Jan 31 2012
Racers like to be in control. They’re the ones who turn their own wrenches, tune their own carbs, pick the parking spot in the pits, and choose the wine at dinner. OK, we made up the wine thing. Us racer types instinctively want to be the masters of our own destinies. That includes setting up the …
Jan 31 2012
After you build a serious 347 cubic inch Ford 5.0—like we did in our first installment of Project Strokers Wild—what do you do for an encore? You build it a bigger, badder brother. In this second installment of our Stroker’s Wild engine series, we’ll show you how we built a 393 cubic inch 351 Windsor. …
Jan 31 2012
Elbow grease. It’s valuable stuff. That’s why professional mechanics and serious auto enthusiasts love their air tools; one squeeze of the trigger blows away all of the drill-it-/hammer-it-/shear-it-/sand-it-yourself muscle you can muster. Plus, there’s no better way to feel like a full-fledged NASCAR mechanic than with a few blasts of an air-powered impact wrench. Decking …
Jan 30 2012
Whether it’s in your bathroom or on your race car, plumbing can be an exercise in frustration—especially when you finish the job, turn on the faucet or switch on the pump, and discover you have more leaks than flow. While we can’t really help you with your bathroom, we can show you how to assemble …
Jan 28 2012
Ignitions have come a long way from the breaker points and coil setup Charles Kettering designed before World War I (and starting the Delco company in the process). Now there are electronic distributors, megawatt coils, ignition control boxes, crank triggers, timing computers, and other gadgets designed to give you a bigger, more precise spark. We …
Jan 27 2012
Editor’s note: This story originally appeared at SummitRacing.com on 3/12/2004. Kitchen tables are marvelously adaptable pieces of furniture. In addition to serving as the family feeding trough, kitchen tables can be used as craft centers, debating forums, and poker dens. You can even build cars on them—just ask Rick Bogoff. He always had a thing …
Jan 26 2012
Consider the mechanical fuel pump. It hangs off the side of your engine and does its thing: moving fuel from the tank up to your carburetor. The mechanical pump is simple, reliable—and thanks to Race Pumps, totally obsolete. Race Pumps has engineered a better way to deliver fuel—a reciprocating-piston, variable displacement design that delivers the …
Jan 25 2012
Inspiration can strike suddenly like a bolt of lightning from a clear sky. Just ask Gary Hoffman. Gary’s been building and customizing hot rods for over 40 years. He’s well known on his local scene for his super-clean resto work and paint expertise, especially his 1961 AMC Rambler American convertible. He knows what he likes, …
Jan 25 2012
It’s a beautiful Saturday afternoon. You’re towing your race car merrily along with your diesel-powered rig, when you suddenly encounter a hilly, winding stretch of highway. You pump the brakes to navigate your way down a steep section of road, but the additional weight of the trailer causes your tow vehicle to pick up speed …
Jan 24 2012
In the great big book of automotive clichés, the phrase, “There’s no replacement for displacement,” can be found at the top of page one. But as much as the phrase is overused, it’s also pretty much dead on. Outside of bumping up compression, adding displacement to your engine is one of the fastest ways to …
