We’re still enamored with conventional small-blocks, and this month we put together the ultimate thumper for any street machine. That means we didn’t go overboard with a radical camshaft or shoot for the sky with monster compression; instead, we went big with the cubic inches, installed a hydraulic roller cam, and topped it off with a 4150-style carburetor. To get this build going, we went to our favorite machine shop, A.R.E. Performance & Machine in Simi Valley, California, where we assembled our 434ci small-block combo.

Email me: chevyhi@sorc.com

The new SS Camaro’s LS3 powerhouse ships from GM already putting out a stout 436 hp. As impressive as that is, the engine is just dying to make more and given the Camaro’s hefty curb weight of over 3,800 pounds, those extra horses make a great car even better.

Of course there are plenty of reasons to convert to power windows, including the appeal of owning a fully loaded car, or just looking cool in general. Beyond the convenience factor, installing power windows into a car that’s almost half a century old can help eliminate a few hurdles.

’68 Camaro
Bill Vermillion
San Diego, CA

Horsepower and torque are useless unless you can apply the energy to the ground in order to accelerate your muscle car. Traction becomes quite a challenge for those dealing with leaf-spring rear suspension systems found under older Chevy vehicles. Leaf-spring suspension systems are simple and effective for its intended purpose—but add some power and sticky tires and the story changes. Ron Rhodes, of Rhodes Custom Auto, knows a thing or two about this setup and shared some secrets that are employed on his ’68 Camaro RS. Rhodes is no stranger to the dragstrip life as he has fought hard on the asphalt jungle for decades and most recently is one of the top X275 players in the Northeast. The X275 ranks are reserved for stock suspension cars running 275 drag radials, and the competition is fierce. But that isn’t his only foray into the wild heads-up racing world, as he is also a former NMCA badass in the naturally aspirated Pro Stock division.

Back to School

Going fast and looking good are what most muscle car enthusiasts thrive for, and Pat McNeil’s ’69 Chevelle is a prime example. If you recall, we first featured his Butternut Yellow Chevelle a few years ago (“The Cow That Jumped Over the Moon,” Oct. ’09 issue). Since then, we’ve learned that he and Mike Saiki from Motivational have once again upped their game, this time with a more potent 496ci big-block that sings to the tune of 765 hp and 638 lb-ft of torque!

People always come up to me at the races, swap meets, or car shows, and tell me how much they enjoy the escapades of the Mac family with our cars, and the projects we’re working on. Unfortunately, because our local track, Fontana’s Auto Club Dragway, has had a very limited schedule this past year, we’ve mainly stuck around the house. So what do you do when you’re bored and broke? The price of fuel has limited us to racing close to home, and when we do spend the money to take two cars, let’s say to Vegas and stay overnight, our pocketbook takes a real hit. You have to win in at least one class just to break even!

Before the advent of the GM A-body intermediates, the precursor of the fabled muscle car, there were only big sedans and coupes, creatures of the T-Rex faction if you will. They displayed all the fabulous qualities of American automotive technology. In a word: big. They had the biggest engines, and they tromped asphalt with monstrous feet. Where do you think the phrase “big as a Buick” came from?

’70 Chevelle
Chris & Pam Perry
Burkburnett, TX

As a rule, cars that walk the fine line between hot rod and custom car seldom do either camp justice. Like multi-fuel cars that run on everything yet don’t run well on anything, they often fall short in one way or another.

Get A Little Cooler

In hot rodding parlance, 38-year-old Chris Sanders has got himself a “reacher”, a first- attempt rookie that is well on its way to becoming whole. He says that he had previously never had a “hot rod” and that his ’73 Z aspires to something greater than a limited budget could muster in 2005. He paid $500 for the original, a bona fide Z28, plus a parts car, but it wasn’t like he stumbled over a screaming deal.

’70 Chevelle
Jim Oltman Jr.
Elkhart, IN

Back in the ’60s, and even on up into the ’70s, it was the NHRA drag guys who took advantage of the affordability, and more importantly the weight benefits, of racing an unlikely candidate down the quarter-mile in the Stock Eliminator class—a station wagon.

Torque, you have to love it. It’s what pushes us into the seats during acceleration and puts the never-ending grins on our faces. Chances are if you’ve already upgraded the transmission to handle the additional grunt, then the rearend is the next area you’ll want to address. Beefier axles, steeper gears, and a huge choice of differentials can make it tough to choose from, however the manufacturers listed here offer a variety of choices for your every need.

Part Numbers
899-5520 900-7500
900-7500 901-9550

’70 Chevelle SS
Bruce & Michelle Silence
Seymour, IN

For some, luck is just something that happens to them; others have to make their own. Just ask Warren Johnson, the “Professor” in the NHRA Pro Stock ranks. He has been preaching the above headline for as long as I can remember. This month I have two stories; one is racing related, and the other is about hauling our possessions down the road.

It didn’t take long for gearheads to figure out that GM’s Gen III truck engines are a great bang-for-your-buck buy for transplantation into a classic muscle car. There are differences, of course, but these powerplants are essentially iron Corvette motors, waiting for a few well-chosen upgrades to turn them into slick street machine motivators. That’s pretty much what we did here—found a truck motor that’s destined to reside in the engine bay of a ’66 Chevelle, and outfitted it with a new COMP Cams camshaft and a set of RHS’ new Pro Action cylinder heads with Clean Cast Technology, which is designed to create “as cast” ports that flow like those in ported heads. The results were impressive—and impressively inexpensive, to the tune of a measly $1,470 clams for a fully assembled pair of lungs. Yes, you read that correctly. Now read on.

’72 Novao
Penny Craig
Mulberry, FL

Letters

Everyone knows that airflow equals power, but what about fuel? All the air in the world won’t make one single horsepower if it isn’t mixed with the proper amount of fuel in the combustion chamber. To illustrate the point, consider the age-old adage that “the really fast guys don’t care about dyno numbers.” If there’s an element of truth to this, there’s a very simple reason why. In the walk of classes like Outlaw 10.5 and Pro Mod, where severely boosted and squeezed motors often eclipse the 3,000hp mark, it’s hard to find a dyno that won’t go kaput when subjected to such extreme abuse. In this elite realm of combustion nirvana, where it’s difficult to directly measure engine output, calculating horsepower is all about keeping track of fuel consumption. Measure the volume and rate at which an engine burns fuel while going down the track, then compare it to well-established BSFC standards for engines of your type, and you’ll have a very good idea of how much horsepower it’s making.

’76 Nova Concours
Ben Sanderfur
Nashville, TN