Articles written by: Jeff Smith

Jeff Smith has had a passion for cars since he began working at his grandfather's gas station at the age 10. After graduating from Iowa State University with a journalism degree in 1978, he combined his two passions: cars and writing. Smith began writing for Car Craft magazine in 1979 and became editor in 1984. In 1987, he assumed the role of editor for Hot Rod magazine before returning to his first love of writing technical stories. Since 2003, Jeff has held various positions at Car Craft (including editor), has written books on small block Chevy performance, and even cultivated an impressive collection of 1965 and 1966 Chevelles. Now he serves as a regular contributor to OnAllCylinders.

Engine & Exhaust / Q&A

Ask Away! with Jeff Smith: Should I Start My Vehicle’s Engine Periodically During Winter Storage?

by × on December 6, 2021 at 10:08 am × 5 comments

Now that the cold weather is here, I’ve always been told that starting the engine in my stored car, truck, or SUV periodically, like once a month, and letting it […]

Ignition & Electrical / Tech Articles

Crimp it Right! How to Use the Moroso Impact Wire Crimping Tool to Assemble Battery Cables

by × on November 26, 2021 at 9:00 am × 2 comments

As with most things in life, there’s a right way and a wrong way to do things. That idea extends even to crimping battery cables. This story will illustrate how […]

Induction / Q&A

Ask Away! with Jeff Smith: Tuning Out a Rich Mixture on a 455 Oldsmobile with a Quick Fuel Carburetor

by × on November 22, 2021 at 10:01 am × 0 comments

I’m having a hard time with the 750 vacuum secondary Quick Fuel Slayer carburetor on my low compression 455 Olds. The engine has a mild 218/218 cam and good manifold vacuum at […]

Engine & Exhaust / Q&A

Ask Away! with Jeff Smith: Investigating Irregular Block Wear Behind the Cam Gear on a SBC

by × on November 17, 2021 at 1:37 pm × 3 comments

I have a really nice, four-bolt main small block Chevy 350 that I’m about to build into a street 383 with a stroker crank with forged pistons and good rods. […]

Induction / Q&A

Ask Away! with Jeff Smith: Finding & Fixing a Strong Gas Odor from a 1967 Chevy El Camino

by × on November 8, 2021 at 10:16 am × 2 comments

I normally park my 1967 El Camino in my separate shop with all the other car parts and stuff but recently had the opportunity to park it in my attached […]

Engine & Exhaust / Q&A

Ask Away! with Jeff Smith: Troubleshooting a Noisy Starter Motor in a Chevy Big Block

by × on October 25, 2021 at 9:25 am × 0 comments

I have a big block Chevy in my 1965 Bel Air and it runs great but has a very noisy starter motor. I am using a late model, permanent magnet […]

Engine & Exhaust / Q&A

Ask Away! with Jeff Smith: Can I Run Solid Roller Lifters on a Hydraulic Roller Cam?

by × on October 20, 2021 at 9:47 am × 1 comment

I have a small-block 350 street/strip engine that I continue to play around with. In my last session at the track, it seems like the engine doesn’t pull as hard […]

Product Profiles

The Muscle is Back: A New Line of Summit Racing Muscle Car Flat Tappet Small Block Chevy Camshafts

by × on October 12, 2021 at 1:16 pm × 0 comments

There was a time almost six decades ago when screaming, carbureted small-block Chevy engines with big carburetors and 11:1 compression rolled off the assembly line and roamed the earth as […]

Induction / Q&A

Ask Away! with Jeff Smith: Understanding Carburetor Power Valve Channel Restrictors

by × on October 11, 2021 at 9:02 am × 0 comments

I’ve read your article on carb tuning about 5 times. I have a 650 cfm SS-AN annular discharge Quick Fuel carburetor with the changeable jets behind the power valve. Are […]

Engine & Exhaust / Q&A

Ask Away! with Jeff Smith: Troubleshooting a Chevy 454 with a Bad Vibration at 2,100 RPM

by × on September 30, 2021 at 9:00 am × 2 comments

I recently had a 1970s 454 Chevy big block rebuilt and assembled by my local machine shop for my 1971 Monte Carlo. The engine was assembled with new pistons, rings, […]

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