team that launched the Kaiser-Frazer Corporation out of the automotive assets of Graham-Paige. Kaiser-Frazer was one of the first companies to try to meet the huge demand for new automobiles following the rationing of the Second World War.

Because of the buyers’ market and shortage of new cars following the end of the war, Kaiser-Frazer enjoyed a degree of success. But by 1950, when the Big Three engaged in a take-no-prisoners war for sales (interrupted by the outbreak of the Korean War), all the independents, Kaiser-Frazer included, clawed for market share. Packard, Studebaker, Nash, and Hudson all suffered.

Randy raced a ’57 Olds and later an Olds-powered T roadster at Lions and other Southern California strips in the 1960s. The decals evoke that earlier era and bring back fond memories.

In order to expand its lineup, Kaiser championed the design, engineering, and introduction of an inexpensive smaller car, one that would be easy to build, made from fewer parts (no glovebox, sparse interior trim, no opening decklid), and powered by an economical four-cylinder engine sourced from Willys-Overland. There was only one problem with this plan. The Henry J was only about $200 cheaper ($2,000 today adjusted for inflation) than an entry-level, fullsize Chevrolet. And yes, Sears sold a badge-engineered version of the car under the Allstate brand.

Its engineering simplicity ultimately made the Henry J ideal to use as a drag car. When it was discontinued after the 1953 model year (a few were re-serialized as 1954 models) and its automotive tooling was shipped off to Argentina, there was a surplus of Henry J cars for drag racers to work their magic upon.

The engine is a 383 Chevy stroker. There was no room for a blower without cutting into the little Henry J’s firewall, so Randy elected to go after a little ram-air effect thanks to the scoop feeding the twin Holleys and the tall tunnel-ram intake below them.

For Randy and Jodell Zeal of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, all of this history matters little. Now retired and with the full support of his wife, Randy has built this stunning 1952 Kaiser Henry J gasser. “We drive it everywhere,” he says. “At the shows we attend, most of the show cars are brought in on trailers and see very little street time.”

“We met while street racing in high school in 1965,” says Jodell. “He raced my sister that night. He was sitting on the hood of his ’57 Olds at Oscar’s drive-in restaurant in Garden Grove. My sister and I drove by in her ’64 Impala, a few words were exchanged, and we’ve been together ever since. We were married when Randy returned from Vietnam.”

Randy grew up in Huntington Beach and drag raced at Lions, Orange County International Raceway, and Carlsbad Raceway, among others. He made a career owning and operating a radiator repair shop in Laguna Hills, a calling that led them to Fallbrook, then to Murrieta, before retiring in Arizona.

The custom headers were ceramic-coated to help keep heat out of the car. Before Randy had this done, the floor would heat up to 135 degrees. Talk about a hot foot!

Randy jokingly said the biggest challenge in building the car was getting Jodell to write the checks.

“I retired at age 58,” he says. “Going back to my drag racing days in the 1960s at Lions Drag Strip, I always liked the Henry J gassers. Lions for me began in 1964. Ran the strip almost weekly with my ’57 Olds. It was a real sleeper since most people thought it was too heavy to be a good drag car. But little did they know that I stripped out as much weight as possible and won many times in the Street Eliminator class. In 1967 I built a ’23 T roadster with a 425 Olds and raced at Carlsbad and Orange County International Raceway until I was drafted.”

Years later Randy decided to build his own gasser. “At first, when I acquired the Henry J, I was going to do a stock restoration. But with a top speed of about 40 mph, that was a nonstarter. Then I determined that it was the right car to do a gasser like I remembered the cars from almost 50 years ago. Originally we budgeted $30,000 for the build. At last count, it has reached more than three times that amount.”

Randy built the Henry J’s straight-axle front suspension using components he sourced from Speedway Motors.

Randy characterizes his car as old-school fun. Remembering the durability of the ’57 Olds rearend, that’s where the project started. “I’m an Oldsmobile man and never gave a second thought that the rearend would be anything but a ’57 Olds. I found one in a boneyard in Phoenix. The car features a straight axle up front with ladder traction bars in the rear. It took time to figure out the right gears, starting with a 4.56 spool rearend, but we could not keep the front end on the ground. After breaking three sets of wheelie bars we now run a 4.30 positraction differential and only pop wheelies when we want to. We wore out the wheels on the wheelie bars just having fun.”

A lot of thought went into the engine before a selection was made. “GM makes a great engine, and initially the plan was for a big-block Chevy, but I decided that it would be too heavy for a street machine. Ultimately I ended up with a 383 stroker. I knew it was going to give me the power I was looking for. The bad news is that I contracted with an engine builder in Temecula, California, and almost lost it all. They were shutting down, and if not for a phone call, my engine and money would have been locked up and lost when they shut down.”

Up front, 15×5 Rocket wheels provide the spindle-mount look and are mounted to skinny Mickey Thompson Sportsman tires. In back, 15×12 old-school steel wheels with trim rings and Baby Moon caps are wrapped with fat Mickey Thompson Sportsman S/Rs.

The build included a Moroso oil pan, Scat reciprocating parts—rods, piston, crank—and Dart heads. Ruben Racing Cams of Anaheim supplied the roller cam that spec’d at 0.535/0.535 lift, 299/312 duration. “I also installed a dual-pass radiator and custom headers with ceramic coating,” Randy says. “The trans is a 700R4 converted to a floor shifter using a B&M torque converter with a 3,500-rpm stall speed. Gives me a little more hot rod action. The interior features classic Stewart-Warner gauges, a complete rollcage, and a five-point racing harness. The radiused wheelwells and the drag parachute by Simpson were added for old-school looks.”

After the debacle with the first builder and interviewing several other potential builders, Randy found “a great guy that was between jobs. His name is James Delich. I hired him fulltime and ultimately we have become great friends. James was a friend of Donnie Ho.  Donnie is a great fabricator and helped a great deal on the build. James and Donnie have been friends since high school. I have been friends with Donnie for over 10 years. Both are very knowledgeable, and with our combined experience we built a fine machine.”

The whole car was built around this robust ’57 Olds rearend, Randy says, a throwback to his racing days. “I realize that a new builder would go for the default choice, a Ford 9-inch rear, but being old school myself, I knew the Olds would be stronger.”

Randy notes that the brilliant orange paint and exceptional bodywork was done by Gil’s Auto Body in Hemet, California. The paint cost was a gift of the Zeal’s good friends Stan and Catherine Sorensen. The House of Kolor Chameleon shows gold and green in direct sunlight but in shade is flat orange. Jodell says, “We were deep into just getting the car on the road and planned to wait another year before painting. Stan wanted to see it finished, as at the time he was in failing health. So he offered to pay for the paint, and we were glad he did. He got to see and enjoy the car many times before passing.”

Other contributors to the build included Upholstery by Mac in Homeland, California, and USA Metal Polishing in Lake Elsinore, California.

“There’s one experience I’d like to share,” says Randy. “As I said, James and I became good friends. Coming back from the Rat Fink Reunion in Utah, my Chevy 454 SS tow vehicle blew a water pump just west of Las Vegas. It was midday in the heat of summer, but James came to the rescue. He drove all the way out to pick us up. We put the truck on our trailer, and James towed it home. Jodell and I drove the Henry J across the desert. It was so hot that Jodell had to put iced towels from our cooler on my feet so I could keep pressing on the gas. What a day! The looks we got out on the highway were fantastic.”

The Simpson parachute is there to look cool, but the wheelie bars are functional. In fact, when Randy was sorting out his rearend gears, he broke three sets of wheelie bars because the Henry J spent so much time with its front wheels in the air.

During the first year Randy and Jodell showed the Henry J, Randy says that “people just did not get the idea of the car. Once they did, we either got First Place or nothing. By the second year we were very well received and got many First Place and People’s Choice awards. The annual gassers show at the Automobile Driving Museum in Los Angeles was a great thrill to win the trifecta: Best Gasser, Best of Show, and People’s Choice.”

“We always invite children of all ages to sit in the car and have a photo,” says Jodell. “Families are surprised that we do this, but we believe we need to include kids to keep the ideas alive. The kids are thrilled, and we give them a postcard of the car with a little history on the back.”

The Zeals recognize that appealing to the next generation is the future of our hobby. That’s why it is so important that drag racing’s rich heritage be preserved for future enthusiasts to enjoy. We couldn’t agree with them more.

The Henry J cartoon on the quarter-panel was hand painted by Ron Williams of Winchester, California, a very talented artist.

The traditional Moon tank carries just enough fuel to make a couple of quarter-mile passes.

Randy’s goal was to keep an original look to the dashboard, though he did add updated Stewart-Warner gauges to monitor the stroker Chevy. The more comfortable seats were a concession to all the road miles he and Jodell put on the car.

Pic: Tim Boyd Even if you were too young to see a real Henry J hustle down the quarter-mile, you may have built one of the popular 1:25-scale kits. The “Souped-Up Coupe” was Revell’s Model of the Month for July 1969.

At Hot August Nights in Reno last summer, one of the judges told Randy and Jodell that “if there was a trophy for ‘Wow’ we would have gotten it,” Randy says. “It just doesn’t get any better than that.”

The post Bright & Snarly 1952 Henry J Gasser Is a Tribute to His 1960s Drag Racing appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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